What makes a speech great?
I listened to Mary Fisher's speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention. The speech is titled, "Whisper of AIDS", and I feel that it is one of the most important speeches I have heard.
The 5 criteria I used to give it the status as "a great speech" are:
Ability to generate emotional response
Paint pictures with words and phrases
Ability to connect to every level of the audience
Call for suitable action(s)
A positive message rather than criticism
Mary Fisher's speech brought awareness to America's tendency to isolate the AIDS epidemic to certain people. As a person out of the norm, her speech gave the struggle for AIDS a different perspective by insisting that it is a national issue, experienced by many people of various backgrounds. The words and phrases she used were absolutely loaded language but they were effective for the message that America needs to be compassionate and supportive to those afflicted with the disease. This is a great speech because I can still recall some of the emotions and thoughts from when I first heard it -- two years ago. Great speeches linger in the mind and make people reflect.
That last sentence is definitely one of the top reasons for what makes a great speech... "Great speeches linger in the mind and make people reflect." Not only is it the message the speech is relaying, but the longevity of how the speech stays relevant throughout time.
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