Say it Well

featuring Terry Szuplat

Former President Obama speechwriter and founder of Global Voices Communications

Terry Szuplat, former President Obama speechwriter and founder of Global Voices Communications, talks about building connections through storytelling and finding your voice with our president, Steve Gilman.

Effective communication and public speaking are often viewed as natural talents. Terry Szuplat would argue they can be taught just like any other skill. In fact, he wrote an entire book about it.

A former speechwriter for President Obama and now the author of the award-winning book, Say It Well, Terry is back on the podcast to discuss all things storytelling, public speaking, and finding your voice. He shares insights from his experiences at the White House and offers practical advice for anyone looking to enhance their communication skills. So whether you’re crafting product messaging to connect with your audience or preparing for a client pitch, tune in to discover how you can inspire your audience through the power of storytelling.

About the Guest

Terry Szuplat

Former President Obama speechwriter and founder of Global Voices Communications

Terry is well-known for being one of former President Obama’s longest-serving speechwriters where he helped draft hundreds of speeches on global and international economics, U.S. foreign and defense policy, and human rights. He’s an award-winning author, speaker, and trainer whose keynote presentations and workshops empower audiences with the communication skills he learned during his time in the White House. His new book, Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience, was an instant bestseller and named one of the Best Business Books of 2024 and the Best Marketing & Communications Book of the Year.

Key Takeaways

Great communicators personalize their remarks. They should say what only they can say [and] tell the stories only they can tell. The best communicators are folks who are willing to bring their whole selves to the presentation.

One of the biggest mistakes that so many leaders make is overwhelm their audiences with too much data. We think if we just give them one more statistic, one more number, they’ll see it our way and that's just not the case. It's because they've been told a story.

One of the most important things that we need to do as communicators is to think deeply about the audience and what they bring to it. Knowing your audience is one of the most basic, fundamental principles of effective communication.

Say it Well

About the Guest

Key Takeaways

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Steve Gilman