The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write It * How to Deliver It

Defense of written speeches

A well-written speech is a disciplined speech. It doesn't ramble. It gets to the point. It fits the time allotted. It contains no superfluous detail, but it doesn't leave out anything important. If you're speaking from cue cards, as some speakers like to do, the chances of leaving something out are high.

Writing—writing anything—is just about the best discipline I know of. Simply stated, writing makes you think. In writing this book, I had to think more about speeches, speech making, and speech writing than ever before. It's one thing to do something; it's quite another to tell someone else how to do it. Try telling some one how to ride a bicycle, swing a golf club, or play a guitar. It's not so easy.

The kind of thinking ...