What makes a great speech?
The general idea in an outstanding presentation is to grab people’s emotions; and, to manipulate them
with a combination of concrete information and emotive examples or phraseology.
Make them cry: make them think: make them laugh.
The trick is to alternate the emotional impact so as to give the audience an emotional roller coaster
ride.
The track for the ride is your ribbon of facts, information and practical suggestions for action.
The humps and dips are provided by
 anecdotes for relating to your audience,
 structure for a logical flow
 humour for an emotional change of pace;
 touching memories to draw in your listeners;
 thoughtful quotes,and
 lots of personalization such as, "all of us in this room..." or "those of us who..." or "each and
everyone of you...".
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Keeping to your time is critical. The audience will forgive a multitude of sins; but, never speaking too
long.
AND ALWAYS, leave them on a high, reaching beyond their present level.
POLITICAL SPEECH
Almost everyone has a favorite political speechmaker. They also usually have several 'favorites' they love
to hate. Politicians want to be remembered: they need to be remembered if they are to be re-elected. For
every person in politics (not just candidates, but organizers, fundraisers and door knockers) persuasive
presentations are critical.
For a candidate, it is also important to develop and deliver a personal presentation style which matches
his or her political image. Are you the persistent bulldog who works at an issue until you win the day? Are
you the firebrand who is constantly fighting for change? Are you the conciliator who strives to get people
together to solve problems? Are you the watchdog of the public purse?
Each of these images is portrayed in your presentations through a combination of overall format, formality
of language, folksy anecdotes vs case studies, the mood you set, and the amount of energy you exhibit.
Your body language is also a critical factor.
As in all presentations and speeches, the audience members, their relationship to you, the size of the
group and the formality of the event will affect your vocabulary, the type of examples used, the formality
of the structure and the forms of interaction.
Dominant Features of an Effective Political Presentation:
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High energy will motivate the crowd
Inclusiveness gets everyone on board
As a politican, your credibility is always on the line
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
Call to Action
What the audience is looking for:
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People, whether they be party faithful, or voters, are looking for leadership. They need to see you
have a vision, or, at least an action plan. This gives them a reason to follow you.
Since a political speech is essentially a motivational speech, the same qualities apply. People
want to get excited, to dream a little, and, to feel a strong reason to work for you.
What makes you different? Both the party and the public have seen hundreds of politicians come
and go. What are you offering both in substance and in style to make them support you?
For politicians, mood setting (and, sometimes, with a hostile audience, mood breaking) is an important
job. By the nature of the profession, politicians are treated to a certain degree of scepticism. Your role
then, is to attempt to immediately establish a mood of openness, collegiality and co-operation.
All studies indicate that people are moved in presentations primarily by emotions. The strongest pull on
those emotions comes from a teeter-totter effect of constantly changing moods. Move them from
excitement to nostalgia to anger at injustice to logic in an action plan to solve the problem. The constantly
altering mood assures you audience attention and total involvement in your subject.
Parallel Construction
"Veni: vidi: vici."
"I came: I saw: I conquered."
The most concise military report every written . . . also, the most memorable. Penned by Julius Caesar . .
. or, at least by his scribe . . . as a report of his conquest of Gaul (France) before the birth of Christ, this
quote exemplifies the elegance of parallel structure. Each part of the sentence is grammatically a mirror
image of the other parts . . . and, in the Latin version, it is reinforced by alliteration. This simple
repeating format is the strongest of all possible grammatical constructions.
So why should you bother to remember this? Because the most important point in your presentation
should be dressed in the strongest possible structure; and accessorized with the most powerful
vocabulary. Your audience may not recall your statement as long as Caesar's; but, it will be part of the
less than 5% of your talk they retain a week later.
Our language offers us a full palette of parallel structures to enhance our listeners' understanding and
acceptance of our messages. Some of them include:
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two or more grammatically matched clauses (like the example above)
a number of short, similarly structured sentences;
beginning a number of paragraphs with the same two or three words;
similarly worded and developed "before" and "after" scenarios;
parallel discussion of a number of aspects of an issue, e.g., legal, educational, etc.
These can be used for immediate inclusion in your presentations.
Choreography (gestures) can reinforce this approach.
http://www.speechgems.com/overview.html
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Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic
National Convention
………..
So today, when the challenges we face start to seem
overwhelming – or even impossible – let us never forget that
doing the impossible is the history of this nation...it's who we
are as Americans...it's how this country was built.
And if our parents and grandparents could toil and struggle for us...if they could raise beams of steel to
the sky, send a man to the moon, and connect the world with the touch of a button...then surely we can
keep on sacrificing and building for our own kids and grandkids.
And if so many brave men and women could wear our country's uniform and sacrifice their lives for our
most fundamental rights...then surely we can do our part as citizens of this great democracy to exercise
those rights...surely, we can get to the polls and make our voices heard on Election Day.
If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire...if immigrants could leave behind
everything they knew for a better life on our shores...if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the
vote...if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time...if a young preacher
could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream...and if proud Americans can be who they are
and boldly stand at the altar with who they love...then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country
a fair chance at that great American Dream.
Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country – the story of unwavering
hope grounded in unyielding struggle.
That is what has made my story, and Barack's story, and so many other American stories possible.
And I say all of this tonight not just as First Lady...and not just as a wife.
You see, at the end of the day, my most important title is still "mom-in-chief."
My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the center of my world.
But today, I have none of those worries from four years ago about whether Barack and I were doing
what's best for our girls.
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Because today, I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all
our sons and daughters...if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and
opportunities worthy of their promise...if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility – that
belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you're willing to work for it...then
we must work like never before...and we must once again come together and stand together for the man
we can trust to keep moving this great country forward...my husband, our President, President Barack
Obama.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTPdKUA9Ipg
TASK 1: Analyse Michelle Obama’s speech. Cover the following aspects:
-
structure
emotional impact
phraseology
personalization
grammar (parallel constructions)
choreography
memorability
TASK 2: What are other examples of good/effective speeches in English and in Serbian? What appeals to
the Serbian audience?
TASK 3: Make a short political speech.
Glossary
fire·brand n.
1. A person who stirs up trouble or kindles a revolt.
2. A piece of burning wood.
con·cil·i·ate v.
1. To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease.
2. To regain or try to regain (friendship or goodwill) by pleasant behavior.
3. To make or attempt to make compatible; reconcile.
folk·sy adj. Informal
- Simple and unpretentious in behavior.
col·le·gi·al·i·ty n.
- Shared power and authority vested among colleagues.
tee·ter-tot·ter n. Upper Northern & Western U.S.
= seesaw.
black·smith n.
1. One that forges and shapes iron with an anvil and hammer.
2. One that makes, repairs, and fits horseshoes.
unwavering adj
= not wavering or hesitant; resolute
un·yield·ing adj.
1. Not bending; inflexible.
2. Not giving way to pressure or persuasion
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