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2011 Speechwriters
Ragan Communications and The Public Relations Society of America present:
An event hosted by American University School of Communication
& Executive Communicators
CONFERENCE
March 7-9, 2011 • American University, Washington, D.C.
Crafting powerful communications that inspire, influence and motivate audiences
Don’t miss the only annual training and
networking event for speechwriters
and executive communicators.
Hosted by American University
Spend two great days with the best in the business
and learn how to:
•C
aptivate, then motivate your audience from the beginning of your
speech to the end
•M
easure the impact of your executive messages and leadership communications: Tools and instructions
•F
ind the social media platforms that make sense for your C-suite: Tips
on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs from a senior executive social
media expert
•G
ain access to your executive or CEO
•M
ake the most of the limited time with your speaker to craft a memorable speech
•W
rite the right words for your executive in a 24-hour news cycle during
a crisis: Lessons from the H1N1 pandemic
• S urvive the clearance process: Avoid the pitfalls of writing by committee
•C
oach your speaker to deliver your words the way you intended them to
be heard
•T
urn your executive into a thought leader: Cut through the noise, command
the audience’s attention and respect
•A
nd so much more!
Presented by:
Sponsored by:
Hosted by:
Sign up by January 14 and save up to $450!
Two keynotes that will
inspire you to new heights
in your speechwriting:
Opening Keynote:
Presidential speechwriters
A panel of speechwriters from presidential
administrations over the last 25 years will
discuss what it takes to write for the highest
office in the land.
Closing Keynote: Vital Speeches of
the Day editor David Murray
will take you through a jam session of 60 minutes
of entertaining, inspirational and instructive
samplings from winners of the 2011 Cicero
Speechwriting Awards.
This is the only conference where
you’ll learn from top speechwriters
and communicators at:
• AARP
• American University
• Edelman
• Eli Lilly & Co.
• Georgetown
University
• Independent Sector
• Novell
• Pfizer
• Public Health Agency
of Canada
• West Wing Writers
• The Dow Chemical Co.
• 30 Point Strategies
6Monday, March 7
Pre-Conference Seminars
Don’t miss out! Attend these extra in-depth sessions before the main conference to help you develop a speech
structure, edit your words to make sure all your key messages are heard and incorporate humor into your speeches.
Morning Seminars | 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | $345 each
Afternoon Seminars | 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. |
Six big speechwriting ideas: Transform your talk from acceptable
to absolutely awesome
Pause. Wait for laughter: How to effectively
incorporate humor into your speeches
What makes a great speechwriter? Not just great skills as a
writer, but also a fundamental knowledge of how speeches
work—understanding what makes an audience listen, and
how to manipulate the elements of a speech so that the
audience not only stays engaged but wants to take action to
support you. In this interactive, hands-on workshop,
Georgetown University’s Michael Long will teach you the
details of “six big speechwriting ideas”:
• Psychology and structure: Learn why people pay attention, and how you
can hold their attention
• Literary devices: Increase your speeches’ dramatic power
• Text-based “tools of persuasion”: Make an audience more receptive to
your message
• Context: Use statistics, numbers and abstract facts to influence your audience
• Stories: Why nothing brings abstract ideas to life like a story
• Helping yourself: Practical tips to improve your ability to gather information,
edit and focus
Michael Long teaches graduate courses in PR writing and speechwriting at Georgetown
University. He has written for dozens of high-profile professionals including candidates
for office, cabinet members and Fortune 100 CEOs. He has also contributed to
Saturday Night Live and has been called a “poet” by actor and author Ben Stein.
How to make an audience listen: Secrets of editing every speechwriter should know
OK. You’ve written the talk. You’ve incorporated every
nuance from every approver and it’s finally ready to go to
the boss. Or is it? Have you taken that one crucial last step?
Have you turned this speech around to look at it from your
audience’s perspective?
Veteran corporate speechwriter Fletcher Dean will show
you not only why writing for the audience is critical but
how to do it. We’ll look at speeches—both current and historical—and see
how the best speeches always put the audience’s needs first. Fletcher will
reveal the 15 most important editing steps to make sure the audience not
only hears your words, but understands them, too.
