Recently, this photo, taken by official White House photographer Pete Souza of the text for President Obama’s 9/9/09 Health Care Reform speech, made the rounds on the Internet. As you can see, the President is a bit old-school in his edits, in that he takes pen to paper and marks up the page. If he were REALLY old school, he’d use a red pen.
And don’t you feel a little sorry for his speech writer, Jon Favreau? Most writer’s hearts would sink on getting their work back in a similar condition. But anyone who has ever listened to Obama’s speeches knows that they are well-crafted, thoughtful and brilliantly paced. The picture shows that the reason they succeed is not only good writing, but good editing and rewriting.
My friend, Paul Krupin, PR expert and mighty fisherman, told me, when he saw the picture, that it reminded him of his days at the Department of Energy. You see, what you are looking at are not grammar edits, but content edits. He said, “With just one word choice, you can affect the lives of literally millions of people.” That’s why speeches and government documents are gone over and over and over. Careful weighting of meaning is the crux of communication.
Words matter. Whether it’s a speech, a policy position, a fantasy or a “how to,” chose your words carefully to convey the right meaning to your reader. Rewriting is the key to effective communication!
