if you can bring yourself to say it

The cover story for the August Speechwriter's Newsletter is an open letter from me to CEOs on behalf of speechwriters. It's cleverly called, "I know why the caged word sings" and it tells CEOs how they should treat their speechwriters, for their own good. The tone is reasonable but direct, and it will be interesting to see how many subscribers decide to pass it on to their chiefs.

One thing I forgot to include in my advice—much of which asks CEOs to give their speechwriters more access and spend more time rehearsing their speeches—was a line I heard a few years ago at the Speechwriter's Conference, from speaking coach extraordinaire Virgil Scudder.

Virgil said he often has CEOs tell him as he begins to teach them, "You've got an hour."

"You don't tell that to your golf teacher," Scudder said he says.

P.S. I'd do a post re. the IABC conference if I wasn't busy writing the coverage for a looming deadline for The Ragan Report. Something on that tomorrow or Fri.