You’ll learn how to:
• Use the Gettysburg Principle to improve your writing
• Create active listening with simple rhetorical devices
• Ensure your key messages are heard
• Use selective research to keep your audience’s attention
• Create exciting, fresh language for your listeners
Fletcher Dean is Director of Executive Communications at The Dow Chemical Co.
and holds an MFA in professional writing from Western Connecticut State University.
The most powerful and high-profile
leaders know that being funny—
and finding the right way to be
funny—is serious stuff. After all,
when it comes to characterizing a
speaker, making a point or diffusing
a difficult situation, humor is often
the most powerful rhetorical weapon
in a speechwriter’s arsenal. But in the
wrong hands and poorly deployed,
a speechwriter risks death by crickets.
So what’s funny and why? When
do you use humor and how? Does
the “rule of three” require another
question here?
The Humor Cabinet’s Jeff Nussbaum and Eric
Schnure will help answer these questions by sharing
tips and techniques to punch-up your boss’s speeches
and presentations. During this 3-and-a-half-hour
workshop filled with examples and writing exercises,
you will learn:
•H
ow to write and present material that will make
people laugh
•W
here to find humor
•H
ow humor can maximize impact
•H
ow to convince your boss to use humor
Eric Schnure is a former White House speechwriter for
Vice President Al Gore and currently works on strategic
and executive communications as a principal at the
Dewey Square Group, a public affairs firm that helps
some of the nation’s biggest corporations, trade associations and nonprofits meet their challenges. He is also an
adjunct professor at American University, where he
teaches speechwriting.
The first speech Jeff Nussbaum wrote was to defend
himself against suspension from high school. It was
unsuccessful. Jeff is now a partner at West Wing Writers,
where he has written speeches, op-eds and promotional
materials for heads of state, corporate executives, foundations, professional athletes, actors and trade associations.
Most recently, Jeff served as Vice President Joe Biden’s
speechwriter on the Obama-Biden campaign.
Tuesday, March 8
Tuesday, March 8
Networking lunch and “30 ideas
in 30 minutes”
Speechwriters cocktail party:
Drink together, think together,
network together
12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.
$345 each
Soup to nuts: Everything you need
to know to write excellent speeches
Perhaps no other communication job requires more
varied skills than speechwriting. A good speechwriter is a great researcher,
an imaginative writer, a
gentle hand-holder, a firm
persuader, a polished political negotiator
and a slick promoter. How can you learn
all these skills in one afternoon? Buckle up
and let Eli Lilly speechwriter Rob Friedman
take you from zero to speechwriter in
three-and-a-half hours.
You’ll learn how to:
• Create a reasonable and rational strategy
for every speech you write—and a strategy
for your speechwriting
• Work with your speaker on the front
end of the process to get a good sense
of what he or she wants to say
• Incorporate personal anecdotes to
support the main idea of your speech
• Work on the back end to make sure the
speech is delivered as well as it’s written
• Write openings that will grab audiences
and closings that will lock the message
into their memories
• Structure speeches so that they wind but
don’t wander—and drive home your
speaker’s point, sentence by sentence
• Use research and rhetorical techniques
that will make your speeches both
persuasive and interesting
• Publicize the speech before and after it’s
delivered, so that its influence goes on
long after the clapping ends
You’ll walk into this session a communication generalist and walk out a speechwriter,
ready to sharpen your new skills in the rest
of the conference.
Rob Friedman is Senior Director of Executive
Communications for Eli Lilly & Co. and a
former editor of Speechwriter’s Newsletter.
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Take a break from the conference sessions
and enjoy a boxed lunch with your
colleagues. But bring your notebook and
be ready for our “30 ideas in 30 minutes”
panel, a breathless and entertaining
conference tradition that past attendees
have said was by itself worth the price of
the conference. Our star-studded panel
will shower you with practical ideas
that you can put to use immediately.
After a long day of learning, wind down
with fellow speechwriters and conference
speakers over a cocktail or two. We will
organize the room into sections so you
can meet with industry peers and talk
serious shop. Exchange ideas and business
cards with speechwriters from corporations, government, nonprofits and
universities.
