58 CREATE THE STORY
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 land-
ing 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.^9U.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:What the World’s Greatest Speechwriters Know