Cody Keenan: storytelling and speechwriting
The ‘Springsteen of Speechwriting’ reveals his secrets behind the best speeches of President Obama
Please note that this seminar has already taken place. Curious about which seminars are on the calendar?
How do you deliver a speech that touches the hearts and the minds of your audience?
How do you tell a story that sticks?
How do you find the right words to convey your message?
Cody Keenan has been the personal speechwriter to President Obama since 2013. Even after he left the White House, President Obama asked Cody Keenan to remain his speechwriter. And he said yes. So right until this very moment, Cody Keenan supports Barack Obama in his unforgettable and historic speeches.
In this digital session, Cody will teach you the art and craft of storytelling and speechwriting. How do you write a good speech? How do you choose words that really touch people? How do you communicate in times of crisis?
Cody will share his best ideas and stories, comment on some of the best speeches he wrote for President Obama and answer your questions.
Program
15:00 | Part 1: The fine art of storytelling
- Why stories are better than facts
- How to build a compelling story
- The lessons I learnt at the White House
Keynote by Cody Keenan
15:20 | Part 2: Stories behind historic speeches
In this part, Cody will discuss a series of historic speeches of Barack Obama and his contribution to them. Why did they choose this angle? How was this speech designed? What made it so powerful?
Interactive session, based on historic speeches
15:50 | Short break
16:10 | Part 3: Cases
In this session, you will engage in groups to talk about 3 ‘persuasion topics’ that everybody faces. How do you deal with this? What was your best idea? You will talk about:
- Pitching: persuading your client or board to adopt your idea
- Crisis communication: making the best of a complex and difficult problem
- Negotiation: standing your ground in a meeting or conflict
After this session, Cody will share some of his experiences in all these topics.
16:55 | Part 4: Your best questions and cases
Q&A session with Cody based on your own questions and cases. How can the ‘Springsteen of speechwriting’ help you getting your message across?
17:40 | End of session
Practical information
Location
At home
Live
and interactive in new digital platform
