Do’s and Don’ts for Political Speeches

Flustered answers, bickering, interrupting, and off-topic rants. If you’ve been watching any of the debates and speeches during the US presidential race, you know exactly what we’re talking about. Since speeches fall under the broad banner of presentations, or “presenting” information, we figured we’d provide a few do’s and don’ts for politicians and aspiring politicians around the world.

Do: Ad Lib With Discretion

If you’ve worked hard on the script of your speech and rehearsed it with passion, then you’ve already completed the bulk of the work. However, a great politician knows when they need to ad lib in order to accommodate changing conditions. In a Fast Company analysis of Bill Clinton’s best speeches, one of his greatest contained 15% of ad libbed material. That small percentage adds just enough of the human element to seem responsive and polished.

Don’t: Bust Out the Huge Vocabulary

The best politicians speak to everyone, and the best way this is accomplished is through shared language that is simple to digest. Not everyone has had the class privileges of a fancy education filled with numerous leather-bound dictionaries. We have the ability today to measure a politician’s speech by which grade-level vocabulary they use, and the winners consistently use an elementary to high school levels.

For example: “President George Washington’s “Farewell Address” in 1796 was written at a post-graduate level of 17.9, while Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 “Gettysburg Address” was delivered in language at an 11th-grade level. John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural—”ask not what your country can do for you”—ticked back up to 13.9, but President Obama, much revered as a public speaker, gave a speech at his inauguration that eighth-graders could easily understand.” – Source: Esquire “Donald Trump Woos Republicans By Speaking at a 4th Grade Level

Write your speech in a language that everyone can understand, and your words will have a much broader appeal.

Do: Keep It Short

On November 19th, two men were scheduled to speak about a national tragedy that killed or wounded almost 50,000 soldiers. The first man delivered a two-hour speech from memory. The second walked up to the stage and delivered a speech that was less than two minutes.

That second man is Abraham Lincoln, delivering one of the most famous and poignant political speeches of all time: The Gettysburg Address. He said everything he needed to in under 300 spoken words on a nearly impossible subject. Why would you need any more?

Don’t: Lose Your Cool

Great politicians can be lowered in a debate or during a speech by middle school tactics. Eye rolling, insults, interruption, and other reactive delivery tactics can hurt your credibility. You may want to use 5th grade language, but you certainly do not want to act like a 5th grader.

You could have the best message in the world, but if your looks or mannerisms or tone of voice turn people off, you’ve lost. Another politician who learned that the hard way was Al Gore. His eye-rolling and loud, impatient sighs during the debate with George W. Bush painted him as a rude man and lost him points he never earned back.” Source: Quick and Dirty Tips “How to Learn From Political Debates

Ready to lead? Maybe not. But with these tips, you may at least be ready to deliver a compelling speech worthy of a few votes. Here’s to you, future President!

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