If you fail to prepare - you prepare to fail.

This speech from Australia's Stan Grant is as powerful in it's delivery as it is in it's content.

There is determined control of underlying anger and fury - there is sparse and very focused use of gesture - and pace is varied to give powerful emphasis.

It echoes in it's structure Obama's 2004 Democrat Convention speech - drawing on legal and cultural landmarks to parallel institutional attitudes and the need for change. It is memorable and cuts to the core - demanding change.

What is fascinating is that Stan Grant comments that he did not write the speech - but 'improvised' his story.

While this seems incredulous (given the repetition of examined themes, the threads that appear and reappear, and the closing statement echoing his early contentions "Australians all...") when you take into account that he comes from a family of accomplished storytellers, and that he is a seasoned journalist and broadcaster - it is easier to accept.

I suspect that - while thinking and collecting his thoughts in preparation - he applied strong narrative principles. He decided what points he wanted to hammer home, then decided what supporting content or evidence to underline his key messages (the Adam Goodes story, Australia's national anthem, Australia's legal framework and heart wrenching stories from his own family's history) and then decided on a strong opening and a powerful close.

 Preparation is the key - not preparation of PowerPoint slides - but prep0aration of the overall objective, the key themes and the relevant evidence. Then you will have belief and confidence and you can start to rehearse, practise and refine ... or, if you are like Stan Grant - you can get up there and 'wing-it'.