What can a powerful speech really do?

Well, the answer to that is just about anything. One speech from JFK inspired Americans to support the unbelievable amount of funding required to put a man on the moon, for the very first time in human history.

“We choose to go to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard…” 

One speech from Winston Churchill gave an entire nation the courage to resist the invasion of the Nazi’s, changing the eventual outcome of the second world war.

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” 

Now, we don’t all have the opportunity to have such a tremendous influence over global events, however when you do make a speech, you want it to be as good as it possibly can be. In the corporate world, Steve Jobs was recognised one of the most inspirational speakers around, in fact, some argue this was his greatest skill, as opposed to his talent as an innovator. I won’t jump into that debate, however I do wonder what influence he would have on the world if he was alive today. Whether he would have been able to guide technology in a different direction, or not..?

“It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough. That it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.”

I reckon he would have had a pretty good chance. He had credibility, and the ability to connect on the same level as his audiences. He could also build bridges, inspire and shift the way people thought about themselves, and the way they see the world around them. Perhaps technology would be making my heart sing right now, as opposed to filling me with existential dread. We’ll never know…

We can, however, take lessons from some of the greatest speeches ever made, and use them to make ourselves more persuasive, more convincing, and if we’re lucky, shift our audiences perceptions, thoughts and beliefs just a tiny little bit.

So that’s what I did last year. Studied amazing speeches, and then trained to be a speechwriter. Something I was pleased to discover is incredibly close to copywriting. Slightly different techniques but very much the same process. Focus on your target market, don’t have too many messages, find common ground and make it as simple as possible.

So if you’re a CEO who wants your keynote to be remembered, a public servant who needs to influence policy, encourage your community to embrace renewable energy or simply deliver some inspiration and hope to your audience, whoever you are please get in touch, I’d love to give you a hand.

I can’t promise you the moon, but I can certainly help you reach for the stars.