The Speechwriter's Room

Cooking Shows

In this episode, Mary serves up the insights that speechwriters can draw from cooking shows (with a special thanks to speechwriter Sarah Gruen for inspiring the theme). M

Interview: Sarah Gruen

Speechwriter, humorist, Senior Director at West Wing Writers, and star baker Sarah Gruen stops by The Speechwriter's Room to share what it was like crafting remarks for t

Country Music

From vivid detail to storytelling to easily understood language, all speechwriters could take a page from country song writers. In this episode, Mary explores the speechw

Interview: Jeff Nussbaum

A partner at Bully Pulpit International, a former White House speechwriter, and a mentor to many, Jeff Nussbaum stops by The Speechwriter’s Room to talk persuasion, sound

Movie Presidents

From Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact to Bill Pullman in Independence Day, American cinema has offered up some iconic portrayals of fictional American presidents. These pret

Interview: Kat Kane

Kat Kane stops by The Speechwriter's Room to talk about her background in cable news, writing for a principal with possibly the busiest speaking schedule on the planet, a

Swiftie Nation feat. Seth Nelson

Communications pro and Taylor Swift scholar Seth Nelson visits The Speechwriter's Room to share lessons that speechwriters and speakers can learn from Taylor Swift, inclu

Interview: Ezra Zwaeli

For Ezra Zwaeli, poetry not only informs how he writes speeches, but how he approaches life. He joins The Speechwriter's Room for a discussion on what it's like to perfor

Commencements

In celebration of the Class of 2026, Mary takes a look back on commencement addresses from U.S. leaders that set the country on a new path.  President Lyndon B. Johnson

Interview: Outtakes

In this episode, Mary shares outtakes of her interviews with speechwriters Ashley Mitchell, Ken Sofer, and Felicia Salazar, all of which center on storytelling. Ashley

Musicals

It turns out that musical theater can be a training ground for speechwriting techniques. In this episode, Mary explores the ways that musicals make emotional appeals, sho

Interview: Hartley Voss

This episode of The Speechwriter's Room features Hartley Voss, the chief speechwriter for the Democratic staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Before Hart

The Acceptance Speech Awards

In a made-up award show, The Speechwriter's Room presents the 2026 Acceptance Speech Awards. Mary discusses the techniques that make the winners' remarks notable - from s

Interview: Ken Sofer

Ken Sofer, the founder of New Colossus Advisors and former policy advisor and former speechwriter to the President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, discusse

Infomercials

What do infomercials and persuasive speeches have in common? In this episode, Mary explores the structure called Monroe's Motivated Sequence that can be found in persuasi

Interview: Felicia Salazar

Today in The Speechwriter’s Room, Felicia Salazar talks about what it’s like to write history-making speeches in the White House for President Biden. Felicia worked with

Sports Movies

In this episode of The Speechwriter's Room, Mary gets inspired from pep talks in sports movies and television shows. From values-driven messaging to issuing a call to act

Interview: Ashley Mitchell

Ashley Mitchell joins The Speechwriter’s Room for a conversation about the power of speeches in times of crisis, pulling from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s recent remark

MLK Day

In advance of this year's MLK Day, Mary highlights the stories behind two of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches, starting with how gospel singer Mahalia Jackson influe

Interview: Bob Lehrman and Eric Schnure

Two speechwriting legends join The Speechwriter’s Room on this episode. In addition to authoring The Political Speechwriter’s Companion, Bob Lehrman and Eric Schnure bo