Posts

Festrede Von Viola Amherd zum 1. August 2023 in Luzern

August 1 Speech: Viola Amherd speaks no matter what.

/in , , , , , , /by

On July 31, 2023, Europaplatz in Lucerne became a special place. Federal Councillor Viola Amherd appeared before the audience and left a lasting impression.

In her concise ten-minute speech, Viola Amherd emphasized Swiss values and the sense of community. Despite the serious content, there were also light-hearted moments. The core message: Switzerland is solid as a rock.

Amherd made use of tried and tested rhetorical devices, among others

a) Humor

A little humor never hurts and makes you likeable. Despite two cancellations due to Corona and a broken elbow, Viola Amherd came to give her speech. After all, the organizers were just as persistent – they invited her three times.

b) Perseverance

A broken elbow would have kept many from giving a speech. But not Viola Amherd.

c) Amherd’s humorous, spontaneous replica

The gift from Andrea Gmür, member of the Council of States, was remarkable. She presented the Federal Councillor with two bottles of wine – one non-alcoholic and one with alcohol. Quick-wittedly, Amherd replied: “Just to clarify: my accident was before we had drinks”.

d) Memorable analogies

Amherd stressed that security and independence are deeply rooted in the Swiss DNA.

For Amherd, the Swiss Constitution of 1848 is the blueprint of our country.

In the “ground station” Switzerland, natives and immigrants live together peacefully.

She stressed the need for the European protective umbrella.

e) reference to a local person

A special moment was the mention of Emil Steinberger, a local personality from Lucerne.

 

What could she have done better or differently, in the view of presentation trainer Thomas Skipwith?

a) Punctual start

The 40-minute delay should be avoided in the future.

b) Memorable end

“Thank you very much for your attention. is an run-of-the-mill closing. Recommendation: An appeal, e.g. with the words: “To democracy, continuity and peace. “To our Constitution of 1848. To the birthday of Switzerland”.

c) Dialect

She spoke in easily understandable High German. As a Valaisan, a short interjection in the Valaisan dialect would certainly have gone down well.

 

Recommendations to the organizers

The audience from the 2nd row on could hardly see Mrs. Amherd. An elevation or platform for the speaker would be recommended.

Conclusion

It was worth the trip to Lucerne to hear Mrs. Amherd’s keynote speech. Also as an example of what you can do right in a keynote speech.

 

To attractive speeches!

Your

Thomas Skipwith

 

P.S.: Last minute checklist for your speeches: In this blog post.

Book recommendation

In the following book, you will find the tools, systems, and tips that will make you a persuasive speaker. So that you need less time for preparation and present with more confidence.

Reto B. Rüegger, Thomas Skipwith: To catch fish, use the right bait. Scoring as a speaker with Power Presentations

If you want support for a speech or presentation, please let me know (+41 41 630 39 90).

If you would like to have tips and tricks regularly by e-mail (in German), then sign up to the Trainingletter – but it’s confidential:-).

1. August-Redner

Last Minute Checklist for your speeches – and your speech will be a success.

/in , , , , , /by

Congratulations! You were invited to speak and have prepared a speech. Do you have butterflies in your stomach because of it? When flying, each pilot does a preflight check before departure. You can do the same with your speeches using the Last Minute Checklist. With the last minute checklist you can check if everything is prepared so that there will be a smooth flight. The butterflies will fly in orderly paths and the hearts of the spectators will fly to you. In this article you will receive the 10 most important things to check for your successful speech. Use it for example for your speech on July 4, your national holiday.

1. Key message

Make sure your speech has a clear message or main theme. Can you write on the back of a business card in 10 words what your main message is? If not, you should sharpen your message.

2. The rule of 3

Your audience can only absorb a limited number of stories, points, or arguments. Especially when the audience casually bites into a hot dog and drinks a sip of wine or beer. Do you have more than 3 points? If so, think carefully about limiting yourself to the rule of 3. Examples of the rule of 3: municipality, state, federal government. Your country, Europe, World. Child, student, adult. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Ecology, economy, politics. Small, medium, large. Left, Center, Right.

3. Target audience

Think about your audience and adapt the tone and language of your speech to their interests and needs. Examples: Will you speak conciliatory or provocative? Will you speak formally or informally? What language? Do you also welcome people who speak a different language, people who think differently, foreigners? E.g. in their language? Do you use colloquialisms? Foreign terms?

4. Stories

Man thinks in pictures. Give him the pictures with a story. Already Martin Luther King enchanted and emotionally touched his audience with pictures in his speech “I have a dream”. Thanks to emotions, a story is better remembered. The best stories are usually the personal ones. Use them.

5. Sparring partner

Ask 3 people who will (or might) be in the audience to read through or listen to your speech beforehand. This can also be done online via a video call. This way you get feedback and can make last minute changes.

6. Time management

Have you written a manuscript? This is good and bad at the same time. Good, because you can count the words of your speech. With an average speaking rate of 100 words per minute, you know exactly how long the speech will take. And can easily stick to the organizer’s time limit. By the way, speaking for 10 to 15 minutes is a good rule of thumb.

Bad, because there is a risk that you will read the speech word for word. Reading to the audiene does not create an emotional connection with the audience. Therefore, write small cue cards and then speak more or less freely.

Stay on time with manuscript or cue cards. Because you are competing against culinary delights, e.g. hot dogs, a botltle of beer or a glas of wine.

