The distinguished intellectual historian Quentin Skinner has written books on Shakespeare, Thomas Hobbes and Machiavelli. He examines their 'humanist' education - a 'humanist' education basically involves training to become a speechwriter.

If you're an ambitious parent, like the father of the Kennedy dynasty, and you want to get your children into politics, how would you guide them?

Dr Max Atkinson was a pioneering researcher into how political speakers got audiences to applaud. He wrote a book that revealed how by using the techniques you could get audiences to applaud irrespective of the intellectual content of the speech.

The European Speechwriter Network had its 19th conference at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, on 26 and 27 September 2019. The speakers included Melanie Dunn, Kevin Toolis, Antonia Fleischmann, Pauline Genee, Tom Moylan, Jennifer Migan and Lucie Robin.

The European Speechwriter Network had its 19th conference at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, on 26 and 27 September 2019. The speakers included Melanie Dunn, Kevin Toolis, Antonia Fleischmann, Pauline Genee, Tom Moylan, Jennifer Migan and Lucie Robin.

The European Speechwriter Network had its 19th conference at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, on 26 and 27 September 2019. The speakers included Melanie Dunn, Kevin Toolis, Antonia Fleischmann, Pauline Genee, Tom Moylan, Jennifer Migan and Lucie Robin.

The European Speechwriter Network had its 19th conference at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, on 26 and 27 September 2019. The speakers included Melanie Dunn, Kevin Toolis, Antonia Fleischmann, Pauline Genee, Tom Moylan, Jennifer Migan and Lucie Robin.

The European Speechwriter Network had its 19th conference at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, on 26 and 27 September 2019. The speakers included Melanie Dunn, Kevin Toolis, Antonia Fleischmann, Pauline Genee, Tom Moylan, Jennifer Migan and Lucie Robin.