The mojologic blog
Insights on communication, influence, sales and leadership
Speech 21: Roxane Gay (Confessions of a Bad Feminist)
Roxane Gay Speech: ‘Confessions of a Bad Feminist’ TED Talk, June 2015
“I am failing as a woman, I am failing as a feminist.”
What Roxane Gay manages in her 2015 TED talk is quite masterful. She wins over her opposition through the use of humour. Self-deprecating humour, at that. Her persona (based on her book by the same title) of the ‘Bad Feminist’ is curious. But more than that it signals that she is not perfect. She tempers the implications of the position of ‘feminist’ with the admission that she herself, does not live up to whatever standards one might associate with feminism. So, she makes what might, for some, seem to be a moralizing topic into one that is comedic.
Speech 20: Franklin Roosevelt (a day that will live in infamy)
The Franklin D Roosevelt speech on 8th December 1941. “It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.”
Speech 19: Eleanor Roosevelt (we know what we have to face)
"We know what we have to face and we know that we are ready to face it." The brave, calm and resolute radio address from Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady of the United States, on 7 December 1941, following the attack on Pearl...
Speech 18: Joe Marler (Hey horsey, do you wanna have a drink?)
This one is just for fun. I little light relief from what has (so far) been an exploration of speeches that matter. This week no politics, no revolutionaries, no philosophers and no cultural icons. This week we delve into words from the world of sport. The eloquence of Joe Marler.
Speech 17: JK Rowling (fear of failure)
The Stoic Philosophy of JK Rowling JK Rowling delivered the commencement speech at Harvard University in 2008. Her address is remarkable for the powerful message it contains. Through her dual themes of fear and imagination, Rowling echoes the philosophy of the stoics...
Speech 16: Pierre Elliott Trudeau (tonight I’m stepping down as your leader)
''Tonight I'm stepping down as your leader,'' Mr. Trudeau said in a nationally televised address. ''And in two days we will be choosing a new leader, and you'll find me there following him because we have more building to do.'' In 1984 outgoing Canadian Prime...
Speech 15: Margaret Thatcher (the lady’s not for turning)
You turn if you want too, the lady's not for turning. Margaret Thatcher delivered a lengthy (40min) speech on October 8th, 1980 to the Conservative Party Conference in Brighton, UK. She had a lot to say and there is much to analyse, but this phrase lives on in...
Speech 14: Barack Obama (The Audacity of Hope)
It’s that fundamental belief — I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sisters’ keeper — that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. “E pluribus unum.” Out of many, one.
In 2004, then Illinois senate candidate, Barack Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. At this point, Obama was not particularly well known. This fine example of oratorical mastery helped to propel him forward in the minds of his party, his country and the world.
Speech 13: Malala Yousafzai (one girl among many)
United Nations, New York, 12 July 2013 – Education activist Malala Yousafzai marks her 16th birthday, on Friday, 12 July 2013 at the United Nations by giving her first high-level public appearance and statement on the importance of education. This speech is remarkable for its humble strength and brave message. And for the fact that it is delivered by a young girl who was shot in the face by the Taliban for the crime of going to school.
Speech 12: Bill Gates (not missiles but microbes)
Back in March 2015 Bill Gates delivered a TED Talk declaring that the greatest risk of global catastrophe would come from a highly infectious virus. He then displayed this image on the screen.
Chilling.
Now as the world battles to cope with the novel caronavirus pandemic we listen to this speech with a very different perspective.
