DCNet Seminar: Crafting the Killer Quote

A good turn of phrase is a powerful tool. Whether you’re out to win a media cycle, catapult a career or maybe start a war — “For the Fairest” worked in ancient Greece, while “The smoking gun could be a mushroom cloud” sold the public more recently — everything is possible when you get the language just right. That’s why from Greek times to the present day, professional writers have catalogued, traded and sometimes jealously guarded their favorite tricks for coming up with a killer line that settles debate and ignites action.

This DCNet seminar will present a selection of favorite recipes for turning an interesting point into an unforgettable quote: from old favorites like the anecdote, the visual analogy and the difference, to newer additions to the canon like the reality check, re-centering and the two roads.

The session will be led by John Neffinger of KNP Communications, presentation coach and speechwriter for dozens of candidates for and Members of Congress, many leaders of progressive civic organizations, and hundreds of corporate executives. John serves with Dr. Drew Westen as co-head-trainer of Media Matters for America’s Progressive Talent Initiative media training program, from which this content is drawn. John has been featured discussing political communication on The CBS Evening News, Hardball with Chris Mathews, Fox News and NPR, as well as in The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.