Speechwriting.
George Washington University
School of Media and Public Affairs
Course 6201, Section 10
Spring 2016
When:
Where:
Thursdays, 6:10 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
SMPA 406A
Instructor:
Stephen Krupin
[email protected]
(202) 309-2271
Office hours arranged gladly by appointment,
most likely after class or downtown during the day.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
What makes a speech persuasive, effective and memorable – and how do you write
one? How can storytelling help a political, corporate, or community leader achieve
their goals? What is the role of the speech in our country’s evolving dialogue?
This course will explore the techniques speechwriters and speakers use, from
research to rhetoric, to shape messages that move people and change the world.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Through regular writing exercises, close reading of historical and contemporary
American oratory, and lively discussion, you will learn how to:
• critique a speech, which is a prerequisite to crafting one;
• research for speechwriting, which is critical for making your speech stand out;
• find someone else’s voice, which is important for making your speech effective;
• write more clearly, which is essential no matter what you do for a living;
• speak more comfortably in public, which is useful for understanding your speaker’s
needs; and,
• hit that sweet spot where a speaker, an audience, and a message intersect –
which is how speechwriters succeed.
Along the way, you will also generate a portfolio of writing samples that can help you
explore and develop your own persuasive skills, and perhaps even get your foot in the
door to interview for your next job.
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THIS SYLLABUS IS LONG. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT FOR ME TO KNOW?

We meet every Thursday at 6:10 p.m.

You’ll write a speech every week based on a prompt.

Those weekly assignments are always due the day before class, by 9 a.m.

Don’t miss that deadline, and don’t miss class without letting me know before.

Format your assignments correctly, including with a headline.

Do the reading. It will help you do the writing.

Contribute to class discussions.

Bring your laptops to class, but don’t use them for non-class-related stuff.

