The mojologic blog
Insights on communication, influence, sales and leadership
Jacinda Ardern delivers her final speech as Prime Minister of New Zealand
“Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the greatest privilege of my life.”
Jacinda Ardern spoke on the occasion of Rātana, delivering her final public address as Prime Minister of New Zealand before her successor Chris Hipkins is sworn into office.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” and other dumb things people say
Writing a book meant venturing into a new form of creative expression, one in which I had limited skill and experience. The natural thing to do was to seek advice. With creative expression comes judgment and concern for how things might fail often stops us from completing what we set out to...
10 Communication tips for young women
Speaking up at work can be a daunting prospect. Especially when you are in the early stages of building your career. But, as most accomplished professional women will explain – your ability to communicate – to be understood, engage and build trust – is essential in helping you achieve your...
How To Present When There Is No Time To Prepare
Have you ever found yourself in the terrifying position of being called on to speak with almost no time to prepare? “Fear paralyses you – fear of flying, fear of the future, fear of leaving a rubbish marriage, fear of public speaking, or whatever it is.” -Annie Lennox This is the scenario:...
Playing With Presentation Structure
How to play with structure in your next speech or presentation Organising your ideas into a coherent structure can be a challenge. Great communicators know what works and they reach for tried and true techniques. It is not necessary to make the architecture of your speech obvious to the audience...
um, er, ah, oh… 5 Steps To Rid Your Presentation of Filler Words
Fillers — What are they?
The most common filler sounds are: ‘um’, ‘ah’, ‘oh’, ‘huh’, ‘mmmm’…
Then we advance to filler words, including: ‘yes’, ‘so’, ‘basically’, ‘absolutely’, ‘obviously’, ‘literally’…
And, for the experienced players an array of filler phrases: ‘you know’, ‘moving on’, ‘I think that’, ‘I guess’, ‘I’m just saying’, ‘to be honest’.
Hannah Gadsby – Douglas
“I’m not here to collect your pity, I’m here to disrupt your confidence”
Hannah Gadsby’s 2nd Netflix 75 minute comedy performance is not, strictly speaking, a speech. But, it’s not not a speech either. There are so many lessons for communicators in Douglas, that you might miss whilst you are busy being entertained by this master.
Douglas is a form-busting, trope-challenging romp of comedic prowess. Gadsby challenges rules for stand-up, social commentary and speech-making and it is marvellous.
Elie Wiesel: The Perils of Indifference (Speech)
Elie Wiesel delivered a breathtaking speech at the White House on the 12th of April 1999. His message combined his own experience of the holocaust and the evil of apathy. “The opposite of love is not hatred, it’s indifference… Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce...
Abraham Lincoln – Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered on the 19th of November 1863 remains one of the most impactful speeches of all time. Perhaps the most impressive use of so few words the world has ever seen. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a...
Oprah Winfrey (SPEECH: Their time is up)
Oprah Winfrey was given a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes on 7 January 2018. She used this occasion, and her powerful platform to make a stand.
“For too long women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up. Their time is up.”
This is a speech for the history books and speech that helped shape history. At the time, the MeToo movement was rapidly gaining worldwide momentum. The genius of this speech is that Oprah nails the zeitgeist – the right message, to the right audience at the right time.
This short speech offers the everyday communicator some awesome lessons…
