Presentation-Secrets-Of-Steve-Jobs
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58 CREATE THE STORY<br />
What the World’s Greatest Speechwriters Know<br />
Ted Sorensen, John F. Kennedy’s speechwriter, believed that<br />
speeches should be written for the ear and not for the eye.<br />
His speeches would list goals and accomplishments in a<br />
numbered sequence to make it easier for listeners. Kennedy’s<br />
speech to a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, offers a<br />
perfect example of Sorensen’s technique. In calling for a major<br />
commitment to explore space, Kennedy said:<br />
First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to<br />
achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing<br />
a man on the moon and returning him safely to<br />
earth. No single space project in this period will be<br />
more impressive to mankind, or more important for<br />
the long-range exploration of space . . . Secondly, an<br />
additional twenty-three million dollars, together with<br />
the seven million already available, will accelerate<br />
development of the Rover nuclear rocket . . . Third, an<br />
additional fifty million dollars will make the most of our<br />
present leadership, by accelerating the use of space<br />
satellites for worldwide communications. Fourth, an<br />
additional seventy-five million dollars will help give<br />
us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for<br />
worldwide weather observation. Let it be clear that I am<br />
asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm<br />
commitment to a new course of action, a course which<br />
will last for many years and carry heavy costs . . . If we<br />
are to go only halfway, or reduce our sights in the face<br />
of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not to<br />
go at all. 9<br />
U.S. president Barack Obama, a fan of Kennedy’s speeches,<br />
adopted some of Sorensen’s rules to make his own speeches<br />
more impactful. Here are some samples from Obama’s<br />
speeches that follow the rule of three, beginning with the<br />
speech that put him on the map, his keynote address at the<br />
2004 Democratic National Convention: