Speech 09: Betty Friedan (don’t iron while the strike is hot!)
Reflecting on a Betty Friedan speech in March 1970, in honour of her legacy on the occasion of International Women’s Day. “We need an instant revolution against sexual oppression.” In 1970, 50 years after American women were awarded the right to...
Paul Keating speech (The Redfern speech)
“Just a mile or two from the place where the first European settlers landed, in too many ways it tells us that their failure to bring much more than devastation and demoralisation to Aboriginal Australia continues to be our failure.”Prime Minister Paul...
Angela Merkel Communication (the 2020s can be good years)
“My fellow citizens, we stand at the threshold of a new decade. The 2020s can be good years.” A few hours before the strike of midnight, German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed her country with a speech embued with determination and hope. In this speech,...
Robert Oppenheimer speech (the very existence and value of science is threatened)
A Message of Warning to Men of Science J. Robert Oppenheimer addressed the Association of Los Alamos Scientists on November 2nd, 1945. In 1939 Franklin Roosevelt created the Manhattan Project – an Anglo-American project for the research and development of...
Boris Johnson Speech (Get Brexit Done!)
A Campaign Speech to Unite a Divided Country and win an election… There are many, many examples of Boris Johnson at the podium. The Tory victory in the recent UK election owes a great deal to the rhetorical skill displayed by Boris Johnson. Love him or hate him,...
Ronald Reagan speech (I have slipped the surly bonds of earth)
Pathos with a dash of politics: Ronald Reagan, 1986 On the 28th of January, 1986 the world witnessed the disastrous explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Ronald Reagan addressed his country and the world in the aftermath of the tragedy. This was a powerful speech...
Myth Busting: Body Language vs. Words
We need to clear up a common misconception. The words that you use don’t really matter. People remember your body language and your tone of voice more than your actual words.- Public Speaking Experts Everywhere Have you heard this sage advice? Let’s Go To...
5 Tips to Avoid Overwhelming Your Audience
“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention” -Hebert Simon (winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics, 1978) We are living in the information age. You can no longer claim an advantage because of your specialist knowledge. Chances are, the people you are...