Attendees of the Speechwriters Conference are enthusiastic
at the beginning of the conference and totally energized by
the time it ends. Here are some reviews from past events:
“I learned something new in every single
keynote or session that I attended. The
information was timely and relevant. I really
enjoyed it and left very inspired.”
“It was great to go to a conference where
the entire program was so focused on a skill
that I use in my job every day, unlike other
conferences where I may get value from one
or two sessions but not all.”
“This conference was a great investment in me
as a professional communicator. It offered a
fabulous mix of inspiration and practical
advice and I have already made use of the
wisdom that was shared. It was also fantastic
to meet other people in my field considering
that communications can be a lonely job!”
“Always a great opportunity to network, to be
motivated and to pick up practical tips. You
don’t always get all three at a conference.”
“I left this conference inspired. Haven’t felt
like that after a conference in a long time.”
Whether you’re new to the profession—or an experienced speechwriter or
communicator, there is something for everyone! This conference has helped
launch and boost hundreds of speechwriting careers over the past two decades.
This year, we’re thrilled to join forces with American University.
“
So much of American
politics today is built on two
essential pillars: knowing
how the political system
works, and appreciating the
subtleties and strategies of
political communication.
”
– Professor Lenny Steinhorn
Director of the Public Communication
Program at American University
Offered jointly by American
University’s School of
Communication and School of
Public Affairs, the MA in Political
Communication provides an
understanding of the theory and
practice of political institutions
as well as the interaction between
those institutions, the media and
the public. Learn More.
american.edu/soc/polcomm
School of Communication
American University • Washington, D.C.
3
Track 1
Speechwriting
Tuesday, March 8
9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Opening Keynote (see details on page 5)
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
How to captivate and motivate an audience from the
beginning of a speech to the end
What does every speaker and speechwriter strive for?
To get the audience hooked early, and leave ’em dazzled.
Strong openings and closings are vital to memorable,
effective speeches: From the first moment, you must
make the audience want to hear more, and in the end,
they must feel the need to believe and take action.
The secret to amazing openings and slam-dunk closings is
available in a few simple and practical techniques—and they’re
already being used by the best speechwriters working today!
In this fast-paced, practical (and entertaining!) session led by
Georgetown University professor and renowned speechwriter
Michael Long, you will learn:
• The power of opening with a story—and how to “rev up” your
stories with a method used by Hollywood screenwriters
• How to write attention-getters when you seem to have no
material at all
• How to build a closing crescendo of emotion (even if you’ve
never written like that before)
• The “power of the parallel”
• The one element every speech closing must have
Michael Long teaches graduate courses in PR writing and speechwriting at
Georgetown University. He has written for dozens of high-profile professionals
including candidates for office, cabinet members and Fortune 100 CEOs.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Monroe’s motivated sequence: Not just for politics
He didn’t invent it. Alan Monroe just saw what
great speeches used. But seventy-five years after he
wrote about them, the five too-little-known steps
we call Monroe’s Motivated Sequence still form the
best structure for persuasive speeches—whether in
politics, corporate life or the world of nonprofits. Using examples and exercises culled from the popular American
University political speechwriting course he co-teaches, Political
Speechwriter’s Companion author and former White House speechwriter Bob Lehrman shows how, with modifications, MMS can work
in almost every situation. In this session you will learn how to:
• Compel listeners’ attention and inspire action
• Make problems sound urgent—and solutions convincing
• Modify Monroe to fit today’s needs
• Use it to help meet tight deadlines
4
Robert A. Lehrman served as Chief Speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore and,
in 2004, as Chief Speechwriter for the Democratic National Committee. He
has written for political figures, celebrities, heads of nonprofits and
corporate CEOs. He created and co-teaches the political speechwriting
course at American University.
12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.
