The political speechwriter's companion : a guide for writers and speakers /

The political speechwriter's companion : a guide for writers and speakers /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Lehrman, Robert A.
Imprint:Washington, D.C. : CQ Press, c2010.
Description:xix, 362 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
Language:English
Subject:
Speechwriting.
Political oratory.
Public speaking.
English language -- Rhetoric.
English language -- Rhetoric.
Political oratory.
Public speaking.
Speechwriting.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8772255
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:Guide for writers and speakers
ISBN:9781604265491 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1604265493 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Summary:"Other guides on public speaking focus on how to convey knowledge or understanding. While it is useful to master such informative speech, other goals and strategies are essential for a politician: publicity, for one. To communicate optimism, to rely on material written by others, to speak repeatedly, day in and day out. Above all, politicians need to persuade their audiences. They can use facts or appeal to values, but in the end, they must urge action. Politicians are advocates. Robert Lehrman, former speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore, offers both speakers and writers the LAWS of political speech. He explains how speakers can deliver: language the audience will understand and remember, anecdotes that make listeners laugh and cry, wit that pokes fun at opponents but also shows their own lighter side, and support in the way of statistics, examples, and testimony. With how-to guidance in each chapter including annotated speeches Lehrman shows how to apply the LAWS at every step, even providing an entire chapter on delivery. Lehrman also opens up his Rolodex to readers, interviewing speechwriting luminaries who offer up their best advice in a Behind the Scenes feature. As Delivered boxes point to Web links for watching notable speeches, while a handy Speechwriters Checklist concludes every chapter." -- Publisher's description.
Table of Contents:
  • Preface
  • Introduction: Why Speechwriting Matters
  • Part I. Laying the Foundation
  • 1. The Political Speech
  • Politicians Need to Speak More
  • Politicians Need to Persuade
  • Politicians Need to Be Liked
  • Politicians Need to Stay Upbeat
  • Politicians Need to Be Understood
  • Politicians Need Publicity
  • 2. Persuasion
  • Defining Persuasion
  • Types of Persuasion
  • Elements of Persuasion: Aristotle's Rule of Three
  • Strategies of Persuasion
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Persuasion
  • 3. Audiences
  • Primary and Secondary Audiences
  • What Do Audiences Need?
  • What Characteristics Make the Audience Unique?
  • What Does the Audience Feel about the Speaker?
  • Rule for Friendlies: Reinforce Beliefs and Urge Action
  • Rule for Hostiles: Mitigate Hostility
  • Rule for Neutrals: Seek Incremental Gains
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Audiences
  • 4. Research
  • Researching the Event
  • Researching Ideas
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Researching the Poetry
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Research
  • 5. Structure
  • Why MMS Works Well in Politics
  • Objections to MMS
  • Modifying MMS
  • MMS in Practice
  • Reflections
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Structure
  • Part II. What to Do
  • 6. Language People Understand
  • Writing for Clarity
  • Reading versus Hearing
  • Summing Up
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Language People Understand
  • 7. Language People Remember
  • Making Language Memorable
  • Making Language Vivid
  • Making Language Rhythmic
  • Behind the Scenes
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Language People Remember
  • 8. Anecdote
  • Writing to Touch the Heart
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Using Anecdote Well
  • Summing Up
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Anecdote
  • 9. Wit
  • Writing to Make Them Laugh
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Wit: From Quips to Quotes
  • Conclusion
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Wit
  • 10. Support
  • Writing to Make Them Believe
  • Making Evidence Memorable
  • Arguing Responsibly
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Fallacies
  • Summing Up
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Support
  • Part III. How to Do It
  • 11. Beginnings
  • The Opening Joke
  • Praise
  • Winning Attention
  • Statement of Purpose
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Beginnings
  • 12. Presenting the Problem
  • Strategy
  • Language
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Anecdote
  • Wit
  • Support
  • Final Words
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Problems
  • 13. Solutions
  • Solutions and Strategy
  • Characterizing Your Speaker
  • Creating Solutions That Inspire
  • Language
  • Proposal, Persuasion, Punch Line: A Structure That Works
  • Solutions: The Need for Variety
  • Final Words
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Solutions
  • 14. Writing Conclusions
  • The Four-Part Close
  • The Four-Part Close: Applying the Elements
  • Inspiration and the Lesson Learned
  • Call to Action
  • Clincher
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Writing Conclusions
  • Delivery
  • Elements of Delivery
  • Practice: The Key to Improving Delivery
  • Expanding Your Horizons
  • Behind the Scenes
  • The Speaker's Checklist: Delivery
  • Part IV. Putting It Together
  • 15. A Speech Revisited
  • 16. Speechwriting and Ethics
  • Plagiarism
  • Distorting Arguments
  • Writing Something You Oppose
  • Lying
  • The Ultimate Question
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: Speechwriting and Ethics
  • 17. The Uneasy Partnership: Advice for Speakers and Writers
  • For Speakers: What Speechwriters Need from You
  • For Speechwriters: What Speakers Need from You
  • Behind the Scenes
  • The Speechwriter's Checklist: The Uneasy Partnership-Advice for Speakers and Writers
  • 18. Final Words
  • Appendix A. Speeches for Almost Every Occasion
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
  • Index of Speakers
  • About the Author

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