Say It Well: Authentic Storytelling for Law Firm Leaders

In this episode of On Record PR, Gina Rubel interviews Terry Szuplat —one of President Obama’s former speechwriters and author of Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience. Terry’s book offers a fantastic opportunity to explore the intersection of compelling communication, public relations, and crisis response in the high-stakes world of political speechwriting.

Gina met Terry at the Legal Marketing Association 2025 Annual Conference, where he and Cody Keenan, a speechwriter for President Obama, candidly discussed political speechwriting. The program was moderated by Katie Munroe, to whom we are grateful for the personal introduction to Terry.

At the start of the interview, Gina also thanked Terry for sharing the story of Sophia Myers from Perkasie, Pa. While Gina doesn’t know her or her family, she does live on a farm in Perkasie, a little-known rural outpost of Philadelphia, and knew about her call to raise money during Covid for Grandview Hospital. Sophia and her family raised $60,000 to help the hardworking nurses during Covid – a reminder that no matter one’s age or position, you can make a real difference in this world if you say it well.

In Say It Well, you talk about the power of authentic and empathetic storytelling. How can law firm leaders apply those principles in high-stakes crisis or litigation communications where every word is analyzed?

In Say It Well, the emphasis on authentic and empathetic storytelling directly applies to high-stakes crisis or litigation communications, even when every word is scrutinized. Law firm leaders should resist relying solely on technical language or abstract legal principles. Instead, they must leverage storytelling to humanize the message, foster connection, and ensure clarity.

Terry explains that storytelling is universal—regardless of the audience or industry, people gravitate toward stories to make sense of information and connect emotionally. In crisis or litigation contexts, leaders can elevate communications by incorporating real, relatable examples that illustrate how policies or events impact individuals within the firm or broader community.

Importantly, compelling storytelling begins with truly knowing the audience. It’s not just the legal stakeholders—it’s everyone affected, from staff to clients. Tailoring the message to resonate with different groups, like preparing for distinct audiences in politics or international diplomacy, ensures the communication feels relevant, sincere, and trustworthy.

Even in the most carefully analyzed communications, leaders should embed authentic stories, rooted in empathy, to foster understanding, connection, and credibility.

You’ve written for one of the most scrutinized voices in the world—President Obama. What lessons from presidential speechwriting can law firm PR teams adopt when preparing attorneys to address sensitive or controversial matters in 2025?

One of the key lessons law firm PR teams can adopt from presidential speechwriting, particularly from Terry’s experience with President Obama, is the importance of communicating from a place of core conviction. While narrative structure, vision, and inspiring storytelling are essential, Obama emphasized that the most effective communicators deeply understand who they are and what they believe.

For attorneys addressing sensitive or controversial matters, especially in 2025’s highly scrutinized environment, this means aligning communications with the firm’s clearly defined values and beliefs. Law firms that take the time to establish internal consensus about their identity, principles, and stance on key issues are better positioned to communicate with clarity and confidence. Such communications avoid constant hedging or qualification, which can erode trust.

In contrast, organizations that appear uncertain or inconsistent in their messaging risk damaging their reputation, undermining client relationships, and weakening recruitment and retention efforts. Ultimately, authentic, values-driven communication builds credibility, fosters trust, and helps law firms navigate crises with resilience and consistency.

With generative AI transforming how firms draft content, what do you think is at risk of losing the human voice, especially in crisis moments when trust is everything?

Terry emphasizes that while generative AI has a role in many areas of communication, it should never replace the human voice during crisis moments when trust and human connection are paramount. He shares a real-world example where a university, responding to a campus shooting, issued a reassurance statement that revealed it had been drafted with ChatGPT. The result was a public backlash and a loss of trust, as students and families were looking for genuine human leadership—not AI-generated content—in a profoundly emotional moment.

Terry distinguishes between spaces where AI can add efficiency, such as ads or routine communications, and moments where human connection is irreplaceable—crisis responses, leadership speeches, eulogies, and celebrations. In those situations, people seek authenticity, empathy, and assurance from real human beings, not scripts generated by technology.

He urges communicators to preserve the sacred spaces where humanity matters most. Leaders should protect and project their unique voice, perspective, and lived experience, particularly in crisis communications, to maintain trust and meaningful connections. AI may simulate stories, but it cannot replace the genuine human capacity to connect in vulnerable moments.

In your book, you emphasize clarity over complexity. Yet law firms often default to legalese and long explanations. How do you recommend attorneys communicate clearly without compromising legal precision—especially when reputations are on the line?

Terry emphasizes that while legal precision is essential, attorneys must avoid defaulting to legalese and complex jargon, especially when reputations are on the line. He draws a parallel to other industries like medicine and finance, where technical language often alienates the very people professionals aim to serve. Using overly complex language creates barriers to understanding, trust, and connection, which are critical during high-stakes communications.

A key recommendation is to “talk like a human.” Terry advises lawyers to adopt what he calls the “BBQ Rule”: communicate as you would at a backyard barbecue with family and friends, ensuring that people of varying backgrounds and knowledge levels can understand the message. This approach fosters accessibility without sacrificing core legal accuracy.

He also references the example of presidential speeches, noting that State of the Union addresses are often written at an 8th-grade reading level—not to oversimplify, but to ensure broad public comprehension. Similarly, attorneys should recognize the “curse of knowledge” and continuously assess whether their language is clear to everyone, even in highly educated audiences.

Ultimately, clear, human-centered communication builds trust, invites collaboration, and protects reputations—without diminishing legal credibility.

In 2025, social media outrage can explode within minutes. What strategies are most effective for law firms to ‘say it well’ in real-time—before silence or delay becomes part of the crisis?

In the era of instant social media outrage, law firms must act quickly and decisively in crisis communications to avoid worsening reputational damage. Terry emphasizes two essential strategies for saying it well in real-time:

1. Empower Decision-Makers in Advance:
   Someone within the firm—ideally a senior leader or trusted communicator—must be authorized before a crisis occurs to send an initial statement without requiring endless internal debate. Delays, even of hours, can erode public trust and allow misinformation to fill the void.
2. Prioritize Timely, Imperfect Communication:
   The goal is not perfection in the first statement. Instead, firms should aim for speed with clarity, using a holding statement if necessary. It’s acceptable—and often advisable—to acknowledge incomplete information, express concern, and commit to providing updates as facts emerge. This approach mirrors how effective leaders, including U.S. presidents, manage crisis moments publicly.

Terry warns that “paralysis by analysis” often prevents timely responses, particularly in law firms where diverse opinions and risk-aversion slow decision-making. To avoid this, firms must prepare clear protocols and empower trusted individuals to act, understanding that the first statement will be one of many.

Ultimately, fast, human, and transparent communication maintains control of the narrative and builds trust—while silence or hesitation invites speculation and escalates reputational risk.

Resources:

• Terry Szuplat, Global Voices: https://globalvoicescommunications.com/about/
• Terry Szuplat, Author, Say it Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/say-it-well-terry-szuplat
• Cody Keenan, Author, Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America: https://codykeenan.com/
• Gina Rubel, Navigating the New Reality: A Strategic Guide for Law Firm Leaders to Handle Political and Social Issues: https://www.furiarubel.com/news-resources/navigating-the-new-reality/
• Gina Rubel, Author, Everyday PR: Harnessing Public Relations to Build Relationships, Brands & Businesses: https://www.furiarubel.com/news-resources/everyday-pr-for-lawyers-new-book/