The Speechwriter

Good Motto for a Speechwriter

Mieulx est de ris que de larmes escrire, Pour ce que rire est le propre de l'homme.

Francois Rabelais

Translation: It is better to write laughs than tears, because laughter is what being human is all about.

Bill Deedes Memorial Service

By the magic of modern multimedia, we can listen to things like Charles Moore's speech in tribute to Bill Deedes, the long-serving Telegraph journalist. He's good on the visual detail and the context. You couldn't find a better example of old-fashioned British virtues. Moore articulates perfectly the self-assured English (Conservative) moral universe in this speech. Click here.

What Charles Moore says, and the way he tells it, reminds me why I love speeches. On the surface he pays tribute to what a wonderful man Bill Deedes was. I'm sure Moore did think he was a wonderful chap. But analyse a few details and a more ambiguous picture emerges. The beauty of public speaking is that it's very hard to conceal things.

Brilliant Quip

Eternity is a long time, especially towards the end.

A good put-down line after a particularly long speech from a very boring speaker.

My Visit to an Image Consultant

Just over two years ago, I heard a brilliant presentation at DorsetBusiness on image management by Sue Ruston, who runs a consultancy. I was quite bowled over by it at the time. She talked about determining what's going on in the inside and how do you bring it out, so you communicate who you are.

Yesterday I took the plunge and went shopping with Sue Ruston in Central London to have the treatment. It's quite a vulnerable position to be in. I had to communicate to her in words very personal things about who I am and what impression I want to make. We started off with quite a detailed interview ranging over my different issues with clothes.

We then went off to Selfridges in Oxford Street that has a floor with almost every brand under the sun. For four hours we went through every aspect of what I was drawn to and why, and that was countered by Sue's thoughts on how best to convey the image I had described to her. We covered shirts, ties, shoes, socks, jumpers, suits, the lot.

Very quickly I realised I had got myself into an uncomfortable situation. Partly because I realised that many of the things I had been doing created a poor impression. I reach for the V-neck jumper in M&S because it's easy, I've always done that, it's a short-cut. Clothes are not my thing.

But of course, I make snap judgements about people on the basis of their dress. To become an expert in clothes would require many Saturday afternoons wandering round department stores, when I'd rather read a book.

The whole experience was very overwhelming. Partly because I got a terrifying sense of my own lack of knowledge of the subject. The reassuring thing is that what I was now doing wrong, I can now do right - and unlike learning to dance or speak in public - money can solve the problem quite quickly.

To have the help of an expert is wonderful. In our conversation at the end of the day we realised our businesses have many things in common. Sue helps people communicate who they want to be through their clothes, I help people communicate what they want to say through their words.

At first thought, why would anyone want to spend hundreds of pounds on getting someone to show you how to shop and dress?

But after you've been through it, you wonder, how could I have been so mad as to think I could possibly do without such help? Sue was great company and opened up a whole new world to me. If you've got any issues around this subject, I would recommend a trip with Sue to Oxford Street.

Wisdom from Baz Luhrmann

I watched Strictly Ballroom over the weekend. A superb film. Watching the extras, I picked up this quotation from Baz Lurhmann.

What it's about is the same things that our lives are about, everybody's life is about, the world of ballroom dancing is a microcosm for the world at large. So like the world at large you've got a kind of all powerful repressive regime, whether it's a political body, or your boss or work, or just whatever it is that is stopping you from being who your are, and you've got young people with ideas who are overcoming that repression.

Washington 2008

I bought my ticket to America today. From February 13-15 2008, I will be a guest of Lawrence Ragan Communications Inc at their conference of US speechwriters.

We're meeting at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, just a few blocks away from the White House. I will be talking about “Humorous Speechwriting" for an hour. Speechwriting is a bigger and more respected business in the US, so I'm really looking forward to it.