Bespoke Speechwriting Services Ltd

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- PEOPLE
  - Simon Lancaster is one of the UK’s top speechwriters. His speechwriting talents were honed during ten years in Whitehall. Heworked as Chief Speechwriter in the Department for Business, Education and Health writing for a string of leading Cabinet Ministers. He now writes speeches for the heads of several major global corporations including HSBC, Universal Pictures and the BBC.Simon is a regular media commentator about speechwriting and speechmaking. His book, “Speechwriting: the Expert Guide” will be published by Robert Hale in 2009.
    
    Jack Elliott has written speeches for senior executives in a wide range of businesses, including financial services, IT and the automotive industry. His CV includes the writing of five global product launches for Jaguar and, over a fifteen year period, all the major speeches for the Chairman/CEO of Jaguar/Land Rover and Ford of Britain.
- SERVICE
  - Time is short and standards are high for top politicians and business leaders. We will make the speechwriting process as profitable and painless as possible for you. We will have sleepless nights so you can sleep easy.
- EXPERTISE
  - Writing speeches is a specialist art which requires specialist skills. At Bespoke, we live and breathe speeches. Over the years, we have written speeches for a number of Cabinet Ministers, FTSE 100 Chief Executives, rock stars and Olympic Gold medallists. Our speeches have been delivered at Lord Mayor’s Banquets, Buckingham Palace investitures and Chatham House lectures. Our unparalleled practical experience is matched by extensive academic research into modern communications.
- PROFESSIONALISM
  - Bespoke is used to working as part of large, flexible communications teams, combining in-house professionals and external agencies. We tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. Our honest perspective prevents you “doing a Ratner”
- HISTORY
  - Bespoke was formed in 2007 as the UK’s first professional speechwriting agency, replicating a model of speechwriting which has been commonplace in Washington for many years. Since then, Bespoke has grown rapidly, winning a number of top clients from the commercial, government and non-profit sector. We are now recognised as industry leaders. We have now moved in to new offices in the heart of Westminster, just a minute away from the House of parliment.
CLIENTS

	"Simon's a great speechwriter. He has a rare talent for really understanding what you want to say and helping you say it better." Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP, ex-Secretary of State for Health
	"Simon Lancaster has the rare ability to encapsulate in a speech all the central issues, but do it in an interesting and entertaining way. His only problem was the person delivering the speech!" Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Health
	"Simon is the perfectionist as speechwriter: not only a flair for the word and phrase, but also thorough research and an attention to detail and accuracy which comes from his past life as a senior ministerial adviser." Lord Adonis of Camden Town, Secretary of State for Transport
	“I've worked with dozens of Whitehall speechwriters and Simon is not only the best, he is in a league of his own. He absorbs complex ideas quickly, gives them a structure and brings them to life - injecting colour, humour and energy into even the driest of subjects. A knack for spotting unexpected connections enriches his writing, as does his study of oratory. At the Guardian, we have commissioned a few pieces from him (including an editorial on speechmaking) which have clearly displayed his great talent as a wordsmith. Tom Clark, Leader Writer on The Guardian and Editor of “Great Speeches of the 20th Century” (Preface Publishing, 2008) “I think this was one of the best courses I’ve ever attended. The calibre of speakers was excellent - we heard from people that had actually been there and done the job extremely well. The rhetorical tricks of the trade we learnt have been invaluable. And the course really gave me a chance to try them out in challenging, but fun and engaging practical exercises. ”Sara Halliday, Speechwriter to Rt Hon Peter Mandelson MP" “The Mansion House Speech Team prepares more than 800 speeches a year, more than any other Cabinet-level speech office, so we and other speech-producing colleagues in the City of London Corporation need to pull back from time to time to re-focus and re-energise ourselves. In our experience Simon Lancaster from Bespoke is absolutely ideal to help both seasoned and new speechwriters to get to grips with the essence of the art. His work is both imaginative and grounded and valued by all. Book early, book often. ”William Beaver, Speechwriter to the Lord Mayor of London" “Genuinely useful and very entertaining – a revelation!”br /> David Tinline, Speechwriter to Rt Hon Hillary Benn MP "The course was invaluable. Every time I write a sentence that really nails it, it's because I've applied the techniques that Simon taught me." "Zoe Mayne, Speechwriter to Trevor Phillips" "This was a fantastic course - just the right balance between learning and doing. Having "been there and done that," Simon really knows what he's talking about. I went home with loads of ideas and contacts - and more importantly, a real confidence boost." "Lyndsey Jenkins, Speechwriter to Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP" Simon gave me a fantastic introduction to the art of speechwriting. I use many of the techniques covered on a daily basis. Andrew Kaye, Speechwriter to Rt Hon John Denham MP “I think this was one of the best courses I’ve ever attended. The calibre of speakers was excellent - we heard from people that had actually been there and done the job extremely well. The rhetorical tricks of the trade we learnt have been invaluable. And the course really gave me a chance to try them out in challenging, but fun and engaging practical exercises.”

NEWS
- The Guardian's Politics Weekly podcast
  11th february 2010
  
  The Art of Speechwritting Radio Five Live
  21st february 2010
  
  The Art of Political Speechwritting
  The New Statesman - 4th February 2010
  Writting speeches for parliment
  The House Magazine - 9th November 2009
  Should the prime minister employ professional Speechwriters?
  The week magazine - November 6th 2009
  The value of speechwriting
  The Guardian - 5th November 2009
  Writing speeches for Alan Johnson
  The Independent - 6th June 2009
  Effective Speechwriting
  Public Service Magazine – January 2009
  The People Speak
  The Guardian – November 2008 The Value of Speechwriting
  PR Week – November 2008
  Where Are They Now?
  Feedback Magazine – October 2008
  In Praise of… American Rhetoric
  The Guardian - 29th April 2008
  Speechwriting Podcast by Simon Lancaster
  PR Week – 15th August 2008 Speechwriting – Take centre stage
  PR Week – 15th August 2008
  The Lost Art of Oratory
  Whitehall and Westminster World - 6th May 2008
  Bespoke Speechwriting Services
  PR Week - 2nd May 2008
  Whitehall Speechwriter launches own venture
  Public Affair News - May 2008
  Speechwriter quits to set up new agency
  Whitehall and Westminster World - 22nd April 2008
  Seeming is Believing
  Guardian Article - 2nd December 2007
  The Art of Persuasion
  Guardian Article - 30th April 2007
  In Praise of Oratory
  Guardian Leader - 17th September 2006
BLOG
CONTACT US
- Bespoke Speechwriting Services Ltd
- 2 Old Queen Street, westminster,
- London
- SW1H 9HP
- T: 020 8962 2769
- M: 07725 146770
- E: enquiries@bespokespeeches.com

Bespoke.

The specialist speechwriting agency