The Art of Speechwriting: A Conversation with Presidential Speechwriters

Campaign speeches and presidential communications have distinct goals. While stump speeches are in front of a more friendly crowd, allowing the candidate to promote his or her policy goals, presidential speeches have a wider, more diverse audience that may limit what goals the president can promote. Hear from former presidential speechwriters on how they tackled this issue and what strategies they used to write memorable and historic speeches for former Presidents. Join the NYU Brademas Center with the 2018 Young Leaders Network series for a dialogue with John P. McConnell, former speechwriter to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and June Shih, former speechwriter to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, as they discuss their experiences of writing historic presidential and campaign speeches. The event will be moderated by Vaughn Hillyard, Political Reporter at NBC News.