From the 26-28 March 2025 we had our 24th Speechwriters’ & Business Communicators’ conference in Exeter College, Oxford. Being a conference of writers, many were moved to write about what they experienced. Here is a collection of the pieces we could find published on websites and social media sites like Linkedin.
Lech Mintowt-Czyz gave us a colourful write-up on the Pro Rhetoric blog.
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Who said coaches have to stay on the bench?
Being a speechwriter often means watching others bring to life the words we craft—sometimes with a lot of sweat, blood… and the occasional tear.
Last week, I had the privilege of stepping out from behind the scenes to attend the European Speechwriter Network’s annual conference, held at Exeter College, part of the prestigious University of Oxford .
Jessica Cunniffe and Guy Doza set the tone with top-notch masterclasses.
Jess took us inside 10 sharing what it’s like to write speeches for former Prime Minister David Cameron.
We surfed on an “ocean of emotions” with Guy who showed us how to draw inspiration from poets, pop stars (and even dictators!) and use emotional language to give power to the causes we care about.
The speakers did not disappoint. They explored a wide range of topics including:
– The art of listening in order to write well; (Steve Rawling)
-The rhetoric of AI; (Daniel Jungblut)
-Behind the scenes of writing the speech for the Olympic opening ceremony (watched by billions of people); (Marine Lambert)
-A praise for populist language ; (Prof. Dr. Michael Burke)
-And the demagogic genius of Donald Trump. (Kevin Toolis)
Then it was time to put skin in the game during the after-dinner speech contest. after-dinner speech contest with an incredible lineup of speakers. Congratulations to John Zimmer, whose outstanding (and multilingual) performance was an instant hit and to the incredible lineup of speakers who graced the stage. BRA-VO!
I want to thank Brian Jenner for gathering us all in this historical place and for his tireless dedication in building and growing this European community of speechwriters.
And last but certainly not least, I want to give a big round of applause to Lucie Robin, Emcee extraordinaire who did a fantastic job throughout the event!
And finally, thank you to all the attendees who made this experience truly special!
Jennifer Migan
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Some days ago, I had the great pleasure and honor of chairing the 24th annual Conference of the European Speechwriter Network at ExeterCollege, Oxford.
This year’s theme was: “Speechwriting in a new era.”
Where do speechwriters stand in the face of galloping AI? What is their role as communicators in a time where populist language is gaining more ground by the hour?
To answer these crucial questions, an incredible line-up of experts shared their insight into the future of European speechwriting:
Steve Rawling demonstrated the importance of listening in speechwriting, an ability that AI is still far from mastering, while Daniel Jungblut analyzed the rhetoric of AI, showing that it is indeed getting better at words, but that meaning and intentions remain out of its reach.
Prof. Dr. Michael Burke then described the mechanics of populist language, an interesting appreciation if one wants to learn how to counter it.
Marine Lambert took us back to the beautiful Parisian summer 2024, into the secrets of speechwriting for the greatest event in the world (again, congratulations on a resounding success, it has been an honor to share only a bit of this popular momentum at your side!).
The Network’s resident expert in Donald Trump, Kevin Toolis, then shared with us his observations of this political phenomenon to dissect the success of his demagogic “genius”.
On the last day of the Conference, Simon Atkinson and other speechwriters paid homage to Max Atkinson and his legacy to the world of speechwriting. His timeless works on the keys to a successful speech remain a major reference to this day.
Last, but obviously not least, Daniel Mouqué gave a passionate keynote speech, full of life and hope: in the face of adversity, let us unite and roar together to call for a brighter future for Europe!
I also want to give a special shout out to the French all-female delegation: to Marine Lambert for an awe inspiring talk about how to write speeches that gather billions around universal values; to Lucrèce Branca for her participation in the European Open Mic and introduction to the importance of intercultural “adapters” to facilitate international communications; and to Jennifer Migan for an outstanding performance at the speaking contest! Congratulations to you three.
Huge thanks as well to Jessica Cunniffe, Guy Doza, John Zimmer, Matthew Collins and Michel Reinders for their amazing trainings, congratulations to all participants in the Open Mic and in the Speaking Contest.
And finally, I want to thank Brian Jenner for organizing yet another incredible conference. Speechwriting is an unusual occupation, to say the least, and this gathering is an absolute must for all who want to understand it and get better at it. Thank you for giving me this incredible opportunity!
