Every year to lighten the admin load for the ESN conference, I set aside some money to invest in a creative project. One year it was an ESN tea towel, the next year it was an enamel mug, the year after that we created a branded European Speechwriter Network notebook.
In the last chapter of Giuliano da Empoli’s book on the rise of digital populism, he describes the problem faced by the owner of a cat rescue centre.
1. Meet the Speechwriters
Highly-educated, multilingual, intuitive, that tends to be the kind of person who falls into the role of ‘speechwriter’.
On Friday 8 July 2022, we hosted an online interview with Äse Thomassen, a Norwegian political scientist, who has just published a book, Zelensky’s rhetoric. The book gives some background to the rise of the Ukrainian President, and analyses his strategy of speaking to parliaments around the world.
During the pandemic, Benet Brandreth QC produced a fine book: Shakespearean Rhetoric. It’s a very accessible account of how Shakespeare was a product of his education, and how he used his education when composing his plays.
It’s regrettable that we’ve lost the rigour which characterised argumentation in that era. Especially because in a modern media environment, it’s so important to create texts that stand out.
Former BBC correspondent turned speechwriter, Nick Hawton, gives his views on the changing nature of leadership communication.
In the deepest, darkest days of Covid, a new creature emerged into the light. Shrouded in pixels, gorging on the insecurity of the moment, the creature infected monitors the world over.
Promising connection and efficiency, it displaced the ‘here and now’ and drained empathy and spontaneity from the speechmaking ritual.
Lo, behold, the creature cometh, the mutant child of Father Speech and Mother Virtual….all hail the Speechual.
Speechwriters mourned the passing of the in-person delivery. Existential questions abounded.
But the predicted end of days has not transpired. The Speechual was (and is) not an enemy. It is our friend. It just needs to be understood.
Leaders are supposed to be public mediators. Healing division and building coalitions. It’s not their job to be right about things.
It’s their job to get the least worst outcome for everyone, based on the limits of politics (like the rule of law) and the reality that all societies are made up of irreconcilable factions.
We were sad to hear of the death of Edward Mortimer on 18 June 2021.
Edward was a distinguished speechwriter and journalist and a keen supporter of the Network.
On Thursday 21 January 2021, Brian Jenner from the European Speechwriter Network talked to Amélie Blanckaert from the French speechwriting agency Coup de Plume about the differences in the public speaking cultures in France and Great Britain.
Because of lockdown, we have to do things differently.
Before lockdown, if I wanted to bring speechwriters together that always involved booking a room in London, creating an incentive for people to show up and covering the costs through ticket sales.
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