Everybody wants to give a passionate speech – why do so many people fail?

There is a problem with wanting to give passionate speeches. If you want to give a passionate speech, you have to follow the rule of giving passionate speeches. The rule says you have to be passionate about what you are speaking about. Most people are not.

Unless it matters to them personally. Which is why personal narratives and storytelling in speeches are so powerful. Real passion is genuine and cannot be faked. Watch this Labour politician, Australian PM Gillard, and compare her with the manufactured “passion” of Tony Blair.

My mother would have seen herself as small “c” Conservative. She could smell BS several miles away. She would have stood up and applauded this woman. She would have been downright rude about Tony Blair.

Plastic rants and tirades are tactics and lies. Real politicians are those who give a damn about what they are saying and what they are doing. They are real and authentic and coherent. They are compelling and credible because they are so close to the edge. Think about this – this YouTube video has been viewed over 1.29 million times in 4 days. That is what happens when speeches are authentic and they resonate with people.

A friend, who I like and respect, called this speech unstatemanslike. I wish there more speeches like this – more fire in the belly of our politicians of all sides. More fiery speeches about things that matter to people. And balancing that – more compromise and cross-party cooperation and non-politicking and no or less cheap-political-point-scoring when there is broad consensus.

Some may say that this speech is political point scoring. I urge you to watch it and make up your own mind. I have seem loads of point scoring in my life – don’t think this is it.