We often hear speeches delivered by a President of the United States but rarely have an opportunity to study the elements incorporated into the structure of each speech. How speechwriters perceive the elements in a public address is not deeply understood, but research has produced findings that can be valuable to scholars of rhetoric. Recent rhetorical research indicates that presidential speeches both past and present include common content elements. My research will detail key content elements found in speeches by government leaders. In this analysis, effective speechwriting elements are identified and defined.