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

Foreword

Many years ago, when I was laboring in obscurity as employee-newsletter editor for a small textile company, my boss asked me to prepare brief remarks for the president of the company to deliver at a gathering of longtime employees. I accepted the challenge with considerable trepidation. The situation was not ideal even for an experienced speech writer, certainly not for me, whose experience was absolute zero. The deadline was tight and I would not be given the opportunity to talk with the president to find out what he wanted to say. Guidance from my boss was minimal. It was left to me to decide what the president would say as well as how he would say it. Nevertheless, I somehow muddled through.

To my amazement, the president delivered ...