The art and practice of rhetoric and its early emphasis on speaking in public commenced around 500 BCE in Syracuse , Sicily, and at its inception, itinerant teachers known as the sophists , taught others the art of speaking in public, primarily out of local necessity born of a revolt against a local despot and the need to reclaim lost properties. Speechwriting, or the help others provide speakers in designing, drafting, editing, and finalizing speeches, is still the prevalent practice of the speechmaking process. Most speakers, often leaders of politics or industry, entrusted with the production of a given speech, rely on the help of others in securing the most effective speech possible. For some, such help is done informally while others employ professional writers to help them draft and improve the quality of a speech. The assistance involved includes assessing some or all the crucial variables included therein such as figuring out the best arguments to the designated audience, presenting a responsible reasoning process given the issue at hand and seeking to maximize the speech’s overall effectiveness by employing attractive phrasing and proper delivery .
Our book presents the case for speechwriting as a practice and a profession that is based on long-standing theoretical grounding. Speechwriting and speechwriters enjoy a long-standing tradition that is quite vibrant in contemporary practices. The political and the businesses worlds, as well as related professions, resort to speechwriters on a continuous basis, seeking efficient, adaptable, and appealing speeches on a host of issues. Beginning with the sophists and through the Greek and Roman periods , treatises on rhetoric through contemporary practices and examples, the art of writing public speeches for clients has stipulated principles and processes that can be taught, practiced, and perfected. Speechwriting is situated in a discipline with a rich history that is based on recognized theories and teachable practices based on well-established rhetorical principles.
Most texts about speaking in public are devoted to the speaking part of the oratorical process and seeking to prepare speakers to develop their own speeches. In the USA and to some extent in Europe too, courses in public speaking are abounded and are often required by some disciplines in academic institutions and across disciplines. The concept of an involved and educated citizenry often grounds this academic need. The prevalence of public speaking courses in the USA, a practice that began early in the nineteenth century , is closely tied to the appreciation of a democratic political system that is founded on the principle of freedom of speech and the subsequent need to educate citizens in the art of speaking ethically and responsibly in public.
Our text takes a different focus, that of instructing the art of writing of speeches with a specific focus on writing such speeches professionally and for clients. We approach this topic with the recognition that the speechwriting process is the habit of many speakers who, to one degree or another, rely on the ideas, their development, input, and feedback of others in the process of crafting, editing, and finalizing effective speeches. Ours is not a handbook. There is plenty of these. Our objective is to offer a well thought through account of the speechwriting process, its theoretical underpinnings, ethical implications, and practices. To accomplish this task, we adhere to the fundamental principles of rhetorical theories and public speaking and adopt them here to the art of writing speeches.
We consider the speechwriter a professional who is an expert in the art of writing and public speaking and who is able to write speeches for clients. We recognize the fact that professionals from different but related fields often lend themselves to the practice of speechwriting. Policy advisors have dabbled in speechwriting as have those with strong writing skills or those from the legal profession. In other settings, professionals in public relations sometime function also as speechwriters. What we seek here is to put the practice of speechwriting under theoretical, conceptual, and ethical lenses in order to ground it in a critical process whereby a thoughtful and critical perspective drives the writing of speeches for clients. We hope that such a perspective would yield greater understanding as well as improved speechwriting processes.
Despite the growing reliance on technology to enhance and manage multiple and diversified audience able to receive messages, be it the Internet and its voluminous web pages as well as the many social media outlets, human beings still resort to the one activity that has remained constant for some three and half thousand years: speaking in public as the primary mode of communicating with others. From Biblical times to ancient Greece , to the Roman Empire and later, the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle-Ages to the modern world, people still speak in public and they do so most extensively to present ideas, advocate positions, find adherents, and move people in a given direction. The physical and the creative are still the key variables in assessing skills, strength, and potential, often rendered necessary in assessing the credibility and viability of one individual to embody specific ideas. Put differently, our messages are still subsumed in our persona that in turn relies on the creative and performative process of constructing and delivering effective speeches.
