Last month, I attended the Professional Speechwriters Association's World Conference in Washington, D.C. I also attended the PSA's one-day Speechwriting School, which immediately preceded the conference.
Both were invaluable. I met many other speechwriters, absorbed some of the lore of the craft, and learned many specific and actionable tools I can use in my own work. In particular, the teachers of the Speechwriting School were amazingly helpful: Dr. Rose King, Eric Schnure, Felicity Barber, Fletcher Dean, and of course PSA executive director David Murray.
Presenters at this event shared an enormous number of recommendations for speeches to watch, research, inspiration, resources, and books. It was an information-packed two and a half days and I'm glad I went!
I'm sharing the list of every recommendation I noted during the school and conference. This is not a comprehensive guide to speechwriting, but it's a great start.
Speeches:
- Phil Davison’s speech for Republican office in Stark County, OH (over the top!)
- Sen. Ben Cardin speech about Sudan - Spring 2024 (a powerful use of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence)
- Volodymyr Zelensky speech in 2022 (ditto)
- Brene Brown, TED Talk June 2010 (great opening)
- Nixon's 1952 "Checkers" speech (a good example of using expert testimony)
- Obama's DNC speech in 2004 (masterful speech that put him on the map nationally)
- Mitch Landrieu's speech on removing Confederate statues (good use of rhetorical devices)
Research, background, and inspiration:
- Paul Zak's video, "Future of Storytelling" (neuroscience of dramatic arcs)