Have fun.
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ATTENDANCE AND IN-CLASS POLICIES
We have only seven weeks, so attendance is mandatory. Please arrive on time.
In-class discussion, writing, and editing are essential to mastering the content of this
course. If you are detained from attending a class or arriving before it begins, you are
responsible for notifying me via email prior to the start of class.
If you miss more than one class, you’ll lose a final grade reduction of one level (for
example, an A will become an A-). You are responsible for classroom information and
instructions, whether you are present in class or not. If you must miss a class, it is your
responsibility to make arrangements to obtain class notes.
While you’re here, out of respect for all of us, please do not use your phones for any
reason. Please do not use your laptops to work on other courses’ assignments, work on
your day job, scroll through social media, shop online, check sports scores, or
otherwise zone out. It’s more obvious than you might think, and will negatively affect
your in-class contribution grade.
I encourage you to ask questions during class. If you’re wondering about something,
chances are at least one of your colleagues will be as well. Always feel empowered to
raise your hand and voice your question. Any thoughts or questions you email me
before or after class will also count toward your in-class contribution grade.
DEADLINES
Hard deadlines are a fact of life for every speechwriter. Assignment details will be given
each week after class, if not before. Completed assignments must be e-mailed to
[email protected] no later than 9 a.m. the day before the next class.
My goal is twofold: to give you enough time to complete the assignment and to give
me time to edit them, grade them, and return them to you timely with feedback.
Any assignment emailed later than Wednesday at 9 a.m., without an excellent excuse
or a reasonable request in advance, will cost a single letter grade. I won’t accept (nor
guarantee feedback on) any assignment emailed more than 12 hours after the
deadline.
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FORMATTING YOUR ASSIGNMENTS
The last page of this syllabus is a template for a properly formatted assignment. Please
use it.
When you email me a speech, your file should:
 be attached as a Word document;
 be in 12-point Times New Roman; and
 have page numbers on the bottom.
The length of each assignment is based on words and minutes, not page
numbers, so there’s no need to mess with the margins. We’ll use 150 words-perminute as the standard ratio.
Your speeches must also have one more element on top: the perfect headline you’d
like The New York Times to write when it covers your remarks. Think more
“Immigration Reform ‘the Yellow-Brick Road’ to Jobs, Smith tells California voters” than
“Smith Talks about Economy.” And remember that a headline isn’t a title. It’s often
best to draft a headline before you even start writing – doing so will help you crystallize
what you want to say and help you say it more clearly to your audience.
Speeches are sometimes deliberately ungrammatical, so I don’t mark off for
constructions like sentence fragments. But be precise. Spell-check your work.
Proofread carefully. Before you send me your assignments, ask yourself whether you
would feel confident giving this draft to your boss or the leader for whom you are
writing hypothetically.
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REVISING
It has been said that there is no great writing, only great rewriting. The iterative
revising process – tightening, polishing, clarifying, punching-up – is an inexorable part
of a speech’s life cycle, no less central to it than a podium and a microphone. I’ve
never seen a first draft that is word-for-word the same as its final draft. So if you are
going to understand what makes speeches work, and if you’re going to grow as a
writer, it’s essential to learn how to be an editor and how to be edited.
This means two things for our class:
First, a selection of speeches will be discussed in writing workshops most weeks,
either in small groups or as a class. The number one rule here is respect. When you’re
editing, be careful to assess the writing, never the writer. And when you’re being
edited, remember: critique and criticism are not synonyms.
Second, you have the option of revising up to two assignments after they have been
returned to you. The grade on your revised copy will count, and the grade on the first
draft will be erased.
Here’s how it works: If you want to revise an assignment for a shot at a higher grade
(it’s not automatic), you must let me know via email me within 24 hours of receiving
your graded first draft (i.e., Friday night). You then have another 24 hours to email me
the revised draft (i.e., Saturday night). The revised draft must have tracked changes.
You may revise a given assignment only one time, and you can revise an assignment
only if you handed in your initial draft on time.
PLAGIARISM
Don’t do it.
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REQUIRED READINGS
Dowis, R. (1999). The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write One – How to
Deliver It. New York: AMACOM. ISBN: 978-0814470541
Heath, C. & D. (2007). Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New
York: Random House. ISBN: 978-1400064281
Lehrman, R. (2010). The Political Speechwriter’s Companion: A Guide for Writers and
Speakers. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. ISBN: 978-1604265491
Addition articles, videos, and book excerpts will also be posted to Blackboard.
RECOMMENDED READING
Safire, W. (2004). Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History. New York: W. W.
Norton. ISBN: 978-0393059311
GRADING
Your grade will largely reflect the clarity, quality, and creativity of your writing. I value
highly your effort and improvement over the course of the semester, and those will
factor heavily into your grade as well.



20 percent of your grade will be based on in-class contribution. This includes
contributing to our discussions in class and online, demonstrating that you’ve
done the reading, and constructively helping your peers rewrite in workshop.
55 percent will be based on your weekly writing assignments. Each assignment
is worth more than the last to reward you for improvement and growth.
25 percent will be based on the final keynote speech that ties together all of the
elements and strategies we will discuss in this course.
A NOTE ON POLITICS
Much of your writing and critiquing will be on political speeches, which are among the
most valuable examples of American rhetoric. Whether your politics and mine are
similar is irrelevant in this course. Whether I agree with the positions you take in your
writing will determine zero percent of your grade in this course; your grade is
determined solely by the quality of your argument and mastery of the techniques
discussed in class and our readings. When you choose topics on which to write,
choose ones that matter to you. You’ll write more passionately and more persuasively
that way, and you’ll have more fun doing it.
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YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Stephen Krupin leads the Executive Communications practice at the public affairs and
political consulting firm SKDKnickerbocker, where he helps CEOs, government leaders,
and advocates tell their stories through speeches, presentations, and media interviews.
He works with leaders to craft the right messages for the right audiences and to
neutralize and navigate crises. He also teaches the graduate-level speechwriting
courses at both George Washington University and Georgetown University, and taught
formerly at American University.
He served as chief speechwriter to Secretary of State John Kerry, director of
speechwriting on President Obama’s re-election campaign, and chief speechwriter and
press secretary to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. His work has appeared in
publications including Vital Speeches of the Day.
Stephen graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University,
earned a master’s degree from the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George
Washington University, and is a Fellow at the Truman National Security Project.
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UNIVERSITY POLICIES
University Policy on Religious Holidays
 Students should notify faculty during the first week of the semester of their
intention to be absent from class on their day(s) of religious observance.
 Faculty should extend to these students the courtesy of absence without penalty
on such occasions, including permission to make up examinations.
 Faculty who intend to observe a religious holiday should arrange at the
beginning of the semester to reschedule missed classes or to make other
provisions for their course-related activities
Support for Students Outside the Classroom

