Writing Boots

On communication, professional and otherwise.

The goal is self-actualization, not self-censorship

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Andrew Kaye writes speeches for Vince Cable, the Business Minister of Britain. Kaye also likes to tweet about Brits, too. For instance, according to a report in The Sun, he called U.K. "grey" and a "shit heap," full of people "yakking on their fucking phones."

Naturally, I like Kaye's style, and a Department of Business spokesman defended him, saying, "These are private tweets, made in a private capacity."

But U.K. Speechwriters Guild founder Brian Jenner gently suggests to his speechwriting colleagues that Kaye is in the wrong: "Shouldn't our attitude be: I only express the opinions that I'm paid to."

Should a professional race car driver confine herself to public transportation?

Should a farmer not grow a garden?

Should a prostitute never have sex with his wife?

Not that speechwriters are prostitutes. Most aren't, actually. Most marry their ethics and their intellects—though not always passionately—with the institution and the speaker they serve. That's good.

But retaining one's own voice requires using it now and then—straight and loud and true.

At your own risk, of course. And with the hope that your honest opinions don't directly contradict the positions you professionally promote. In which case you would, in fact, be a prostitute.

Anyway: A.K., I've got your back. And B.J., upon reflection, I'm sure you do too.

Foreigners: You can’t live with ’em, but without ’em, you’d be the strange one

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Just back from Bournemouth, England, where I spoke at the third annual conference of the U.K. Speechwriters' Guild.

What did I learn there?

Mainly, as I explain in my full conference coverage over at Vital Speeches: Human beings heroically resist efforts to homogenize human culture.

Repeatedly I was told that the "American" rhetorical technique I most frequently flog—namely, the use of personal anecdotes to inject emotional candor into a speech—would be laughed out of the lecture hall in the U.K. and Europe as hopelessly smarmy, glib and narcissistic.

“Yes, people like to be entertained,” said veteran U.K. political and corporate speechwriter Stuart Mole. “But there is nothing as exciting as ideas.”

Agreed, one hundred percent. But just how often do our speakers step to the lectern with a heaping helping of spine-tingling new ideas? So often, compelling speeches are old, worn, friendly ideas made freshly powerful by a speaker's personal connection and expressed devotion to them.

After my "speechwriting jam session," the speechwriters volunteered that they themselves—these hard-bitten British and European speechwriters—were moved emotionally by the gooey American speech examples I showed.

But that didn't mean they were about to persuade their reserved speechwriting clients to try that authenticity rubbish out on their skeptical local audiences.

I think they expected me to try to convince them. I had no interest in doing so. If they want to write dry speeches for insecure speakers to be delivered to audiences who expect to be bored, that's perfectly all right with me.

In fact, it's fascinating!

WATCH: Here's a glimpse of a speechwriting conference across the pond.