In many ways the concept of a speech writer is much like the concept of a personal trainer: fine for Hollywood, but not for the Average Joe. Perhaps you think a speech writer makes sense for a president but not...
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A few comments on the Biden Inauguration Speech. The use of alliteration. Alliteration can be an effective rhetorical device. Here are a few from this speech: A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve winter of peril and...
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On one hand our words DON’T matter. They don’t seem to matter as much as how we say them, what we look like saying them, and what the audience hears. But as long as you are an octopus and have...
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Every year up until this year, I have attended a conference in D.C. My favorite speaker was Frank Luntz, wordsmith and political consultant. His consulting practice is based on the concept that WORDS MATTER. Hold that thought. My mom’s biggest...
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Recently someone said to me, “If the check doesn’t get there, I am going to WIRE the money”. I just looked at them and said, “You can say that to me, but please don’t ever say WIRE to anyone else”....
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I thought I didn’t have anything to say. This week it seemed as though I had nothing to say. How could that be? I have a perspective, just a nice way of saying OPINION, on just about everything. Somehow either...
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As 2020 evolved, my words to describe the year evolved also. My words became Resilient, Re-Imagine, Re-Brand, GRIT and Pivot. Each world fit our-safer-at-home-wear-a-mask-work-from-whenever world. Now we turn to 2021. On one hand all the words still apply. We are...
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Everyone has a good story to tell – they just don’t always know it. Often people think their story is not as good as someone else’s story. The simple truth is that it is not about the story it is what you...
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As urban legend has it, president-elect Joe Biden chose retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for defense secretary for two reasons. It’s the second reason that I am going to talk about. When they first met 12 years ago in Iraq,...
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Blame it on the Bossa Nova was a 1963 hit single for Eydie Gorme. She didn’t want to record it, she even sang off pitch on purpose to discourage her record label from releasing it. Yet it became her most...
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