This letter was enclosed in the welcome pack for the delegates to the 25th European Speechwriter Network conference at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge…
The European Speechwriter Network is driven by new ideas. As old ways of doing things fall out of fashion, it’s important to come up with new concepts to reinvigorate our organisation. Most of us enjoy being creative and imaginative. We need to find new ways to be imaginative and creative.
Here are some ideas that we’ve been exploring over the past 12 months, and which we will be pursuing over the next 12 months.
Rediscovering Democracy
We have lost touch with the meaning of democracy and the role of speeches within that system (Professor Wiles explained this during our conference in Cambridge.) When you visit Athens and tour the Pnyx and the Theatre of Dionysos, the purpose of speechmaking in a democracy becomes obvious, as does the relationship between Greek tragedy and politics.
It’s important to remind ourselves and others of the meaning of democracy and what better way to do that by taking people there. The first step of the plan was to run a speechwriters’ conference/retreat in Athens, but it proved difficult to find a venue to host such an event. We’re still looking. Organising rhetorical summer schools in English for ambitious young students could work. When so much education is screen based, an immersive study vacation in Athens would surely be something that parents would want for their children.
A Return to Wittenberg
How do we get people interested in rhetoric again? Hamlet is about a young man who studied rhetoric in Wittenberg to become a future king. The play is still popular and easier to watch than ever before. It’s a wonderful way to get to grips with the Reformation and its implications. Wittenberg is a charming small German town that has museums, churches and archives that reflect the rhetorical heritage of the place. It’s just a 40-minute train journey from Berlin. There is a small college in the town called the Leucorea which is similar to an Oxford or Cambridge college. Could we make Wittenberg the new spiritual home of the European Speechwriter Network?
The Carnival of Alternative Politics
Western European political formats have become very flat and stale. Mainstream political parties find it harder to discover new talent and engage with the public. Populist parties focus on stirring up anger and resentment. All parties are keen to protect the people who fund them. This inhibits change and lively debate.
Can we create new formats? Can we devise new rituals that offer pretexts to deliver meaningful speeches? How do we bring humour back into fashion? How do we encourage young people to play a part in the democratic process? Members of the European Speechwriter Network took part in the first Carnival of Alternative Politics in February 2026 in Bournemouth. We were inspired to organise more events in the future.
Zoom Events
Over the past year we have hosted regular online Viennese Salons. These have been very successful because almost all of the regular attendees are joining us in Cambridge! We have lively and open conversations about geopolitics and perspectives from many different countries. If you would like to join and continue the discussions raised during the conference, we’d love to involve you. The details are on the website.
Conference 2027
In the coming weeks, we’ll be finding an Oxford college to host the next Speechwriters’ & Business Communicators’ conference in April 2027. We’d be glad to hear suggestions for speakers or trainers.
Thank you
Thank you for joining us in Cambridge. Thank you for persuading your employer to cover the costs of your attendance. Thank you to the speakers who always deliver thoughtful and challenging presentations.
The global tribe of speechwriters is extremely small, and we are guardians of ‘esoteric’ knowledge that is not taught in schools and universities. It’s important to share our experiences with peers and the younger generation.
The fact that we congregate again this year, with an increase in attendees, in beautiful surroundings, to celebrate the great European rhetorical tradition is evidence that Western civilisation is still bubbling strongly, albeit under the surface.
Brian Jenner
info@europeanspeechwriters.org
+44 7545 232980