Award-winning speechwriter Terry Szuplat shared insights on crafting compelling narratives during a virtual WhitTalk event Thursday in the media center.
Szuplat, who served as a speechwriter for President Barack Obama during his presidency and deputy director of the White House Speechwriting Office during Obama’s second term, traveled to more than 40 countries and helped write 3,477 speeches during the administration
During the event, Szuplat said great leaders reflect on what makes them distinctive, emphasizing the importance of personal storytelling in leadership.
“You have a secret story as well,” Szuplat said. “Don’t be afraid to talk about what makes you unique.”
Szuplat discussed how speechwriters strive to build deep emotional connections with their audiences, and they spend a significant amount of time considering what listeners want to hear to feel understood.
His interest in speechwriting stemmed from his college internship at the White House, where he was assigned to the speechwriting office while attending American University. He now teaches political speechwriting there.
His book, “Say It Well,” became an instant bestseller, appearing on USA Today’s list of the top 100 bestselling books in America. It was named the best marketing and communications book of the year and one of the best business books of 2024.
WhitTalks is a monthly speaker series at Whitman that connects students with professionals for career awareness. Past speakers have included Dr. Barabara Lipska, a best-selling brain research author, and Pulitzer Prize winner Jason Szep.
WhitTalks President Suhani Verma said she was excited by the amount of people that attended the event.
“It went really well,” Verma said. “I hope people took away some interesting ideas about speechwriting and insights into [Szuplat’s] perspectives on how it should be done.”
Students engaged with Szuplat throughout the presentation, asking numerous questions about his career and approach to communication.
WhitTalks Co-president Leela Patel said she was happy about the numerous quality questions students asked and that she benefited from Spluzat’s advice.
“Terry Spluzat has a lot of knowledge about how to persuade people and connect, which is something we can all learn from,” Patel said. “Something really valuable that he said was that people need to be able to understand point of views that aren’t yours — everyone has a sacred story to tell.”
