In his first speech as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer made the bold statement that ‘Our country needs a bigger reset…’
Whatever your political views are, I believe it’s a perspective that a great number of people will share, not just in the UK but across many parts of the world today.
This isn’t a political blog, it’s a review of Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech as Prime Minister. I’d like to share some thoughts purely from a public speaking perspective.
Did Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech reset the standard for public speaking?
You would expect the leader of any nation to be able to speak with confidence, authority and clarity. Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech demonstrated quite clearly his ability to do exactly that.
Like most of his predecessors, he articulates his thoughts clearly and concisely.
Whether you like his content or not is of course another matter, but no one could argue that he doesn’t speak clearly.
How captivating and compelling was his first speech?
For me, as a public speaking coach it felt lacklustre.
He spoke in quite a monotone and solemn manner which felt to me rather more like a minister giving a eulogy, rather than a leader trying to inspire, galvanize and unify a nation.
I was hoping for a little more, purely in terms of energy, passion and authenticity.
I’m mindful of the fact that in terms of content alone, this was a critically important speech and one that required notes. That said, part of his robotic tone and manner came from him being tied to his notes and the lectern.
He was severely restricted by his notes which he had to rely on very heavily. That of course allowed him to remember what to say and to say it clearly, but it felt quite lifeless.
As speakers, our task is to breathe life into words. They need to be expressed, not simply spoken out loud.
Opportunities
In terms, of opportunities to reset the standard for public speaking I would encourage Sir Keir Starmer to:
– Speak with greater passion
– Make greater eye contact by freeing himself more from notes
– Be more expressive both vocally and facially
– Gesture more by letting go of the lectern and speaking more freely
– Remember that he is speaking to sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers
– Focus on how he really wants his audience to feel. I felt a little bored
– Speak more naturally and lose some of that corporate tone and manner
– Do some vocal exercises, breath work and freeing his voice
– Smile more
– Use more descriptive, colourful and emotive language
– Project greater energy and enthusiasm.
He speaks easily and well but I wouldn’t say he has reset the standard for public speaking as a prime minister, would you?
What about his predecessors?
Let’s take a look at just a couple of them.
Whilst some people will vehemently disagree with me and quite a few people have told me so in no uncertain terms, they are both decent public speakers too.
Whether you like or appreciate their individual styles or policies, they both speak clearly and confidently. In fact, if you were to find a public speaking template for prime ministers, I would say they all follow it and sound quite similar.
Public speaking also needs a bigger reset
In a previous article I wrote called, ‘The World is Changing – What About Public Speaking? ’I said, ‘We live in a world of change; the question is, has public speaking and business presenting changed over the last 3 decades?
My answer was then and remains, ‘My experience is, not a great deal.’
There have been a few world leaders who have led the way for us in public speaking. Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech didn’t quite exude the:
– Rhythm, power or charisma of Barack Obama
– Formidable authority and conviction of Margaret Thatcher
– Storytelling skills of Bill Clinton
– Confident gestures and composure of Tony Blair
Before you head straight to the comments sections, I am mindful of the fact that oratory skills aside, people will have very strong views on their leadership skills and policies.
Anyone can present
My point is that anyone can speak in public and present their ideas with varying levels of confidence, clarity and impact. Many of our political leaders are generally quite adept at the skill.
When politicians are looking to lead a nation, to inspire, persuade and influence a country to follow their vision, they need much more.
It’s not just about the way we speak, words matter too
Sir Keir Starmer
In Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech, he used the word ‘we’ six times.
Rishi Sunak
In Rishi Sunak’s first speech, he used the word ‘we’ twice.
Boris Johnson
In Boris Johnson’s first speech, he used the word ‘we’ twenty-five times.
The word ‘we’ holds power
Barack Obama
In Barack Obama’s first speech, he used the word ‘we’ 45’ times.
Bill Clinton
In Bill Clinton’s first speech, he used the word ‘we’ 40 times’
I’m not saying that Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are better leaders than Sir Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson.
I am, however, suggesting that when it comes to public speaking, it’s much easier to connect with our audience through the spoken word when we use the word ‘we’.
Using the word ‘we’ ‘seems to carry with it a sense of collective experience and a correlation with leadership.’
To reset the standard for public speaking, whether you are a prime minister, president or project leader, we need to make our audience feel something.
When we use the word ‘we’, it puts us all in the same boat. We are all someone’s daughter, son, brother or sister.
Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech was clear and well presented. He will of course have many more opportunities to develop his oratory skills much further over the next few months.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to be a commentary on the rights or wrongs of the political stance of the leaders mentioned. It is solely a perspective public speaking.
If you’d like to learn how to reset the standard for public speaking
– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.
– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.
– Get yourself some excellent presentation training
Image courtesy of unsplash.com
Leave a comment