Revision, editing, and proofreading- three different approaches, all with the goal of making an essay, a speech, a novel, more eloquent, flowing, understandable, and relatable. Obviously you have to go over your own work, time and again, adapting the work for its purpose, adding and subtracting words, rearranging sentences, and nitpicking grammar. Yet, as beneficial as tearing your own work apart may be, another opinion makes a world of difference.
Even the president thinks so.
Going behind the scenes of the State-of-the Union Address, Jon Favreau, Director of Speech Writing at the White House details the process of writing this all-inclusive, astronomically important presidential speech. He also explains how it has changed. What used to be simply a written document submitted to the white house became a nationally televised speech to a joint session of Congress. And as we all know, writing a speech and writing a paper require different skill sets, different techniques. Instead of putting words down on paper to be read, you have to consider delivery, how the words will sound spoken. While both forms of writing must connect with the audience, the audiences in this case are different. Instead of simply talking to Congress, politicians, the president has to reach out to Americans, common citizens.
To create a successful speech, focused, and comprehendible by a normal, politically un-savvy individual, yet technical enough to please Congress and the political pundits, President Obama and his speech writer work together, e-mailing each other countless revisions. Back and forth goes the speech, each time acquiring additional modifications, presidential flair, personality, reworded stances on the issues (you don’t want to beat your head at the same angle on the wall, remember). The President edits for his speech writer just as the speech writer revises for the president.
Obviously if even the president does it, peer revisions are veritable gold mines as far as producing a rhetorically sound essay is concerned.
Very cool topic and video post. It's interesting how you took the instruction of watching the State of the Union Address but actually dove deeper into seeing how it is done. This example is a perfect example for how speeches are written efficiently but also from a political standpoint.
ReplyDeleteWriting speeches and writing papers are both indeed very different. They both involve proper research and writing, but you are right. When writing a speech, the way that the words will sound should always be taken into consideration
ReplyDeleteI like your video. It's amazing how this form of rhetoric has undergone so much evolution in our country. How much more the people expect of the speech, as television and the internet make it increasingly accessible. Cool take on it!
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with you! Peer editing is a great thing and definetly helps us to better our essays, both written and spoken.
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