Great Speeches
Great speeches are born out of good thinkers. Means, thinking things through before a speech will make the difference between success and failure. Many leaders owe their fame to their speaking skills. The great speeches of Martin Luther king, Winston Churchill. Elizabeth I, John F Kennedy, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Sarojini Naidu are great as their achievements.
The secret of a great or good speech is the preparation. That is, the content and the structure of speech must be worked out, rehearsed and then presented with spontaneity & style. Also, an important part of presentation is- how we talk and our body language. This means, a great speech prepared is great when it is matched effective delivery.
Great speakers always try to grab the attention of their listeners in their opening lines by saying or doing things suitable to the occasion. It could be to amuse the audience or make them curious. It could be question or a quest to involve the audience especially during speeches of serious topics like, global warming. Once done with the openings, whether it’s a political speech or a speech for a function, it really clicks with the listeners when mixed with humor, experiences (anecdotes), facts and figures. Some great speakers also add a little bit of poetry to their speeches, some use quotations and some use inspiring words like “give me your blood and I’ll give you freedom”.
During a speech, the pace of words, gestures, facial expressions, short and crisps sentences, the language suited for the audience, use of repetition at the right places and avoiding mannerisms are important. Right pauses and silences are important characteristics of great speeches. It builds little bit of suspense and curiosity as to what will follow making the point memorable. This is exactly what makes some speeches stand out from others. Great speeches must communicate message naturally and seem real, not learnt by heart. The conclusion of a speech is very important and has to make an impact. Speeches must end with strong memorable words and phrases which people can carry in their minds for a long time. Also. generate a big applause.
Some lines of famous speeches are—
“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. These express my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy”—ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
“The problem of victory are agreeable than the problems of defeat, but they are no less difficult.”—WINSTON CHURCHILL.
“If by strength is meant moral power. then woman is immeasurably man’s superior.”—MAHATMA GANDHL
