Making a keynote speech? Tips from three politicians

Two of the most sensitive questions ahead of any keynote speech relate to delivery, not substance:

·??????Should you stand still on a podium, or prowl the stage?

·??????Should you use a prompter or refer to notes on paper?

There is no single best answer to either question, of course. It all depends on your personal style and circumstances. But to help you make an informed choice for yourself, ahead of your next keynote speech, here’s a quick look at how three political leaders in France and the UK addressed their party conferences recently.

?1.????Prowling + papers

In France this weekend, former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe launched his new political party Horizons at a conference in Le Havre.

He chose to use the full stage, striding from left to right and back, speaking in a free-wheeling, discursive but authoritative manner as he laid out his party’s moderate agenda. There was no podium, and no lectern, just one plain table on which he spread out a few pages and to which he returned from time to time for a quick glance.

My assessment: Mr Philippe carried this off very effectively, but beware, such a technique is not for the faint-of-heart. It requires a good sense of theatrics, confidence in one’s ability to speak naturally and directly to the audience, a good understanding of how you have structured your speech, and a carefully prepared set of brief, clear notes. ?

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Edouard Philippe uses paper as a prompt (1’31”)

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2.???Podium + paper

At last week’s UK Conservative Party conference, Boris Johnson stood on a podium behind a lectern and read his 45-minute speech from a stack of loose-leaf papers.

The content, of course, was “typical Boris” and so too the delivery. The untidy sheaf of papers he brought to the podium played nicely to his favourite pose of disheveled but dazzling amateur. Shuffling through those pages, in much the same way he ruffles his own hair, enhanced his air of sprezzatura, belying the careful crafting of his frequent jokes and jibes.

My assessment: Reading off paper from a podium is a very difficult exercise, unless you care to adopt Boris Johnson’s apparently slap-dash manner. The dangers are that you spend too much time looking down, and not at your audience; if your phrases run over from page to page, you can trip in mid-sentence (as happened to Mr Johnson); and there is always the danger of getting the pages mixed up. ?

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Boris shuffles his papers (0’27”)

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3.???Podium + prompter

UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, not a sparkling speaker at the best of times, stood on a podium for his 90-minute address to last month’s conference, reading his speech off twin prompters to left and right.

The formal, well-prepared setting provided Mr Starmer with a certain authority, helping him face down the many hecklers who interrupted him, but once again his performance was betrayed by his ever-plaintive, high-pitched tone.

My assessment: This is certainly the safest option for a professional delivery. But you’ll only make it really fly if you can read your text with the natural intonation, flow, and even pauses, as though speaking from the heart.

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Keir Starmer follows his prompter (1’45”)

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Charles Fleming, 11th October 2021

You can read my other articles about public speaking and interview techniques on the Expression/Impression blog, available?here.?Please feel free to pass this article on to anyone who might appreciate it.

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