Quotes and speeches of the month

Dear speech-fans and friends,

We have never heard so much French spoken by so many in the speeches delivered this last month.

For the worst reason and for the best reason:

The worst reason: because of the horrible events in Paris, of course.

The best reason: because we all know that speaking the audience’s language go straight to their hearts.

Many thanks to all of you, in Europe and beyond, who shared a quote, helped with a translation, or expressed their friendship in French.

Isabelle

Que veulent les terroristes ?
Nous diviser, nous opposer, nous jeter les uns contre les autres.
Je vous l’assure, ils échoueront.
Ils ont le culte de la mort, mais nous, nous, nous avons l’amour, l’amour de la vie.

French President François Hollande, Hommage national aux victimes des attentats du 13 novembre, 27 November 2015

Dear speech-fans and friends,

How to catch the audience’s attention?

Speechwriters’ and speakers’ recurring question.

Our selection this month focuses on refreshing openings, tangible examples, and ceremonial speeches and how they throw light on our challenges today.

You may also like to listen to a selection of Nobel Peace Lectures, in French and English, gathered by the radio station France culture in these times between the announcement of the Nobel Prizes (early October) and the Lectures to come (early December).

Even better, let’s meet! Our fellow speechwriter Jan Sonneveld – whom I met at the World conference of the Professional Speechwriters Association in Washington earlier this month – will be in town on November 25th. Save your lunchbreak to meet this talented colleague (see his Vital speech: How Speechwriting Changed Me, or his Twitter and Tumblr). A « save-the-date » is following this mail.

Enjoy the reading, the listening, and the networking.

Isabelle

A selection of refreshing openings:

Dear speech-fans and friends,

Challenges and how to take up these challenges: this has been the leading theme in European speeches this month.

Little surprise there are several quotes in German this time. No worry: they are so well organised that everything has its translation into English J

Viel Spaß. Enjoy the reading.

Isabelle

State of the European Union

Our European Union is not in a good state.

There is not enough Europe in this Union.

And there is not enough Union in this Union.

We have to change this.

And we have to change this now.

President Juncker, State of the Union 2015: Time for Honesty, Unity and Solidarity, 9 September 2015

What ails Europe, what ails our nations today is a poisonous cocktail of a lack of mutual trust and a lack of self-confidence. We are slow to react to challenges, we are slow to implement even the most obvious common answers, because we do not believe in ourselves, in our ability to adapt, to respond to challenges, to make tomorrow better than today. We are slow to find common answers not because there are no answers, but because we do not trust the word “common”…

First Vice President Timmermans, "Une solidarité de fait", Netherlands Institute of International Relations, 18 September 2015

Dear speech-fans and friends,

This summer has been everything but quiet, which means a rich harvest of speeches.

Here is a short selection of empowering stories, varied quotes, rhythmic tricolons, and memorable antimetaboles delivered in July and August.

Welcome back !

Isabelle

Speeches to call for action

 Ladies and gentlemen, never underestimate the power of how you are, and will, transform people's lives. 

It's no small thing to show the world that what's always been done, can be done better.
So, spread your story far, wide and fast! Even the smallest of patient innovations can bring hope and happiness!

Commissioner Moedas, 13 July 2015, Sharing Solutions, Improving Life through Citizen Innovation

Change is happening before our eyes at an alarming pace. It is up to us to take action before it is too late.

But addressing climate change is not only about saving our planet. It is also about saving ourselves from poverty, unemployment, war, and oppression.
Why?
Because the rise in temperatures creates an entire range of effects;
from floods to heatwaves and wildfires;
from new diseases and health hazards to draughts and food shortage,
from extinction of animals to entire populations fleeing their territories in search of liveable conditions.
We cannot simply watch this happen. 

Vice-President Šefčovič, 1 July 2015, World Summit of Climate and Territories

Dear all,

Here is a short selection of speeches delivered this month,

together with a few other pieces - as long as they can serve our inspiration and aspiration to improve.

Once again, I would like to thank the colleagues and friends who drew my attention to some references for circulation to other speech-fans.

Isabelle

The noble art of speechwriting

Not too long ago, the President and I were working on a speech that we knew would get a lot of attention. (…) So two days before the speech, I handed him the first draft in the Oval Office (…). He started out by saying, “Look, this is well-written, and I could probably deliver it as is,” which almost never means he actually wants to deliver it as is. “But we have two days, so let’s make it better.”

And then he gave me one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten, one I wish he’d given me years ago. “You took a half-swing on this. Take a full swing.”

Chief White House Speechwriter Keenan, Commencement Address, 19 June 2015, selected Vital Speech of the Week