Why you should never teach in your speech…

TL;DR

1. The case against teaching

2. The one thing a speech should do

The case against teaching

This week we’re not going to talk about any one speech… we’re going to make a point that’s true of every speech worth listening to.

I mentioned when talking about Mario Cuomo’s famous “Tale of Two Cities” speech, that “A speech worth listening to doesn’t teach, it represents.”

One of my readers came to me and asked me about this, because she wasn’t convinced.

So today I’m going to explain why a good speech – a speech worth listening to – never teaches.

The easiest way to see this is to look at the ‘great speeches of history.

When Churchill spoke his famous ‘we will fight them on the beaches’ speech, was he teaching?

No.

Nobody expected him to surrender. They all knew he was going to speak about soldiering on in some way.

So in a sense, they already knew what he was going to say.

They just didn’t know exactly what he was going to say.

And it was in the exact form – the ‘how’ of his saying – that the greatness came.

Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech is another example.

Nobody expect MLK to get up and say he was pro segregation or anything like that.

When he got up to speak, everyone knew what he was there to say.

So he wasn’t teaching them anything new.

But with the golden thread of his words, he took the message they expected and he wove such a tapestry that didn’t just capture the feeling of the day – it embodied it.

Think of any great speech, you’ll see the same holds true.

The fact of the matter is, a speech is not the best way to convey information.

Or, rather, it’s not the best way to convey more than one idea.

The one thing a speech should do

Now, you might say that a politician’s speech needs to teach, because it has to persuade voters to vote for the speaker.

Still no.

The key is in the word ‘persuade’.

To put it bluntly, a speech should do one thing, and one thing only:

A speech should sell.

Every speech worth listening to sells an idea.

A politician sells his or her audience on the idea that donating to or voting for them is the right choice for them to make.

MLK’s speech sold the idea that freedom and equality for all Americans (through non-violence) was the best way forward.

Churchill’s speech sold the idea that Britain was strong, determined, and would prevail.

And the secret to selling is to start with your audience.

What are their beliefs?

What are their desires?

What are their feelings?

Answer these questions, and start from there.

For example, Churchill knew that the people listening to his speech believed in certain ideals, to which he appealed – ideals like comradeship, ‘dulce et decorum est’ and so on.

They also believed that things were dire.

Churchill also knew the people desired news of what was happening.

They desired hope, too.

They felt scared.

Does Churchill get up there and deny those beliefs, those desires, those feelings??

No.

He addresses them head on.

He describes the situation in Europe in great detail, with all its difficulties.

But he takes care to describe, too, the strength of British troops in the midst of this dire situation.

This plays into their beliefs around heroism and self-sacrifice. It also plays into his later message that Britan would emerge victorious.

And on and on he goes, always building around the existing fears, feelings, and ideals of his listeners, culminating in his declaration that:

“I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.”

If he’d started there, his speech would have failed.

But he slowly sells his audience o this idea, line by line.

That’s what makes it a great speech.

But notice, again – at no point does Churchill teach.

Yes, he tells his listeners about the goings-on in Europe.

But he is not teaching.

They don’t even have to remember the details – the only thing they need to remember is the bravery and strength of British forces.

As soon as you move to teaching, you’ve stopped giving a speech.

You’ve stopped selling.

And you’ve lost your audience.

Until next week,

Alexander

P.S.

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