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. 5D AGO

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. FEB 16

    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 the President on his remarks to issue an apology for the United States’ forced Native American boarding school policy. With storytelling and cultivating connection in her speech drafts, Felicia has also been an aide to the former Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland. In this episode, Felicia talks through the writing process for a speech that Secretary Haaland gave to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Native American activism on Alcatraz Island.  Felicia is currently the Deputy Campaign Manager for Haaland’s campaign to become New Mexico’s next governor. DebHaaland.com. To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit storiedcommunications.com.

    23 min

  8. FEB 2

    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 action, these coaches have lots to show us about crafting any kind of persuasive speech.

    13 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
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mary Robbins

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