Our tightly scripted modern political discourse
Read moreThis week, I had planned to write something more about Martin Luther King, a reflection on how he progressed as a leader by learning to speak from the heart around a few core themes. Rather than using a teleprompter or reading from a paper, his best moments—instances of true personal growth and impact on his audiences—came when he deviated from “the script” and let
How Martin Luther King Jr. came to tell the world about his dream
Read moreAs I wrote last time, if Martin Luther King had stuck to his script for the March on Washington in 1963, the audience—and the rest of the world—might never have discovered his dream. Here is how it happened: The crowd waiting in the warm sun on August 13th was by far the largest Dr King had ever addressed: a quarter-million
How Martin Luther King prepared himself to improvise
Read moreRecently, as I was reading through some notes I took about Martin Luther King during my doctoral study, I was reminded that much of his prowess as an orator was crafted in moments of creative spontaneity. Dr King was indeed a master of finding inspiration in the moment, often reacting to an audience with fervor and enthusiasm, altering his words and his
The best speeches have elements of improvisation
Read moreAfter last week’s post, I did some more reading about Barack Obama’s use of the teleprompter. It turns out that the president almost never speaks in public without his favorite tool, and that he has drawn considerable criticism because of it. Many observers view the use of such devices as a sign of inauthenticity and insincerity, an indication that handlers and
Speaking on script: the loss of engagement in modern speeches
Read moreThis week, I traveled to the United States, where I have now been for several days. As is often my practice in an election year, I have watched some of the political coverage, perhaps even with a bit more interest than usual, due to the controversial nature of the unfolding electoral process. I should make clear that I enjoy watching
How Leaders Use Personal Stories to Make a Tangible Difference
Read moreThe forthcoming book that I referred to in the last post—about how individuals use their personal stories of identity to influence those around them—opens with an example from the career of Barak Obama, a tale that demonstrates how telling his personal stories propelled him to prominence on the US political stage. My co-author and I thought long and hard about whether or