In 2008, I attended my first ever speechwriting conference in Washington DC. I’m now looking forward to my 17th!
There are three reasons why I enjoy them: it’s my tribe – I find other delegates are just like me.
I learn stuff – for example, at my first one, I heard Drew Westen, who opened up my mind to the links between psychotherapy and politics.
And I make contacts with people I can work with – I’m self employed and it’s lonely working on your own.
Nobody does a speechwriting conference like the Americans.
Speechwriting impresario, David Murray, is organising the World Conference of the Professional Speechwriters Association at Georgetown University from 26 – 28 September 2016. You can see highlights from last year’s conference on the video.
In addition to the usual global gathering of speechwriters, the conference will feature a discussion of the current US Presidential campaign from a speechwriter’s perspective.
Drew Westen is back – he’ll be updating the message that he preached in his classic book, The Political Brain, which was first published in 2007.
There will also be a keynote conversation led by Dutch speechwriting star Annelies Breedveld.
David is keen to recruit delegates from across the water. He’s issued a coupon code RegionSpeech which members of the UK Speechwriters’ Guild or the European Speechwriter Network can use to get a 10% discount. If you book before 30 June, you also get the early-bird discount.