Just a speech

Speeches change the course of destiny. True. False. May be. These are some reactions on this statement. All of these can be valid given the situation. Communication is the crux of interpersonal living and working, be it any field. The cry of the child as he or she enters the world is an announcement of his arrival, his/her response to changing environment, and an indicator of the normality of the child. Speaking and speaking well or badly determines the fate of many important aspects in life. The interpersonal family relationships are heavily dependent on expressing yourself well and letting others express themselves freely. Class participations and presentations make a huge difference on teacher impressions and grades. Job interviews depend heavily how convincing or articulate an interviewee is.

Despite the plethora of literature, research material, training, coaching, videos available on this subject, communication, especially verbal communication, remains a rare art. There may be many forms of communication but speaking and in particular public speaking is a big challenge for most. In many studies public speaking is in the top 5 fears humans carry in their mind. Stage fright is a common mental state that makes people nervous and anxious leading to hesitant and unsure articulation. Public speaking is an essential tool in many aspects but in one profession it can be make or break, and that is in politics. Politicians thrive on speeches. They love to hear their own voice. The fact that millions are tuned to them gives them a heady high of speaking endlessly. Most speeches end up being a bore, very few stay in the mind. Those that do change the course of history.

In Pakistani politics speeches come in all volumes, sound, pitch and length. From slow, mumbling jumbling of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to the highly charged speeches of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto there is a reasonable variety. In today’s social media world speeches have deep reach and audience. Consequently, they are surgically examined. On most events or important occasions speeches are well prepared to create the impact. To create an enduring impact the criteria described by Aristotle holds true even today. His famous guideline of the 3 essenials of great speeches —logos, pathos and ethos— is applicable in all times. His explanation was that a good speech has to be ethical, logical and passionate. Any one of the elements missing will lessen the impact. Applying this benchmark we can evaluate the effect and the impact of what politicians say:

1. Quality of the content- Content has to be as per audience. A content rich with intellect will mean little to a layman and vice versa. That is where the substance development and speech writers matter. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had perfected it. When in masses he would dress in his famous awami suit with sleeves open, speak aggressively and sometimes in offensive language but would move the masses to ecstasy. Unlike him his grandson Bilawal is finding it difficult to emulate him. He has changed his hair style and dress to match Bhutto but his lack of command over the language has made his speeches less effective. Nawaz Sharif was never a spell binding orator like Bhutto but he improved over a period of time to create content that appeals to a particular segment. His recent speech on the All Party Conference was a scathing attack on the establishment. However to really appeal to masses his content needed to be more people centric than institution centric.

2. Emotionality of delivery-No matter how good the content it is how you say it that matters. Same content delivered by two people may be wonderful or awful. Obama’s ability to deliver his content with the right pitch, tones and emotions was a reason for his meteoric rise to Presidency. The second Aristotle quality of pathos or passion is the art of catching and retaining audience’s attention. Prime Minister Imran Khan has come a long way to become a sort after international speaker. From being a tongue tied child and an awkward speaker in youth he has become a passionate influencer of causes. His speeches last year at the United Nations and this year were acknowledged as some of the best delivered by a Pakistani head of government. His ability to convey the same impact face to face and through virtual forum was appreciated both by local and international critics and expert. His impassionate appeal to the world to look at Climate Change, Kashmir and Islamophobia was effective enough to move the UN head to give open statements in favour of the Kashmiri struggle.

3. Authenticity of the Sayer- The third principle of Aristotle is also very important i.e Ethos. The credibility of the person who is making the speech affects the credibility of the speech. Wonderful words uttered with great passion can evoke sarcasm in the audience. Modi’s speeches may be carrying him through the local audience well but his record on human rights is so low that whenever he goes to such forums with well worded and strongly delivered content he receives raised eyebrows and distrust. Similarly, Nawaz Sharif made all the right references to history in his APC speech but due to his own past record of being part and parcel of establishment/managed elections he drew criticism due to the deficit between his words and actions. Prime Minister Imran khan’s biggest edge is his credibility of being honest. It is on test with his government performance. But when he talks about the less privileged he holds high credibility as his charitable hospital, Numul College and now Ehsaas Programme create believability and impact.

“A leader is a dealer in hope,” said Napoleon. Hope is motivated through inspiring talks and speeches. Glib speeches can evoke emotions and interest. Whether those words will become quotations to guide generations and provoke action will depend on the deeds of the person uttering those words.

(The writer can be reached at [email protected])

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020