Speech Critiques
Why study other speakers?
The Speech Analysis Series
Studying and evaluating the techniques of other speakers is an excellent way to become a better public speaker.
- When a speaker impresses, ask “Why was that impressive?“
- When a speaker bombs, ask “Why didn’t that hit the mark?“
Analyzing other speakers provides an abundant supply of ideas that can be incorporated into our own presentations.
Why use video critiques?
With a growing supply of speech videos readily accessible, video critiques can be especially useful teaching and learning aids.
- Without video, you can say: “Remember that keynote speaker last week? Weren’t her gestures powerful?“
- With video, you can refer directly to precise moments: “The keynote speaker last week was fantastic. Her gestures at 1:27 and 2:38 of her speech were powerful.“
Speech Critique Examples on Six Minutes
- Speaker
- Suki Kim
- Title
- This is what it's like to teach in North Korea
- Venue
- TED 2015
- Notable Elements
- Powerful and emotional memoir-based talk; outstanding vocal variety and expressiveness.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Title
- "A date which will live in infamy" (Pearl Harbor address)
- Venue
- December 8, 1941, United States Presidential Address to Congress
- Notable Elements
- Address to Congress on the day following the Pearl Harbor attack. Speech analysis focuses on strategic word selection.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Winston Churchill
- Title
- The Sinews of Peace (Iron Curtain)
- Venue
- March 5, 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri
- Notable Elements
- Memorable speech which signalled the start of the Cold War. Analysis shows how to demonstrate charisma tactics through speech writing.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Ken Robinson
- Title
- Do schools kill creativity?
- Venue
- TED 2006
- Notable Elements
- Deep ideas; engaging; humorous; use of signalling words and rhetorical questions.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Dan Pink
- Title
- The Surprising Science of Motivation
- Venue
- TED 2009
- Notable Elements
- Strong opening and closing; masterful speechwriting; passionate; superb gestures and vocal variety.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Abraham Lincoln
- Title
- Gettysburg Address
- Venue
- Dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863, in the midst of the United States Civil War.
- Notable Elements
- One of the most famous, most quoted, and most recited speeches of all time. It is also one of the shortest at just 10 sentences.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Elizabeth Gilbert
- Title
- Nurturing Creativity
- Venue
- TED 2009
- Notable Elements
- Passionate; storytelling; engaging the audience; speaking rate; hand gestures; relating the message to the audience.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Jacqueline Novogratz
- Title
- Escaping Poverty
- Venue
- TED 2009
- Notable Elements
- Strong opening and closing; relates to the audience; storytelling; contrast; visuals; eye contact.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Barack Obama
- Title
- Presidential Inaugural Address
- Venue
- Washington, D.C., January 20, 2009
- Notable Elements
- Inauguration speech delivered to a live crowd estimated at 2 million people and billions around the globe.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Title
- I Have a Dream
- Venue
- March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963
- Notable Elements
- Given to a crowd of 250,000, "I Have a Dream" is considered one of the greatest speeches of all time.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Dalton Sherman
- Title
- Do you believe?
- Venue
- Dallas Independent School District Teachers Conference
- Notable Elements
- 10-year-old 5th grader Dalton Sherman delivers an inspirational speech to 20,000 teachers about the importance of believing in each other.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Randy Pausch
- Title
- The Last Lecture (Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams)
- Venue
- CMU (Carnegie Mellon University)
- Notable Elements
- Tremendously inspirational, funny, clever use of props and visual aids, a truly memorable speech.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Patrick Henry Winston
- Title
- How to Speak
- Venue
- MIT Annual Lecture (1997)
- Notable Elements
- Dozens of practical public speaking tips; targets speaking to teach or to inform; lecture-style.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Majora Carter
- Title
- Greening the Ghetto
- Venue
- TED 2006
- Notable Elements
- Personal emotion, energy, passion, rapid speaking rate, call-to-action, reading from script.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Hans Rosling
- Title
- Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen
- Venue
- TED 2006
- Notable Elements
- Six simple techniques for presenting data, graphical display, energetic delivery.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- J.A. Gamache
- Title
- Being a Mr. G.
- Venue
- 2007 Toastmasters (Region VI) Speech Contest
- Notable Elements
- Strong writing, powerful body language, speech opening and closing which feature the same prop, callback technique for repetitive humor, emotionally charged writing, and a series of wonderfully choreographed gestures.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Steve Jobs
- Title
- Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
- Venue
- Stanford University Commencement Address 2005
- Notable Elements
- Strong opening; simple classical structure; the Rule of Three; rich figures of speech; and a recurring theme of birth/death/rebirth.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Al Gore
- Title
- 15 ways to avert a climate crisis
- Venue
- TED 2006
- Notable Elements
- Humor; call-to-action; audience awareness; and slide techniques.
- Read our Speech Critique
- Speaker
- Dick Hardt
- Title
- Identity 2.0
- Venue
- OSCON 2005
- Notable Elements
- Lessig method, speech opening, humor, repetition, contrast, analogies.
- Read our Speech Critique
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