Photo: Wiremu Stadtwald Demchick (CC BY 4.0)
Job description
Speechwriters spend real time with an executive or public figure to absorb their views and voice before ever drafting a word, then research the subject, audience, and occasion to shape the content. Drafts typically go through multiple rounds of revision, incorporating feedback from the speaker and communications staff, and writers time and read pages aloud to check pacing, rhythm, and length. Because a speech has to be ready by a fixed event time no matter what, deadlines are often tight and non-negotiable, and writers sometimes prepare backup remarks in case circumstances change at the last minute.
Pros
- High-visibility work shaping the words of executives, politicians, or public figures
- Variety of subjects and events keeps the research and writing side of the job fresh
- Desk-based work with travel opportunities alongside the speaker for major events
Cons
- Above-average hours, often more than a standard 40-hour week
- Deadlines are fixed to event dates and non-negotiable no matter what
- Must suppress your own voice and match someone else's tone through repeated rounds of edits
A typical day
The day starts by reading everything the boss read -- overnight news, a policy memo, this morning's statements -- because the speech due Friday has to sound current. Mid-morning is a sit-down with the principal herself, listening less for positions than for rhythm: which jokes she'd actually tell, which words she'd never use. The afternoon is the grind of drafting, reading paragraphs aloud, cutting anything that dies in the air. At 6pm a near-final draft goes out, and it comes back covered in edits, which is normal, because the voice belongs to the speaker, not the writer.
Tasks at the job
- Interview the speaker and research the audience, occasion, and subject matter before drafting.
- Write and revise speech drafts that match the speaker's voice, tone, and message.
- Incorporate feedback from the speaker, communications staff, or policy advisors through multiple rounds of edits.
- Time and read drafts aloud to check pacing, rhythm, and length.
- Coordinate with policy or subject-matter experts to verify facts and figures.
- Prepare backup remarks or talking points for last-minute changes in circumstances.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors, mostly at a desk, though it may involve travel with the speaker to events or on the campaign trail.
Deadlines are often tight and non-negotiable, since a speech has to be ready by a fixed event time no matter what. The work demands precision with language and requires quickly absorbing another person's voice and priorities rather than one's own.
Education necessary or common
Bachelor's degree, often in English, journalism, or political science
Common college majors
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP English Language -- rhetoric is the literal job description
- AP US Government -- most speechwriting lives near politics and policy
- AP US History -- the great speeches are the training canon
- Journalism electives -- writing fast on deadline
- Public speaking or debate -- you must hear speeches as performances
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Speech and debate team -- especially original oratory
- School newspaper -- deadline writing with an editor
- Student government -- write real speeches for real campaigns
- Model UN -- drafting position statements in someone else's voice
First steps you can take now
- Transcribe a famous speech by hand and annotate why each line works
- Write a two-minute speech for a friend running for student office -- in their voice, not yours
- Read one speechwriting memoir or craft book this month
- Volunteer to draft remarks for a school event or club president
