The Speechwriter's Room

Mary Robbins
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The Speechwriter's Room is for people who like or write speeches and those who deliver them. Every other week, Mary Robbins does a deep dive into the craft, politics, and quirks of writing remarks for leaders of all stripes.

  1. 1h ago

    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 perform slam poetry, how to make wonky policies relatable in speeches, and how to foster creativity in a hectic work environment. Ezra is the former director of speechwriting for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. In the conversation, Ezra describes the objectives for Mayor Wu’s opening statement to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2025, which can be found here: https://youtu.be/0i21cliuoXo.

    25 min

  2. May 25

    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 unveiled his plans for “The Great Society” in commencement remarks at the University of Michigan. After 9/11, President George W. Bush spoke at the United States Military Academy where he pressed his case for pre-emptive strikes in the war on terror. At American University’s graduation ceremony in 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech entitled “A Strategy of Peace.”  Mary takes a deeper dive into the stories behind two specific commencement addresses. First, she discusses President Roosevelt’s remarks at the University of Virginia’s commencement in 1940, including the influence that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had on the final draft. In that speech, FDR announced that the United States would be delivering additional aid to Great Britain and the Allies.   The episode concludes with Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s remarks at Harvard University in 1947. In this speech, he announced the Marshall Plan for Europe.  Additional sources for this episode:  No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin  https://fdrlibrary.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/found-in-the-archives-6/ https://uvamagazine.org/articles/the_hand_that_held_the_dagger https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-infamy-speech.html https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1997/05/marshall.html https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1997/05/marshall.speech.html

    17 min

  3. May 11

    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 Mitchell describes one of the most important aspects of telling a story. The full version of President Barack Obama's campaign speech that Ashley references is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MjccRjErQw Ken Sofer of New Colossus Advisers introduces a metaphor for how to build a narrative for an organization. Ken posts videos and insights on foreign policy, advocacy, and communications on his LinkedIn page. Former Presidential speechwriter Felicia Salazar talks about how she captures leaders' voices through their stories. Felicia is currently the Deputy Campaign Manager for Deb Haaland as she runs for Governor of New Mexico. To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit: https://storiedcommunications.com/

    18 min

  4. Apr 27

    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, showcase character, and hit the final note -- all of which directly apply to the best speeches. To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit https://www.storiedcommunications.com/

    15 min

  5. Apr 13

    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 Hartley embarked on his path in speechwriting, he had built a career in Hollywood, writing on television shows like Mad Men and Orange is the New Black. Hartley and Mary talk about the similarities between the working environments of Hollywood and Washington and their experience resolving disagreements during a speechwriting process. They also take a look at what is arguably the most famous speech from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) https://www.c-span.org/clip/house-proceeding/dick-durbin-floor-speech-on-baseball-bats/4504704 "Bob and Eric's book" refers to the Political Speechwriter's Companion: https://collegepublishing.sagepub.com/products/the-political-speechwriters-companion-2-257507 In the episode, Hartley recommends Pam Douglas's book on writing and producing for television: https://mwp.com/product/writing-the-tv-drama-series-how-to-succeed-as-a-professional-writer-in-tv-4th-edition/ And Secret Stairs: https://secretstairs-la.com/ To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit storiedcommunications.com

    25 min

  6. Mar 30

    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 storytelling to making a call to action specific. For best use of a literary device, the award goes to Stephen Colbert at the Golden Globes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gncZJZS68zE Best Call to Action in an acceptance speech goes to Doechii at the Grammy's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1whp7ndRCs For stand-out acknowledgement in an acceptance speech, the winner is Jessie Buckley at the Golden Globes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PttOo6dA0_c The winner for outstanding use of storytelling is Michael B. Jordan for his acceptance speech at the Actor Awards.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMZv07WD9VI Best moment of humility in an acceptance speech goes to Harrison Ford at the Actor Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV_2CEa6Bbs Jean Smart at the Golden Globes wins for best humble brag. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU2In_AsHMc For best "take down" in an acceptance speech, the winner is Amy Poehler at the Golden Globes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9XdPNy_ffk To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit https://www.storiedcommunications.com/

    15 min

  7. Mar 16

    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, discusses the speechwriting process, how to drop into a speaker's voice, and the partnership between a speechwriter and the principal. Ken takes us behind the scenes of crafting a speech for IRC President and CEO David Miliband in 2019 (transcript and video of the speech). Find Ken online at his firm and in the videos that he puts together on foreign policy topics, like this one. To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit StoriedCommunications.com

    26 min

  8. Mar 2

    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 persuasive speeches across history and in classic infomercials - from the Snuggie to the Miracle Blade. To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit storiedcommunications.com.

    12 min
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About

The Speechwriter's Room is for people who like or write speeches and those who deliver them. Every other week, Mary Robbins does a deep dive into the craft, politics, and quirks of writing remarks for leaders of all stripes.

Information

  • Creator
    Mary Robbins
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mary Robbins

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