Speechwriter

A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches to be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be employed to write for weddings and other social occasions.

A speechwriter typically works at the highest levels of government or businesses and directly with political leaders or executives to determine the points, themes, positions, or messages that should be included in a speech, and usually to author the speech itself. Speechwriters need to be able to accept criticism and comments on the different drafts of the speech, and be able to incorporate the proposed changes into the draft. Speechwriters have to be able to work on several different speeches at once, and manage their time so that they can meet demanding deadlines for finishing the speech on time.^[1] Speechwriters must also be able to accept anonymity, because with few exceptions, speechwriters are not officially credited or acknowledged. This aspect creates a dilemma for historians and compilers of speech anthology; namely, when some significant phrase gains popularity such as John F. Kennedy's "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," whether credit be given to Kennedy, to speechwriter Ted Sorensen, or to both?

While there is a guild called "The UK Speechwriters' Guild" for professional speechwriters, they do not usually have specific training in the area or field for which they are writing speeches. Instead, speechwriters often have a broad understanding of basic economics, political roles, and policy issues, which make them generalists who are able to "translate" complex economic and policy issues into a clear message for the general public. As with many other writing occupations, most speechwriters do not have specific training in their writing craft. Instead, speechwriters often develop their speech writing skills by combining a general liberal arts education, such as political science, philosophy, or English literature, with a variety of work experience in politics, public administration, journalism, or a related field.

Writing a speech involves several steps. A speechwriter has to meet with the executive and the executive's senior staff to determine the broad framework of points or messages that the executive wants to cover in the speech. Then, the speechwriter does his or her own research on the topic to flesh out this framework with anecdotes and examples. The speechwriter will also consider the audience for the speech, which can range from a town-hall meeting of community leaders to an international leaders' forum. Then the speechwriter blends the points, themes, positions, and messages with his or her own research to create an "informative, original and authentic speech" for the executive.^[1]

The speechwriter then presents a draft version of the speech to the executive (or the executive's staff) and makes notes on any revisions or changes that are requested. If the speechwriter is familiar with the topic and the positions and style of the executive, only small changes may be needed. In other cases, the executive may feel that the speech does not have the right tone or flow, and the entire speech may have to be re-drafted. Professional speechwriter Lawrence Bernstein writes:

Some clients have called with six months to spare, others with four hours to go; some want to meet up first, others want coaching afterwards; quite a few did everything by email and we’ve never even spoken.^[2]

The delivery of the speech is part of the challenge speechwriters face when crafting the message. Executive speechwriter Anthony Trendl writes:

Speechwriters specialize in a kind of writing that merges marketing, theater, public relations, sales, education and politics all in one presentation.^[3]

Some of the world's most notable political speechwriters include:

Some fictional speechwriters include:

• James Hobert (played by Alexander Chaplin), speechwriter for the fictional Mayor of New York City Randall Winston on Spin City
• Toby Ziegler (played by Richard Schiff), Sam Seaborn (played by Rob Lowe), and Will Bailey (played by Joshua Malina), all of whom were speechwriters for the Bartlet administration on The West Wing