Lunch and “30 ideas in 30 minutes”
(see details on page 3)
2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Access to your speaker: Getting it, making the most
of it and demonstrating its value
One of the most common complaints among
speechwriters remains getting access to speakers—
either at the outset of a new project or during the
review process. This is true of both political and
corporate speechwriters, consultants and in-house
scribes. Caryn Alagno is a former congressional
press secretary and speechwriter and currently co-leads the
Executive Engagement practice at Edelman where she writes for
C-level leaders at corporations and associations alike. During this
practical and interactive session, you will learn:
•C
reative ways to gain access to your speakers
•H
ow to make the most of your limited time together
•W
ays to demonstrate the value of access to your speakers
•W
hat to do in the rare instance you have “too much” access
Caryn Alagno co-leads the firm’s Executive Engagement practice in D.C.,
helping clients in the corporate, political and association worlds adopt a
strategic approach to executive-level communication.
3:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m.
Panel: What can corporate writers learn from political
ones—and vice versa? Corporate and political writers may have more in common than
you think. While the goals of a speech at a company or a political
rally may be totally different, the communications strategies and
writing techniques don’t change.
Listen to this star-studded panel for advice on the best ways to
glean tips from both sides of the coin—and the aisle.
Panelists:
Grant Neely leads executive communication at Pfizer, where
he works as the Chairman’s speechwriter. Grant previously
worked as Policy Director and Chief Speechwriter for U.S.
Senator Mark Warner, during his campaign and term as
Governor of Virginia.
Noam Neusner is an experienced communications
strategist, speechwriter, journalist and author. He is the
founding principal of 30 Point Strategies. Previously, he was
President George W. Bush’s primary speechwriter on
domestic policy matters.
Pete Weissman is an award-winning speechwriter, public
speaker and communication strategist. He recently served as
Director of Leadership Communications for The Coca‑Cola
Company. Previously, he served as speechwriter for a United
States Senator and spent three years in the West Wing of the
White House.
These sessions are geared toward speechwriters who want to improve their writing
and learn new skills. Communication generalists will learn speechwriting techniques,
and experienced speechwriters will sharpen their skills and gain fresh perspectives.
Moderator: Carol Whitney is
Co-Program Director of American
University’s Campaign Management
Institute. She is a well-known political
consultant whose firm specializes in
strategic planning and training in
politics, and the private sector.
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Speechwriting from the perspective
of the writer and executive
Powerful, compelling speeches
often emerge from a creative
partnership between the speaker
and speechwriter. Attend this
jam-packed, interactive session
filled with practical tips on how
to make the most of the writing
relationship. You’ll hear:
From the CEO’s vantage point:
• What does a fast-paced,
high-performing CEO
expect of her speechwriter?
• Why does the CEO value good writing—
and how can she try to nurture it?
• Where does the CEO rank speeches in the
organization’s broader strategy?
From the speechwriter’s vantage point:
• How can you get the most out of your
(limited) time with the CEO?
• What if you can’t get to the boss? Can’t get
feedback in time for the big speech?
• What are the biggest hurdles working in
the speechwriting process?
Diana Aviv is the President and CEO of Independent
Sector, the national leadership forum for America’s
nonprofits, foundations and corporate giving programs.
Dr. Rosemary King is the Speechwriter to the CEO
and President of Independent Sector. She previously
wrote speeches for Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Networking Cocktail Party
(see details on page 3)
Wednesday, March 9
9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Crisis speechwriting: Experiences
and lessons from the H1N1 pandemic
Does your organization have a plan for
speeches and speech processes during a crisis?
North America was hit first and hardest by
the long-anticipated flu pandemic of 2009—
the first pandemic in over
forty years, and the first in an
information age.
Attend this session to learn
about the pandemic experience through a speechwriting
lens, with information that can help prepare
any speechwriter for a crisis.
This interactive session will provide
ideas that can help you:
• Incorporate risk communications messaging
into your speeches
• Prepare a speechwriting plan in case of
an emergency
• Stay creative and focused when all eyes
are on your organization and time is tight
• Write the right words when your speaker’s
too busy to meet with you
Ben Wilson is a Speechwriter with the Public Health
Agency of Canada. In various capacities over the
last decade, he has written hundreds of speeches for
Ministers of Health, the Prime Minister of Canada,
Members of Parliament and senior civil servants.
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Mission impossible? Surviving the
speechwriting approval process
As any seasoned speechwriter knows, drafting
a major policy speech is not a simple process.
