ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES SPEECHWRITERS DULL COMMUNICATORS. The #PSAWorldConference isn’t just about writing — it’s about connecting, laughing, and enjoying time with the people who make speechwriting the vibrant community that it is.

“IT IS THROUGH THE ACT OF WRITING that we know what we believe in,” says novelist Justina Chen in a powerful conversation with Justine Adelizzi, as she leads this morning's All-Conference Caucus: Resilience in Real Time—Stories of Strength, Setback, Showing Up and Carrying On.

As Terry Edmonds, Social Impact Fellow at Harvard University and former chief speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, says “We shall not be overcome this day” at #PSAWorldConference

According to kristina.drye, who was one of the many federal workers heartlessly fired from #USAID and who now serves as speechwriter to Senator Heinrich, “Words are resilience embodied.”

Marathon runner Charles Rousseaux, (center left) and former Director of Executive Communications at the University of Michigan knows the meaning of resilience more than most. After a life-changing accident with a Tesla, he learned, “Resilience is about the millimeters, not the miles.”

IN CONCLUSION Phoebe Valentine Judge, a journalist and co-creator of the podcasts Criminal and This Is Love tells speechwriters, “Don’t make a grand conclusion if you don’t have one. Because that’s fake. Sometimes just let it be.”

ANOTHER GREAT #PSAWORLDCONFERENCE for the books! Thank you to everyone who made these last few days such a success. To quote Kurt Vonnegut, “We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is,” and that’s what this conference is all about.

FOMO IS A MOFO. Attend last week's PSA World Conference in arrears, through this photo scrapbook. More coherent thoughts from me later this week (I hope). writing-boots.com/2025/11/what-y… "What You Missed, If You Missed the 2025 PSA World Conference." #psaworldconference

THE END OF RHETORICAL NEUTRALITY ... and other issues that followed me back from D.C. How about you? "My Nagging Thoughts, After the PSA World Conference. (What Are Yours?)" Today, on Writing Boots. writing-boots.com/2025/11/naggin…

AN ALL-NEW COURSE FOR ALL EXEC COMMS PROS. The variety of exec comms writing has risen just as fast as the stakes—and, the degree of difficulty. prorhetoric.com/event/advanced… Register yourself, register your team—and get much better, now.

FOR SPEECHWRITING, CEOs PREFER AI to working with "a top-tier communications professional," a new survey says. (Or does it?) prorhetoric.com/human-corporat… "Human Corporate Speechwriters: Rumors of Their Demise Are Statistically Dubious." Today, at Pro Rhetoric.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN AN *AI WORKING GROUP* of exec comms pros who want to get good at this? The vision: By the end of 2026, participants will be among the most AI-savvy practitioners in the biz. Costs $1,995 for the year; write to Jen Mazurek, at [email protected].

REGISTRATION IS OPEN. ONLY 19 SEATS REMAIN. Smart exec comms pros are becoming AI savvy. Smart exec comms *leaders* are becoming AI proof, through the only certificate course designed specifically for you. prorhetoric.com/event/leadersh…

TODAY'S THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER for an important event in an important year for higher-ed leadership comms people. prorhetoric.com/event/higher-e… Register yourself, register your team—today.

A GLIMPSE THROUGH A KEYHOLE into the room at Leadership Communication Academy. prorhetoric.com/impossible-to-… Seats are dwindling for the 2026 session of this career-changing course. Secure yours soon. (PSA members get 25% off)

Call for entries. prorhetoric.com/cicero-awards/ #speechwriter

A SUNNY VIEW OF SPEECHWRITING'S FUTURE, from the PSA's resident AI guru Brent Kerrigan. prorhetoric.com/psa-resources/ #speechwriter

BROADEN YOUR SPEECHWRITER'S SKILL SET AND GET BETTER AT ... Social posts. Blog posts. Memos. Video scripts. Speeches. Bullet points. Briefs. EVERYTHING. No single course can make you more valuable and marketable more quickly. prorhetoric.com/event/advanced… (PSA members get 25% off)

NOT SO FAST (OR A LITTLE TOO LATE?) Prominent PSA member Jim Reische seriously questions whether you and I should embrace AI. prorhetoric.com/not-so-fast-a-… Resident PSA AI guru Brent Kerrigan and I respond.

WRAPPING UP AROUND HERE, and hope you are too. Before you go: We all know that 2026 is going to be a good year to get better at what we do. PSA members get 25% off all Pro Rhetoric events. prorhetoric.com/events/ Peruse, and pick one or two, and let's start fast—together.