Is it the speech or is it the lecturer?
May 2023
‘Yes we can’ by the great Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy’s ‘Ask not what your country can do for you’ and Margaret Thatcher’s ‘The lady’s not for turning’. All phrases from speeches that give you goosebumps and let your mouths drop of admiration. Perhaps the most famous of them all is Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream.’ These grandmasters didn’t stick to just that one speech, they gave hundreds. How come their other speeches weren’t as successful?
Surround yourself with supporters
During his most famous speech, King stood in front of a group of more than 250,000 people, they were his followers. All of them held their breath during his discourse. Obama said ‘Yes we can’ to his supporters, Thatcher spoke her words for her own Conservative Party and Kennedy inspired his listeners during his inauguration speech. An audience that is on your side, that cheers for you while you speak, it helps. You feel at ease when you stand in front of a group of people you know are rooting for a good outcome. Is this why these speeches are so strong and timeless?
Getting
inspired
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Feel the pressure
Another common denominator in the speeches is urgency. The speeches had to be on point. ‘Yes we can’ was pronounced after a painful loss in the polls, during ‘The lady’s not for turning’ Mrs. Thatcher was under fire. Does urgency make you express your message in a stronger way? Do you really perform best under pressure?
The right words
Martin Luther King proves that the content of the speech isn’t everything. “I have a dream” was more than content, it was emotion. In 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he called for an end to all racism. Perhaps the most emotional speech ever given, with words that you will never forget. The funny thing is, he also gave this speech eight months earlier, at a high school in North Carolina. With a few minor changes, the same words as the world-famous speech, and it didn’t make the eveningnews.
When the stars align
There is no recipe for success, but you can steer in the right direction. By connecting with your audience, by telling personal stories and by feeling comfortable with the content you can create a true connection. Add a little luck to that and you have a world class speech on your hands!