Two Speeches

The advisors to President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis divided into two camps. One advocated for an airstrike that risked nuclear retaliation by the Soviet Union, and the other for a naval blockade that risked giving the Cubans time to fortify their defences against US invasion to neutralise Soviet nuclear missiles.

Robert Kennedy wrote that each group’s submission had to begin with an outline of the President’s speech to the nation announcing news of the decision advocated.

According to one of those advisors, Ted Sorensen, the process ‘helped clarify their thinking’. Ultimately, the airstrike ‘was not a solution for which any of us could write words that John Kennedy would speak.’

You may choose your variations on the Five Steps to a Good Decision.

Writing a speech justifying your decision may be one of them.