Displaying items by tag: politics

What did you think of Liz Truss’ speech yesterday as she entered no 10?  As we sit here on a long train journey up north we wanted to share our thoughts…

This was her opportunity to shine.  To show the nation a new leader.  And to be unique. Here’s what we thought…

1.  Passion.  For us it lacked genuine and honest passion.  Words need to come from the heart not just the head.  They need to be felt not just spoken.  It’s not enough to write a ‘powerful speech’ - your delivery can change and add so much.  You need to bring your script to life.  Play with the words.  Use the words.  And above all own them.

2.  Conviction.  This is an opportunity to show the nation a leader who is confident, assured and trustworthy.  But Liz didn’t feel fully connected.  She didn’t fully commit. It felt half hearted.  A leader who hasn’t yet decided ‘how I want to come across’ and ‘what are my most powerful personal attributes’ I want to display.

3.  Unique.  A speech should feel like a unique moment in time.  Something personal to you.  But this felt like a missed opportunity - a copy and paste job.  There was very little that felt this was someone laying out their own stall.  Having their own style. Instead it felt forgettably traditional and all too familiar.  So we wonder how many people really felt empowered by her speech.

4.  The visual.  Clothes and how you look do play a crucial part in how you come across. Bright colours, clean confident lines work well on camera.  Instead Liz’s outfit was more on the dark side, and felt ‘soft’ on camera.

5.  One chance.  This was a once in a lifetime moment.  Was it memorable?  Was it personal?  Was it unique?  We don’t think it was.  And that comes down to a lack of purpose. 

#liztruss #mp #primeminister #politics #speech #leadershipcommunication #mediatraining #communicationskills #opportunity #like #change #leader #people #presentationskills

What did you think of Liz Truss’ speech yesterday as she entered no 10?  As we sit here on a long train journey up north we wanted to share our thoughts…

This was her opportunity to shine.  To show the nation a new leader.  And to be unique. Here’s what we thought…

1.  Passion.  For us it lacked genuine and honest passion.  Words need to come from the heart not just the head.  They need to be felt not just spoken.  It’s not enough to write a ‘powerful speech’ - your delivery can change and add so much.  You need to bring your script to life.  Play with the words.  Use the words.  And above all own them.

2.  Conviction.  This is an opportunity to show the nation a leader who is confident, assured and trustworthy.  But Liz didn’t feel fully connected.  She didn’t fully commit. It felt half hearted.  A leader who hasn’t yet decided ‘how I want to come across’ and ‘what are my most powerful personal attributes’ I want to display.

3.  Unique.  A speech should feel like a unique moment in time.  Something personal to you.  But this felt like a missed opportunity - a copy and paste job.  There was very little that felt this was someone laying out their own stall.  Having their own style. Instead it felt forgettably traditional and all too familiar.  So we wonder how many people really felt empowered by her speech.

4.  The visual.  Clothes and how you look do play a crucial part in how you come across. Bright colours, clean confident lines work well on camera.  Instead Liz’s outfit was more on the dark side, and felt ‘soft’ on camera.

5.  One chance.  This was a once in a lifetime moment.  Was it memorable?  Was it personal?  Was it unique?  We don’t think it was.  And that comes down to a lack of purpose. 

#liztruss #mp #primeminister #politics #speech #leadershipcommunication #mediatraining #communicationskills #opportunity #like #change #leader #people #presentationskills

Did you watch Francesca Martinez on Question Time?   

Her impassioned answer to Fiona Bruce’s question has gone viral.  So why did her answer engage and touch so many of us?  The reason is it was ‘personal’.  So many debates and speeches lack personal content – we all know people buy people, so where is there so much corporate jargon?  

Francesca’s personal story brings a problem to life.  All of a sudden what she has to say can’t be ignored as we can see and hear from someone who is part of the problem, and this makes it all the more real.  But it wasn’t just what Francesca said on the BBC’s Question Time that connected with people, it was how she said it.  She spoke from the heart.  Her answer was passionate, and passion goes a long way.  If you are passionate about something it’s hard for the viewer not to be too.  

Her passion made her message so much more engaging, and you instantly felt a connection and an understanding of what Francesca was saying.   

We should all learn something from Francesca’s time on Question Time – not only from what she said, but how she made a forgotten problem now a big topical issue – from being personal and passionate.  

Well done Francesca….