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What the World’s Greatest Speechwriters Know Ted Sorensen, John F. Kennedy’s speechwriter, believed that speeches should be written for the ear and not for the eye. His speeches would list goals and accomplishments in a numbered sequence to make it easier for listeners. Kennedy’s speech to a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, offers a perfect example of Sorensen’s technique. In calling for a major commitment to explore space, Kennedy said: First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space . . . Secondly, an additional twenty-three million dollars, together with the seven million already available, will accelerate development of the Rover nuclear rocket . . . Third, an additional fifty million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for worldwide communications. Fourth, an additional seventy-five million dollars will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for worldwide weather observation. Let it be clear that I am asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action, a course which will last for many years and carry heavy costs . . . If we are to go only halfway, or reduce our sights in the face of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not to go at all.9 U.S. president Barack Obama, a fan of Kennedy’s speeches, adopted some of Sorensen’s rules to make his own speeches more impactful. Here are some samples from Obama’s speeches that follow the rule of three, beginning with the speech that put him on the map, his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention: