When the New York Times reported recently that fans were all “a-twitter” because celebrities were using ghostwriters to handle their Twitter accounts, I had to chuckle. Speechwriters, a/k/a ghostwriters for speakers, have been dealing with the same kind of public dismay for decades.
As the article pointed out, stars like rapper 50 Cent is just one of many who hire writers to keep in touch with fans via Twitter. One of the rapper’s writers, a fellow named Chris Romero, said his client “doesn’t actually use Twitter, but the energy is all him.”
That pretty well sums it up for speechwriters as well. In an ideal situation, speakers take an active role in working with a writer in the preparation of a speech. The actual text, if done properly and with plenty of input from the speaker, takes on the tone, voice and phrasing of the speechmaker. Again, the energy is all him (or her).
Unfortunately, most speakers who use speechwriters don’t have the luxury of devoting a lot of time to their speeches. That’s why they hire writers to take care of the research and create clear and organized prose for them to deliver.
In most cases, speech drafts are reviewed and edited by a team of people who work for the same organization as the speaker. And then it’s up to the speaker to put his personal touch on the remarks.
As the ghostwriters for the stars have found out, knowing their client is essential to their jobs. The same is true for speechwriters. The better they know their speaker and the more they can collaborate, the more the resulting speeches will be true to the speaker’s intent.
