Back from watching the world from the fascinating vantage-point of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that one of our Negotiation Skills specialist imaginary roleplays had been almost exactly what happened to OPCW inspectors at a tense suspected CW site in Syria.

Here is a review of my book over at US speechwriting website Vital Speeches of the Day:

As we learn from this book, diplomats are ferocious observers and dissectors of speeches, and much more sensitive than the average audience member to the nuances, both verbal and unstated, that elected and non-elected officials can convey while at the podium.

For this reason, Speechwriting for Leaders could have been titled How to Really Hear A Speech, given how closely Crawford guides us through excerpts from addresses by American Presidents, British Prime Ministers, Popes and others, carefully explaining for us why in his view a particular line or paragraph resonated well with audience members—or went right over their heads, or even flopped. It is the distilling of lessons from the successful and unsuccessful speeches of global leaders of the highest stature that Crawford focuses on as his main goal in this 250 page volume.

Another set of valuable insights and (as he calls them) “micro-techniques” presented in this book flows from Crawford’s expertise as a diplomat in event planning at the international level. Given that “communications advisor” is often an unstated aspect of a speechwriter’s role, every scribe can learn something from Crawford’s advice on diverse event-planning-related topics such as: how to help your speaker avoid “day-of” surprises; how to effectively work with an interpreter while delivering a speech to a foreign audience; how to get the most out of PowerPoint; and how to react when Twitter critics start lambasting your speaker mid-address. (Hint: Magnanimously and confidently tweet that you welcome their contribution to the discussion – kill ‘em with kind tweets!)

Ha! Thanks.

But wait …

The book has some glaring blemishes. For example, one wishes that Crawford would have included a more extensive, top-down view of how speeches are researched, drafted and finalized for elected officials by individuals working in government bureaucracies like the British Foreign Office. He touches on this, but readers who have never worked specifically in a public sector setting, or who are not familiar with the basic machinery of international diplomacy, would have appreciated the benefit of additional context.

As well, without intending to sound like an aesthetic snob, there are also some frustrating flaws in the book’s design that need correction in any subsequent editions – only because they reduce the book’s usefulness as a tool for speechwriters.

Unfortunately, Speechwriting for Leaders completely ignores the idea of summarizing or condensing the lessons and micro-technical advice presented into conventional aids for readers such as checklists, bulleted points, pull-quotes, call-out boxes and so on. This is out-of-step with other comparable books in the genre, such as Robert Lehrman’s excellent Political Speechwriter’s Companion. Lehrman’s book makes generous and clever use of such reader-friendly features, and the happy result is that the lessons and tips he shares can be more easily digested and later referenced as necessary. These features create a “flow” for the reader, such that Lehrman’s material is therefore made much more useful thanks to the excellence of the book’s design.

Oh well. Fair enough. I’ve left a comment.

He concludes by helpfully mentioning my contribution to the Cambridge Diplomatic Oral History project:

CC        As I walked through the front door of the Embassy the first person I saw there was the young lady who became my wife. Rather touching

MM     Is she a Serb?

CC       Almost – she’s Yorkshire.

Always worth a look, if you haven’t read it.

And BUY THE BOOK. Here’s what I call a real review:

I read your book cover to cover book on the plane ride back from New Orleans the other day.  It is so well written and quite brilliant – and is going to be helpful with the public speaking that I hate to do from time to time.

Don’t be square. Be there.