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Writing Effective Speeches
A professional speechwriter presents techniques for effective speechwriting, describing how to tailor a speech, use humor and anecdotes, write about an unfamiliar subject, write for a specific audience, and more
232 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1992
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August 9, 2017
As soon as I began a new job in February, I was loaned this book by my boss. As one of my duties is to craft speeches and letters for the school dean, she figured that this 1992 book would be helpful for someone new to the craft. In many ways, it was.
Throughout Writing Effective Speeches, author Henry Ehrlich deploys countless anecdotes and nuggets of personal wisdom in the service of making you, the reader, a better-prepared speechwriter and communicator. Ehrlich, who now co-authors books on allergens and pediatric health, was a corporate speechwriter for many years; much of his advice comes from the business world, but he makes a point to cut through the fat. He knows that not everyone reading this book will be writing for a CEO or Executive Vice Chair, but the lessons he's learned writing speeches for timid professionals, poor and great orators, and audiences of all backgrounds are more than enough to fill these pages. Ehrlich's voice is genuinely funny, and his knack for hauling up obscure and pithy quotes at just the right time is a testament to his professional expertise.
However, as with any self-instruction guide (especially those about writing), it's difficult for the author to avoid coasting along on platitudes. In many chapters, Ehrlich uses cautionary tales to bolster his advice—from shocking stories of a speaker's untimely improvisations to a writer's employment of clumsy alliteration—but in the end only the broadest of ideas stuck. While I definitely have a better understanding of why a speechwriter does what they do and a few examples of what I can do when I'm in a bind, how to write a good speech is fuzzy for me. Ultimately, I've just learned that if a proper formula for speechwriting exists, they haven't found it yet.
Throughout Writing Effective Speeches, author Henry Ehrlich deploys countless anecdotes and nuggets of personal wisdom in the service of making you, the reader, a better-prepared speechwriter and communicator. Ehrlich, who now co-authors books on allergens and pediatric health, was a corporate speechwriter for many years; much of his advice comes from the business world, but he makes a point to cut through the fat. He knows that not everyone reading this book will be writing for a CEO or Executive Vice Chair, but the lessons he's learned writing speeches for timid professionals, poor and great orators, and audiences of all backgrounds are more than enough to fill these pages. Ehrlich's voice is genuinely funny, and his knack for hauling up obscure and pithy quotes at just the right time is a testament to his professional expertise.
However, as with any self-instruction guide (especially those about writing), it's difficult for the author to avoid coasting along on platitudes. In many chapters, Ehrlich uses cautionary tales to bolster his advice—from shocking stories of a speaker's untimely improvisations to a writer's employment of clumsy alliteration—but in the end only the broadest of ideas stuck. While I definitely have a better understanding of why a speechwriter does what they do and a few examples of what I can do when I'm in a bind, how to write a good speech is fuzzy for me. Ultimately, I've just learned that if a proper formula for speechwriting exists, they haven't found it yet.
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