The Man Who Made Winston Churchill
Oct 15, 2015
Winston Churchill was once asked on whom or on what he had based his oratorical style. He replied—and I quote—“It was an American statesman who inspired me and taught me …
The State of the EU: Busy
Sep 09, 2015
Mr President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament, Today is the first time during my mandate as President of the European Commission that I have the honour to address this …
Resources for Speakers: How to find out if you�re ready for prime time
Nov 30, 2008
Ted.com showcases more than 200 of the best talks by the best presenters at one of the best conferences in the world. Compare these talks to yours.
Everything you ever wanted to know about TED Talks
Jul 10, 2012
New Yorker identifies TED Talks as “a sentimental form” that people use for personal “transport.” It’s the oral-communication phenomenon of our time.
“Employee Communication Is Different”
Mar 21, 2010
Vital Speeches editor David Murray speaks for himself, delivering a provocative lecture on why employee communication is as important to a democratic society as public education.
Settlements Are Not the Cause of the Conflict, But No One Can Ignore the Threat They Pose to Peace
Jan 04, 2017
Today, I want to share candid thoughts about an issue which for decades has animated the foreign policy dialogue here and around the world—the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Throughout his Administration, President …
For Speechwriters, the Struggle Is Real (and It Always Was)
Jun 13, 2023
Digging through some old files, I came across an issue of a long-defunct publication I once edited for Ragan Communications, called Speechwriter’s Newsletter. I wrote the cover piece in the August …
Rhetoric, for Ill
Jul 15, 2025
A review of The Language of Evil, by Guy Doza. (Canbury, 2025) We hear the call from time to time: If only the masses knew the tricks of speechwriters and …
“Great Talks Most People Have Never Heard”
Sep 26, 2018
“Great Talks Most People Have Never Heard” is a great web page I’d never heard of. Some of the speeches here, you have heard … but some very cool obscure stuff here, …
TED: productive, or “placebo”?
Jan 08, 2014
Inevitably, a guy gave a TED Talk on TED Talks. And found them wanting. At TEDx San Diego last month, visual arts professor Benjamin Bratton derides TED Talks as simplistic, …