A quick note:
“The Basics of Writing & Giving A Speech” (March 22-23, Philadelphia) sold out last week and has moved into a waiting list. Let me know if you’d like to be added to that waiting list … or if you’d like to attend a later seminar (April, June, August, October, November).
From March 7 through March 13:
1790 After considerable time, Benjamin Franklin penned his religious creed: “I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we render to him is doing good to his other children.”
1841 Birthday of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr: “… the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.”
1876 Alexander Graham Bell uttered the first words ever spoken over a telephone: “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.”
1913 William Knox, in Toledo, Ohio, bowled the first perfect 300 game in an American Bowling Congress tournament. [I am still searching for a record of his words on this occasion . What did say to mark the moment?]
1922 Birthday of Lane Kirkland, US labor leader: “If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it to themselves.”
1930 Pluto was announced as a new planet.
1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his first radio fireside chat.
1961 President John F. Kennedy announced the formation of the Alliance for Progress, promoting Latin American countries.
1976 By Henry Kissinger: “Americans have always made history rather than let history chart our course.”
Mark your calendars. NAGC’s annual conference offers an outstanding learning opportunity. I’ll be offering more info in the weeks ahead.
May 17-21, 2010 – NAGC Communications School Transparency & Technology Advancing Government Communications, Hyatt Regency Bethesda, MD, USA
From February 28 through March 6:
1845 The first time that a presidential veto was overridden by Congress
1849 US Department of the Interior was created (first known as the Home Department)
1854 The founding of the Republican party (at a meeting in Wisconsin)
1919 From Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and creating a panic.”
1930 From President Franklin D. Roosevelt: “The United States Constitution has proved itself the most marvelously elastic compilation of rules of government ever written.”
1931 “Star Spangled Banner” became the US national anthem (117 years after it was written)
1970 Nuclear nonproliferation treaty was signed by the US, the Soviet Union and 41 other nations
1973 The US, the Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese signed a peace treaty in Paris
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards have just been announced, and I was delighted to see so many of the winners coming from the ranks of my speechwriting seminars … Basic, Advanced, and Master levels.
Congratulations to you all!
I’m a long-time member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and I just learned about this job opportunity:
“We’re looking for an experienced teacher to run an online multimedia class through ASJA. The class will be offered first to [ASJA] members, and then to other interested students. In this class, students will learn how to add and edit photos, audio and video to enhance their written stories online. The class will ideally be structured so that students can come up with a story idea and then spend the duration of the class creating original content (audio slideshows, video, photos, etc.), so that by the end, they will have a published multimedia piece.
If you’re interested, please email Lisa Armstrong at larmstro2@yahoo.com. Please include a resume outlining your teaching/multimedia experience.”
My March issue of Vital Speeches of the Day has just arrived, and I was delighted to see that it includes a speech given by Stanley Dambroski, federal government speechwriter and educator.
Stanley has attended all four of my speechwriting seminars, and it’s a pleasure to see this recognition of his work.
The title of his speech? “How Johnny Can Write” (delivered at the University of Maryland).
I just received an email describing a great speechwriting job in Texas. And, here’s the most important part of the job description:
“Must have portfolio of successful executive speeches.”
How’s your speechwriting portfolio? Ready to show on a moment’s notice? (If not, I have to ask: Why not? A great portfolio makes the difference. Savvy speechwriters should know this.)
Need help figuring out what to put in your portfolio? How many samples to share? How much of your work to show? Think about attending my “Business of Six-Figure Speechwriting” seminar (Saturday, April 10, Philadelphia). We’ll discuss portfolios … staff salaries … freelance fees … referrals … “where the jobs are” … and “how to get those jobs.”
Learn more at www.joandetz.com. As always feel welcome to email directly with any questions, okay? I’ll be glad to help.
In recognition of the Olympics, I offer this as Quote of the Week: “The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” (Duke of Wellington)
Sports events for the week of February 21 - 27:
1874 Birthday of Honus Wagner (baseball) … “The Flying Dutchman” was one of the five original inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He remained active in baseball as a coach until the World War II era.
1902 Birthday of Gene Sarazen (golf), who invented the modern sand iron.
1918 Birthday of Bobby Riggs (tennis), who played the “battle of the sexes” against Billie Jean King.
1946 Jorge Pasquel, President of the Mexican Baseball League, offered contracts to star US players - hoping he could attract them to his league.
1949 Greta Anderson of Denmark set a world record for 100-yard freestyle in Copenhagen.
1950 Birthday of Julius Erving (basketball), who first attracted attention for his skills on the playgrounds of Harlem.
1964 The Ali - Liston match in Miami Beach, FL, ended with Ali winning the world heavyweight boxing championship.
A speechwriter in DC wrote to share this:
Harper’s has published their entire 25-year archive of Harpers’ Indexes online at http://harpers.org/index/ Simply type in your query or keyword, and it will return the relevant factoids from over the years. Much interesting (and quirky) info in this resource.