From the monthly archives:

June 2011

The Five-Word Speech

by Cynthia J. StarksJune 20, 2011

Recently, I read about the Webby Awards and its tradition of five-word acceptance speeches. According to its website, the Webbys are an “international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which includes an Executive 750-member body [...]

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Like actors, speakers hope for scripts with “moments:” Speechwriters can provide them

by Cynthia J. StarksJune 13, 2011

I once heard an accomplished actor interviewed about what he and other actors hope for in the scripts they receive. He said actors hope for “moments.” They don’t expect an entire script to be filled with deathless prose, he said. Instead, they look for a magic “moment” or two when they are given something important, [...]

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Make yourself vulnerable: Speechwriting lessons from “The Beaver”

by Cynthia J. StarksJune 5, 2011

Movies have been supplying me with topics for my speechwriting blog lately. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote on speechwriting lessons in writing powerful openings from Water for Elephants. Today, it’s Mel Gibson’s new film, The Beaver. In The Beaver, Gibson plays terminally depressed toy-company CEO Walter Black who finds a beaver puppet in [...]

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