Speeches and op-eds can be powerful tools — as long as you capture people’s attention.
Think of a good speech you’ve heard or op-ed you’ve read. What made it worthwhile? Did the speaker or author use a particular rhetorical device, a compelling headline, or a surprising statistic? Or, content aside, maybe it was just the writer’s reputation that made it memorable?
“Memorable.” This is the key word. The speech or op-ed was good enough for you to remember it. Or you remembered it for at least a few hours or days, enough for it to get lodged in the folds of your brain — enough for you to go visit the speaker’s website later, or enough to recall the op-ed to a friend interested in the topic.