Speech for international audience wins Honorable Mention in Cicero Speechwriting Awards competition

ENGLEWOOD, Ohio, April 17, 2018 – Teresa Zumwald, owner and president of Zumwald & Company, LLC, has won an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Cicero Speechwriting Awards from Vital Speeches of the Day. 

“Esteves, This Is Your Moment: Go Ahead and Jump” was a 30-minute motivational speech prepared for Harold Fentener van Vlissingen.

Mr. van Vlissingen delivered the speech on May 7, 2017, to key managers of Esteves Group in Atlanta, Ga., when he was chairman of the board for Diamond Tools Group.

The Honorable Mention for Zumwald’s speech was acknowledged on page 2 of “These Vital Speeches,” a commemorative collection of the winning speeches posted on the Cicero Speechwriting Awards website. An excerpt of Zumwald’s award-winning speech is available online.

Presented by Vital Speeches of the Day, the prestigious monthly collection of speeches, the Cicero Speechwriting Awards recognize the work that makes the speeches that help leaders lead – in every sector of business, politics and society.

Now in its 11th year, the program is presented by the magazine in conjunction with the Professional Speechwriters Association and is open to speechwriters worldwide from any area of the public and private sectors. A panel of speechwriting experts judges entries based on several criteria including substance, style and coherence.

Vital Speeches Editor and Cicero Awards Program Chair David Murray noticed a trend in this year’s submissions: an increase in the use of storytelling.

“Storytelling is a compelling, memorable way to move an audience,” said Murray. “In fact, most of this year’s Cicero winners used story to powerful effect.” ■