Disability Support Services (DSS)
Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of
a disability should contact the Disability Support Services office at 202-9948250 in the Rome Hall, Suite 102, to establish eligibility and to coordinate
reasonable accommodations. For additional information please refer
to: http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/

Mental Health Services 202-994-5300
The University's Mental Health Services offers 24/7 assistance and referral to
address students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. Services for
students include: crisis and emergency mental health consultations confidential
assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and referrals.
http://counselingcenter.gwu.edu/
Academic Integrity Code
Academic dishonesty is defined as cheating of any kind, including
misrepresenting one's own work, taking credit for the work of others without
crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of
information. For the remainder of the code,
see: http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html
Security
In the case of an emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If
the building that the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for
the building. After evacuation, seek shelter at a predetermined rendezvous
location.
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COURSE SCHEDULE, subject to revision as we go.
Jan. 14: Introductions
Jan. 21: Structure
Read:
 Lehrman: Intro, chapters 2, 5 (optional: chapter 1)
 Dowis: chapters 3, 4, 14 (optional: chapters 1, 2)
 Noonan: pp. 62-75
 Heath: chapter 5
Post: Participate in the BlackBoard discussion on the Sinek video.
Write: “MMS speech” – a 400-word speech, using MMS, on any issue you like.
Jan. 28: Language
Read:
 Lehrman: chapters 3, 6, 7
 Dowis: chapters 7, 9
 Noonan: pp. 34-61
 Heath: chapter 1 (optional: chapter 3)
 Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”
Write: “Floor speech” – two 200-word floor speeches on the same topic, one
arguing each side. Must include killer final lines.
Feb. 4: Research
Read:
 Lehrman: chapters 4, 10, 11, 14
 Dowis: chapters 5, 13
 Noonan: pp. 89-98
Write: “Research memo” – choose a current policy issue or corporate challenge
for a persuasive speech and write a 3-page research memo, using the template.
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Feb. 11: Story
Read:
 Lehrman: chapter 8
 Dowis: pp. 158-162
 Heath: chapter 6
Write: “Commemorative speech” – a 450-word commemorative speech on a
given prompt.
Prepare: A headline and three bullets for your commencement keynote.
Feb. 18: Creativity
Read:
 Breslin article
 Dowis: chapter 6
 Heath: epilogue
Write: “Philanthropy speech” – a 500-word speech pitching your favorite
philanthropy.
Feb. 25 (last class meeting):
Read:
 Lehrman: chapters 16, 17
 Commencements handout
Write: “Commencement draft” – a 1,000-word first draft of your final
commencement speech.
Due via email by 8 p.m. on Mar. 3 (no class meeting): “Commencement final”
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Properly formatted assignment:
File name: 6201-Lincoln-Ceremonial Speech
Subject line: 6201-Lincoln-Ceremonial Speech
Abraham Lincoln
SMPA-6201-10: Speechwriting
November 19, 1863
Commented [SK1]: Your name
Ceremonial Speech
271 words
Commented [SK3]: Assignment name
Commented [SK2]: Assignment due date
Commented [SK4]: Word count (of remarks only)
Commented [SK5]: Ideal newspaper headline
Lincoln Dedicates Civil War Battlefield with Renewed Commitment to Preserving Union
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation,
conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived
and so dedicated, can long endure.
We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as
a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether
fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor
power to add or detract.
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they
did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought
here have thus far so nobly advanced.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure
of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this
nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the
people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
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