On Saturday I head back to the USA for this year’s Professional Speechwriters Association conference in Washington DC next week. My task is to lead a session next Wednesday on the following tricky theme:

Career: So you want to expand your rhetorical reach? What you must know to write speeches for the world

International and cross-cultural speechwriting (including through interpreters) is easier than you think, and harder than you think. Let former diplomat, speechwriter and author of the new book Speechwriting for Leaders Charles Crawford show you how to communicate strongly with audiences having completely different cultural and language thought processes.

As this year I have helped a Polish Foreign Minister with a speech and given public speaking masterclasses to senior officials in Kazakhstan and Afghan women MPs, I feel at least modestly qualified to opine on these themes. But what exactly to say to the marvelling throng (mainly US speechwriters) that is helpful and concise?

Ideas include:

  • interpreting
  • humour (or indeed humor)
  • structure and logic
  • what a speech is for – not every leader wants the Western goal of clear ideas and good accessible communication

Anything else spring to mind? Examples of horror stories involving cultural speeches and misunderstandings? Just let me know asap.