Clearly, policy speeches are not for the faint of
heart. Yet the chance to have an effect on a
major corporate strategy or national policy,
and possibly become a footnote to history,
makes drafting policy speeches worth the pain.
During this session, you will learn how to:
• Avoid the pitfalls of writing by committee
and become a recognizable expert
• Survive the clearance process intact and
strike a balance between competing
agencies and personalities
• Make even the most tedious and stale
policy initiatives sound inspiring without
creating unreasonable expectations
Richard Feen has drafted speeches for a number
of top cabinet secretaries and senior corporate
executives, including the CEOs and Chairmen of
top Fortune 500 companies—including IBM,
Verizon and Home Depot—and one Nobel Laureate.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Closing Keynote
(see details on page 7)
Opening Keynote
Tuesday, March 8
9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Writing speeches for any high-level
executive can be daunting, but imagine
writing for the President of the
United States.
During this opening keynote panel,
hear tips on how you can refine your
craft while on deadline and under
pressure.
This keynote panel includes:
Clark Judge
As Managing Director of
the White House Writers
Group, Clark provides
strategic communications
counsel to clients. In the
White House, he served as
Speechwriter and Special Assistant to both
President Ronald Reagan and Vice President
George H.W. Bush.
Chriss Winston
In 1989, Chriss became
the first woman to head
the White House Office of
Speech Writing as Deputy
Assistant to the President
for Communications and
Director of Speech Writing for President
George H.W. Bush.
Jeff Shesol
During Jeff ’s three years in
President Clinton’s administration, he became the
Deputy Chief of Presidential
Speechwriting, a member
of the senior staff, and took
the lead in drafting the State of the Union
Address, the President’s 2000 convention
speech and the Farewell Address.
John P. McConnell
John served in the BushCheney White House as
Deputy Assistant to the
President and Senior
Speechwriter to the
President and Vice
President. John was one of three primary
writers responsible for the President’s major
addresses, including the speech to the Joint
Session of Congress after September 11.
Moderator: Leonard
Steinhorn is a professor
of communication at
American University, where
he teaches politics, strategic
communication and courses
on the presidency. He is
a speechwriter and strategist for causes,
candidates and members of Congress.
5
Track 2
Executive Communications
Tuesday, March 8
9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Opening Keynote (see details on page 5)
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Building an executive communications strategy from
the ground up
In a turbulent economy, it pays to remember an
old German proverb: “What’s the use of running if
you are not on the right road?” More than the most
beautifully crafted words or passionately delivered
speech, it’s a focused strategy—choosing the right
speaker to deliver the right message to the right
audiences—that drives the value of executive communications.
In this session, you’ll learn how to:
• Design a strategy that will generate the most value for your
organization and speakers—and get leadership buy-in
• Home in on the messages with the most impact for your organization
• Dramatically reduce the “junk”—the low-value, off-target work
• Create a “brand” for each of your speakers
• Cut through the bureaucracy and interact directly with your speakers
• Amplify your messages to reach millions beyond the auditorium’s walls
• Measure your results and overall effectiveness—and improve
• Prove your value to your boss and other leaders
Rob Friedman is Senior Director of Executive Communications for Eli Lilly
& Co. and a former editor of Speechwriter’s Newsletter.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Deciding when, why and what social media your
C-suite should use to communicate
Social media is all the rage. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
blogs. Is this the domain of C-level executives? Should
they participate and, if so, how? Social media is easy
to start but hard to stay with. And what about the
business value? Is there any, and, if so, how do you
measure that? These are a few of the questions
executives ask about participating in social media. In this session
you’ll hear from a senior executive on his experiences as a social
media pioneer. You’ll learn:
• What the social media landscape looks like
• Why you should participate
• How to get started and what tools you need
• How to measure your success
• How to lead the rest of your organization to participate
John Dragoon serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and
Channel Chief at Novell. John brings more than 26 years of high-technology
operations experience to his role, and directs all aspects of Novell marketing
strategies and activities worldwide.
12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.
