Speechwriters Conference Opening Keynote – Robert Schlesinger
It was a thrill to meet Robert Schlesinger, author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters. He’s currently deputy assistant managing editor, opinion, at U.S. News and World Report, and blogs on Thomas Jefferson Street and the Huffington Post. As I wrote in my October 2008 review, his book is a fascinating detailing of the role of speechwriters in the White House. Many of the challenges and rewards they face hold true in lesser arenas.
Robert, son of famed JFK confident Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., delivered a keynote which drew heavily on the book. The Ragan Communications Speechwriters Conference audience loved it. His talk was informative and wide-ranging. He commented on the rise of mass communications, opening new channels for speeches. FDR’s ‘fireside chats’ used radio to talk directly with the nation. Obama uses YouTube. Speechwriters affect policy. He gave thumbnail portraits of each President since FDR and their use and misuse of writers.
“I would argue that you cannot be an effective President without understanding the importance of communications, without understanding the importance of giving a good speech.”
Watch this 10-minute extract of the keynote.
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