Great Speeches

Toastmasters Plus! former president Dave Burrage gave an insight to our group recently about 'great speeches'.



What are some of the great speeches?

Well here are a few, with a tag to identify the exact speech

Martin Luther King - I Have a Dream
John F. Kennedy - Inaugural Address
FDR - We Have Nothing To Fear but Fear Itself
Ronald Reagan - Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down this Wall
Barrack Obama - A More Perfect Union




What makes these speeches great?

As a group we came up with a list of these attributes:

Relevant to their Time
Elegantly Written
Impactful
Concise - the excerpts we know are short, but impactful
Inspiring
Authentic
Occuring in times of Crisis




It's important to be familar with great speeches. These speeches may have been spoken as far back as 1932 (FDR's address to the nation), but they are relevant to the people alive today. Great words inspire, and these words from our world leaders have left an impression that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Even if we do not have the world stage...maybe our words are as impactful in someone else's life



Excerpts from Great speeches:

FDR - First Inaugural Address (nothing to fear but fear itself speech)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amNpxQANk0M

Ronald Reagan - Brandenberg Gate (tear down this wall speech)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtYdjbpBk6A

Winston Churchill - We Shall Fight on the Beaches (War cry against Nazis)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTw3_PmKtc&feature=related