Lunch and “30 ideas in 30 minutes”
6
(see details on page 3)
2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Raising the podium: How to help your executives
become thought leaders
When some executives speak, audiences yawn, the
media are MIA and the message is lost. But when
thought leaders speak, it’s standing room only,
front-page news and their vision shapes the future.
How do some speakers cut through the noise,
command attention and become recognized as
visionaries? Based on his experience supporting leaders in the
West Wing, U.S. Senate and leading companies, Pete Weissman
developed a unique process that helps executives become thought
leaders. In this interactive session, you will learn:
•W
hat thought leadership is and how it drives the bottom line
• Th
e three pillars of a thought leadership program
• S trategies for turning a viewpoint into a vision
•F
our ways to capture attention and earn respect
Pete Weissman is an award-winning speechwriter, public speaker and communication strategist. He spent more than a dozen years helping leaders in the White
House and United States Senate and writing for the CEO/Chairman of The
Coca‑Cola Company.
3:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m.
Executive communications in the digital age
We are in the midst of a digital revolution that is
transforming the communications industry. How
people learn and get information today is radically
different than it was even five years ago.
How does executive communications fit into this
new world? Is there a place for traditional speeches
in the digital world? How is the digital revolution
changing the role and function of speechwriting?
In this session, you will hear how AARP has
retooled its integrated communications operation
to meet the opportunities and challenges of the
digital revolution.
You will learn:
• Th
e importance of an integrated communications approach to
addressing the changing demands of audiences in the digital age
•H
ow the digital revolution has changed audience demands and
expectations
•H
ow executive communications fits into a 21st-century integratedcommunication strategy
•H
ow speechwriters can make the digital revolution work for them
Kevin Donnellan is Executive Vice President and Chief Communications
Officer at AARP. He leads the development of AARP’s overall communications
priorities and strategies.
Randall H. (Boe) Workman, Ph.D., is the Senior Director of CEO
Communications at AARP, where he serves as the Chief Speechwriter for
AARP CEO A. Barry Rand.
These sessions are geared toward executive communicators who need to work
with leadership to craft powerful communications that inspire and engage their
employees and external audiences.
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Got Metaphor? The most efficient,
effective way to communicate on
all platforms
How do you grab attention in
person, online and in public? In
an over-communicated-to
society, it is increasingly difficult
to engage people, hold their
attention and drive them to act.
Anne Miller will help you join the ranks
of five-star Metaphorians like Jack Welch,
Steve Jobs and President Obama. You’ll
learn how to weave metaphors and analogies
into communications to:
• Engage audiences in memorable ways to
distinguish your speaker from everyone else
• Turn websites and blogs into lively,
must-read destinations
• Build support for internal initiatives among
staff and employees
• Explain corporate performance to
investors in both good and bad times
• Simplify complex information and give it
meaning to listeners in mixed groups
• Liven up visuals in PowerPoint presentations
and collateral materials
• Publicize your company, ideas or products
in remarkable ways
Anne Miller is a communications speaker and
seminar leader, and the author of Make What You
Say Pay!, Metaphorically Selling and the popular
Metaphor Minute newsletter.
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Networking Cocktail Party
(see details on page 3)
Wednesday, March 9
9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Someone gave a speech: Did it
matter? How do you know?
After weeks of writing and
re-writing, your client finally
delivered the speech. But wait...
your job’s not done. Now you
have to answer another question: Did the speech achieve
your goals? Fortunately, measuring the effect
of executive messages and leadership
communications is easier than ever. Here are
the tools and instructions to measure your
presentation’s influence:
• Quantitative measurements: How many
people heard your message? Were they the
right people? How can you reach more?
• Qualitative measurements: Sometimes
speechwriters say, “This speech worked
because my client liked it and the audience
applauded.” But that isn’t enough.
• Analysis: Did they get it? Determine whether
the audience understood your speaker’s
message. Or did they hear something else?
• Synthesis: What are they going to do
now? Isn’t that why people give speeches?
How do you know if your audience was
moved to do something?
Grant Neely leads executive communication at Pfizer,
where he works as the Chairman’s speechwriter. Grant
previously worked as Policy Director and Chief
Speechwriter for Sen. Mark Warner during his
campaign and term as Governor of Virginia.
