Category: Analysis of a Speech

Donald Trump
Analysis of a Speech

Analysis of Donald Trump's Inaugural Address

On 20 January 2017, Donald John Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. He takes office at the end of the most acrimonious campaigns in recent history, and with Americans deeply divided, as witnessed by the protests that erupted across the country (and the world) the next

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Barack Obama
Analysis of a Speech

Barack Obama's Farewell Speech

Yesterday, 10 January 2017, President Barack Obama gave his farewell speech in Chicago. It is the end of an era. Obama brought intelligence, dignity and character to the White House. Embed from Getty Images As the first black President, Obama broke a barrier that seemed impenetrable not so long ago. In so

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Analysis of a Speech

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton: An analysis of their speeches

The 2016 Presidential election in the United States is over and Donald Trump has emerged as the winner. As I write this post, the votes are still being counted in some states, but the results will not affect the outcome; Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. The

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Khizr Khan
Analysis of a Speech

Analysis of a Speech by Khizr Khan

Of the 204 speeches that were delivered at the 2016 Republican and Democratic Conventions in the United States—71 by Republicans and 133 by Democrats—one has stood out. I refer to the speech by Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim-American soldier who was killed in Iraq. Mr. Khan spoke on the final day of the Democratic

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TED Talks
Analysis of a Speech

The TED Secret to Great Public Speaking

My previous two posts centred around TED Curator Chris Anderson. The first was about his reflections on the day that TED might have died; the second was a quote about compelling presentations. I have decided to create a “tricolon” of posts about Chris Anderson, so here is the third one. It distills the

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Neil deGrasse Tyson
Analysis of a Speech

The Most Astounding Fact – Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist and author. He is also one of the most compelling speakers when it comes to talking about science. In the short video below, Tyson is asked the following question: “What is the most astounding fact that you can share with us about the universe?” Now that’s a

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Stan Grant
Analysis of a Speech

Stan Grant's Speech on Racism in Australia

Stan Grant, an indigenous Australian journalist, gave a speech in October 2015 at a debate on racism in Australia. The video of that speech has gone viral. Several people are touting it as the Australian equivalent of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech. While I would not elevate this speech to

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Barack Obama
Analysis of a Speech

Barack Obama's Speech on Gun Control

President Barack Obama began the final year of his presidency with a speech on gun control. In it, he discussed a number of measures that he proposes to take by Executive Order to reduce gun violence in the United States. It was a solid speech on many levels. Obama usually speaks with

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Andy Puddicombe
Analysis of a Speech

When to reveal a prop in a presentation

A few months ago, I began meditating on a daily basis. I had long heard about the different benefits that can come from practising mindfulness for just 20 minutes a day and decided to try it out. Because this was going to be new for me, I wanted a guided meditation. After

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