See you all next year!
Lucie Robin
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Why do speechwriters still get up in the morning when ChatGPT can spit out words in the blink of an eye?
Last week at Exeter College, Oxford , I tried my best to offer an optimistic answer. The alma mater of J.R.R. Tolkien and many other inspiring writers (no pressure, Theodore) hosted this year’s conference of the European Speechwriter Network. It was a really great place for my favorite nerdy bunch to meet. Thank you Brian for organising this shindig every year. Thank you Lucie for chairing it so very well.
As someone who works with Large Language Models almost every day as part of an industry that is being seriously disrupted by them, I have tried to put hashtag#AI in a broader context and to dispel some of the mystique. It doesn’t make the technology any less impressive or helpful, but without the charade that comes with its name we can focus on the essentials.
And that is the fact that ArtificiaI Intelligence is artificial, but not intelligent. Not in the proper sense of the word. It’s about calculating the right words and phrases. Automated hashtag#rhetoric. Persuasive at best, but never really bound by truth. That’s why it can’t stop hallucinating. That’s why people call for a ‘human in the loop’. And that’s why we speechwriters and rhetoricians should not raise our hands reluctantly, but with confidence. We the humans in the loop. After all, balancing language and reality has been our trade for over 2,000 years.
So, Jutta, Nele, Lech, Guy, Marine, Jennifer, John, Michael and all you other bright and witty minds – let’s get to work, shall we?
Daniel Jungblut
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Attending the European Speechwriter Network conference at Exeter College in Oxford last week was a real joy. Meeting speechwriters from all over the world and hearing from the best in this business was rewarding, challenging and great fun.
Highlights were a full-day workshop with ex-Downing Street speechwriter Jessica Cunniffe, an awesome improv session with John Zimmer, a glimpse into the writing of speeches for the president of the Paris Olympics from Marine Lambert, some revealing insights into the demagogic genius of Trump with Kevin Toolis, and a great closing keynote on the future of European speechwriting by Daniel Mouqué.
Huge thanks to Brian Jenner for organising such a terrific conference, really hope to return next year.
Joel Clark
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‘More philosophical and eccentric than I expected’ was how a fellow first-timer described the European Speechwriter Network annual conference, and I think this perfectly sums it up. How I wish we could say the same about more things in life. Though, having gotten to know Brian Jenner a little through Zoom beforehand, perhaps I had a slightly better inkling for what was in store.
As a budding speechwriter, I felt privileged to spend four fruitful days and nights with some of the best in the game. Here are a few things that I enjoyed observing:
● Speechwriters make great listeners. Whether chatting over a pint or taking part in a workshop, speechwriters are a perceptive bunch and warm and generous conversationalists. They have a lot to say but they also have a great capacity to listen. I can’t remember one person looking distractedly at their phone.
● Speechwriters can agree to disagree. It was refreshing to hear so many diverse opinions expressed so respectfully. One of my favourite speeches from the after dinner speaking competition eloquently detonated the conference’s pan-European bonhomie, and was rewarded with a prize!
● Speechwriters are everywhere and everything. In my four days I spoke to people about Shakespeare, Finnegan’s Wake, insurance reports, Malta, IPSOS, homeopathy, TikTok, and Gordon Brown. I found that speechwriters’ interests and backgrounds are as richly storied as the talks they gave.
● Speechwriting is a Sisyphean pursuit. In a world of ‘actionable insights’, there’s a lovely sense of limitless curiosity that speechwriters have about their craft. While the foundations are ancient, they’re still discovering new things, as there are so many aspects to focus on and pick apart. We learnt about how ‘audience listening’ can enable a speechwriter to perfectly place a punchline, but also about how the classical appeal to ‘Kairos’ (delivering your speech at a decisive moment) is still being used by dictators, Disney characters, and Adele.
Until next time. Thanks to Brian Jenner for having me, and thanks to everyone I met. It was fantastically rewarding.
I would also highly recommend joining the European Speechwriter Network or UK Speechwriters’ Guild. It’s a terrific community filled with rich resources for anyone interested in speechwriting, public speaking, rhetoric, debate, or just how we can better use language to reason, argue and persuade.
Jack Arnhold