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
You can do more than write the
draft: Coach your speaker to deliver
the speech as you wrote it
Every speech is two conversations: The content and the
non-verbal “body language.”
When the two are aligned, a
speech and a speaker can be
persuasive and powerful. When
the two are not aligned, the audience believes
the non-verbal message every time.
Dr. Nick Morgan will show you how to
coach your speaker. You will learn: • What the latest brain research tells us
about effective communications
• How to rehearse effectively for both
conversations
• A simple, effective way to structure your
content so that it supports your speaker’s
body language
• The single essential body-language secret
for effective speech-making
• The three basic body-language mistakes
most speakers make
Closing Keynote:
Wednesday, March 9
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Speechwriting
Jam Session 2011
No one has to tell you
what a great speech is,
right? You know one
when you hear it. Well
you’re about to hear a
bunch of them and you’re
going to learn from them.
Vital Speeches of the Day editor
David Murray presents 60 entertaining,
inspirational and instructive minutes
that will have the hair standing up on
the same arm you’re scribbling notes
with. Through dramatic readings
from winners of the 2011 Cicero
Speechwriting Awards and by playing
speeches from the Vital Speeches YouTube
site, Murray will help us reawaken the
giants within us by sharing together
excerpts from speeches contemporary
and classic, famous and rare.
You’ll come away from this
session with:
• Concrete examples showing how
leaders are addressing the issues of
this particular moment in business,
politics and society
• A stockpile of examples video and
text to show reticent speakers: You
don’t have to be perfectly polished
to be powerful
• A vivid understanding of the three
elements every great speech has to
have no matter what
• And goose bumps, guaranteed
David Murray is editor of Vital Speeches
of the Day, the 75-year-old collection of
the best speeches delivered in the U.S. and
around the world.
Dr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication theorists and coaches. He has been commissioned
by Fortune 50 companies to write for many CEOs
and presidents.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.
Closing Keynote
(see details on this page)
7

2011 Speechwriters 
Ragan Communications and The Public Relations Society of America present:
An event hosted by American University School of Communication
& Executive Communicators
CONFERENCE
March 7-9, 2011 • American University, Washington, D.C.
Crafting powerful communications that inspire, influence and motivate audiences
Four ways to register:
•C
all 800.493.4867
• F ax the registration form to
312.861.3592
•B
rowse www.ragan.com/
Speech11
•M
ail the registration form to:
Ragan Communications
111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60601
Registration
Yes! I will attend.
 My
C
harge

Pre-Conference workshops • Monday, March 7, 2011 • $345
9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
S
ix big speechwriting ideas: Transform your talk from acceptable to absolutely awesome
with Michael Long
check for $_______________is enclosed.
my credit card:
MasterCard
P
lease
 Visa
 American
Express

Discover
H
ow
to make an audience listen: Secrets of editing every speechwriter should
know with Fletcher Dean
send me an invoice.
Cancellations
All cancellations are subject to a $150 service fee (per attendee). Before
January 21, you will receive a refund of your payment minus the service fee.
After January 21, 2011 your payment will be credited toward a future Ragan
event, minus the service fee. Registrants who fail to attend and do not cancel
prior to the event are not entitled to a credit or refund of any kind. No
exceptions.
Early-bird registration deadline: January 14, 2011
Registration fees
Ragan Select member
Non-member
1:30 p.m.–5 p.m.
P
ause. Wait for laughter: How to effectively incorporate humor into your speeches
with Eric Schnure and Jeff Nussbaum
S
oup
to nuts: Everything you need to know to write excellent speeches
with Rob Friedman
Conference Information
American University
School of International Service, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016
For hotel and travel details please go to www.ragan.com/speech11-hotels
Standard
conference price After early-
bird deadline Early-bird
discount price
$945
$845
$745
$1,195
$1,095
$995
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Expiration Not a Ragan Select member? Use this Preferred Customer Code to secure
your discount off the standard conference rate.
Ragan Select members: Log in to secure your select member discount now.
Lawrence Ragan
Communications, Inc.
111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60601
E-mail