Speaking in public then is a practice whereby a person exemplifies key qualities such as wisdom, character, and confidence in front of spectators. Public speaking has not changed much since antiquity in the sense that it is still considered among the most telling characteristic of an individual. On the strength of their rhetorical qualities, leaders have risen to prominence, some pursuing the most altruistic principles while others have resorted to manipulative and unethical practices. At its core, speaking in public is still oral, still an address to others, still a one-shot attempt at achieving a given objective and still the most real of all communication practices even with the aid of the megaphones , public address systems, radio , television , and the teleprompter . The judgments spectators make about speakers are holistic as they account for the selection of topic, organization and structure, style and delivery , and the overall believability as one embodied package. And as an embodied account, speaking in public is a risky task since so much hangs on the success of a performance that cannot be undone or goes through a “do over.” For this very reason, those entrusted with the presentation of important topics have sought the help of ghostwriters to ensure that at least some of the more controlled performative aspects of public speaking can be planned and hence secure some measure of success or, at the minimum, to minimize weaknesses or failures. This is where the speechwriter comes in, helping the speaker with a comprehensive understanding of the task ahead and aiding the speaking in narrowing down uncertainties and constructing a viable speaking opportunity.
For better or worse, public speaking has been used by honorable people and those of ill repute. Great leaders such as Abraham Lincoln spoke in public about human virtues to advance the cause of humanity by emancipating slaves while ruthless rulers like Adolf Hitler used the same art to move people in the direction of mass murder. Clearly, the creative art of speechwriting is heavily invested in ethical implications. The ethics of writing speeches for clients, or ghostwriting, are discussed here in order to give the art of speechwriting legitimacy and to allow speechwriter professionals to engage confidently and ethically in this practice of writing speeches for others.
The modern polity as its ancient counterparts relies on public speeches to advance policies or ideas and they will likely remain a staple of most social and political systems. The interaction between leaders and followers often centers on addressing the public, hence, the need for effective speeches. As long as speeches are needed and speakers need speeches, the practice of writing speeches will continue. In principle, speeches are written prior to their delivery and the better speeches are those that have been prepared in advance and that went through an editorial phase. The practice and process of developing speeches have often been in the hands of more than just the speaker alone. Speakers or speechwriters draft speeches, write portions thereof, seek advice from others, and receive solicited and unsolicited drafts or points for inclusion. Some speakers will practice a heavier hand than others over the speechwriting process. Some will have their speeches drafted entirely by others only to be finalized by the speaker prior to delivery . The principle notion advanced here is that speechwriting is usually a collaborative art but that no consistent approach is apparent.
One of the thorniest issues related to speechwriting is the notion that speakers who rely on the work of speechwriters, deliver speeches that they did not write and that such a practice is inherently unethical because the true writers of speeches are not identified nor credited. However, this stance is rather limited and not altogether accurate. There are several reasons that can be cited here as to the legitimacy of writing speeches for others. Most speakers seek input from colleagues, associates, and experts in perfecting their speeches, even when they drafted the speech themselves. When covering a specific topic in a speech, most speakers who are likely leaders of one sort or another, need to rely on the input of others in order to secure effectiveness and avoid making mistakes or errors in judgment or intent. Most speakers seek feedback, advice, and a second opinion in order to avoid a less than favorable impression and to maximize receptiveness, recognizing that no individual can contemplate accurately all the speaking variables involved in a speech situation. The re-drafting and finalizing of speeches then are already the combined efforts of more than just the speaker. Speaking in public requires unique understanding of the public mode of communication and not all speakers possess knowledge and expertise in this field. Hence, the input of those more astute in public presentation can ensure greater effectiveness as well as minimizing weaknesses.
Our aim is to describe and elaborate the process of speechwriting, highlight its theoretical, conceptual, critical, and ethical features in order to present ...