7. Rehearsal

Have you rehearsed your speech? If yes: good. Did you look at the time when you did this? If yes: better. Have you videotaped yourself and watched the video? If yes: best.

8. Pauses

Deliberately use short pauses during the speech to let important points sink in and give your audience time to think. Have you marked up your manuscript or cue cards?

9. Questions

Think of possible questions that might be asked after your speech and prepare to answer them confidently. Have a sparring partner ask you a few critical questions. (See sparring partner above).

10. 2-2-96-Rule

Strive to set your own expectations correctly. You can’t please everyone. After all, a national holiday speech is a political speech. You express your opinion. This is allowed (in many countries). This is what a democracy lives on. Nevertheless, also mentally prepare yourself for the fact that there will be one or two people who will not like your speech. According to the 2-2-96 rule (picked up from an American speech coach): 2 people out of 100 will like the speech so much that they immediately want to start a fan club. 2 people tear the speech apart and possibly you with it. And 96 will find your speech good. Unfortunately, the 96 hardly express themselves or not at all. Don’t listen to the 2 negatives, listen to the 98 positives.

 

If you follow the Last Minute Checklist for your speeches you will tame your butterflies and will receive many pats on the back. And who knows: Maybe someone in your audience will follow your call to action or dream.

To attractive speeches!

Your

Thomas Skipwith

 

P.S.: If you’re currently polishing your August 1 speech (Switzerland’s national holiday), get even more tips in this blog post.

Book recommendation

In the following book, you will find the tools, systems, and tips that will make you a persuasive speaker. So that you need less time for preparation and present with more confidence.

Reto B. Rüegger, Thomas Skipwith: The Worm Must Taste the Fish. Scoring as a speaker with Power Presentations

If I can support you for a speech or presentation, please let me know (+41 41 630 39 90).

If you would like to have tips and tricks regularly by e-mail (in German), then sign up to the Trainingletter – but it’s confidential:-).

1. August-Rede

1st of August Speech: 10 Tips to succeed

/in , , , , /by

1st of August speech: 10 tipsSoon the time will come again: all over Switzerland countless speakers will give a speech because of the 1st of August. The 1st of August is the Swiss national holiday. Hence there is the tradition of giving a 1st of August speech. I feel this is a worthwhile tradition, because giving a speech is always an opportunity to share a message. When else can you share your thoughts (more or less) undisturbed with a larger crowd?!

Nevertheless, it is clear to most people: you can’t please everyone. Matthias Aebischer, Swiss journalist, presenter and politician, put it beautifully in one of his speeches: “A 1st of August speech that is not criticized afterwards is like a meal in the canteen that you can’t complain about”.

For the complaints not to turn out too harsh, I have collected 10 (not conclusive) tips for a successful 1st of August speech.

Tip 1: Preparation is half the battle.

1st of August speakers are usually asked a long time in advance to speak. If you are the lucky one, do a small written brainstorming and complete the initial ideas from the brainstorming over time. Subsequently you will no longer be starring at a white sheet of paper on July 31.

Tip 2: Anyone who cannot hear you becomes a disturbing factor.

I have often experienced that the organizer skimped on the sound system or didn’t have one at all. Unfortunately I therefore could hardly hear the speaker. It only takes a few audience members to start whispering to each other and you then don’t hear anything anymore. Therefore, make sure that the audience can hear you. With more than 40 listeners I recommend you use a microphone. Preferably a lapel microphone or a headset.

Tip 3: The beginning should make them want more.

Start in such a way that the audience will pay attention to you right from the start. This can be achieved, for example, during the greeting. Instead of  a plain “Dear ladies and gentlemen”, start with a personal anecdote. Then only greet the audience.

Tip 4: Choose the content so that it suits you, the occasion and the audience.

Why not talk about Switzerland? After all, it’s Switzerland’s birthday. As Switzerland is very diverse, you can really choose any topic. Nevertheless, make sure you are clear about your main message. A possible formula for the content is: a personal anecdote, the story of someone else and what you have learned from it. Especially with the personal anecdote you make your speech memorable.

Tip 5: The end is the icing on the cake.

Prepare a crisp ending. “Thank you for your attention.” is not one of them. Instead, you can summarize, relate to the beginning and/or make a call to action. The brave ones bring a suitable joke at the end. It is best to practice the last sentence several times out loud beforehand.

Tip 6: You need a clear goal in mind.

Decide on a clear main message. You are welcome to repeat the main message several times. Your main message could refer to a virtue, e.g. courage, punctuality, reliability, love, perseverance. How about “The world belongs to the brave”, “Steady wins the race” or “I am proud of Switzerland”?

Tip 7: Variety makes life sweet.

A speech that’s serious as hell won’t knock anybody off their pedestal. Switch between seriousness and lightness. If you manage to get your audience to laugh, then that’s a bonus. In addition, it is worth researching what others have already said many times before. You can do without it or on the contrary: It is so important to you that you also want to repeat it.

Tip 8: Speak so that you are understood.

Analyze the audience. Then decide whether you will give the speech in Swiss German or High German (or any other language). If you choose a language that is not your mother tongue, you should practice your speech particularly often. For example, most Swiss-German speakers find it more difficult to speak High German than Swiss-German.

Tip 9: Keep it simple, stupid.

Mark Twain said: “A good speech has a good beginning and a good end – and both should be as close together as possible.” Ask the organizer how much time you have. Many times you will get 10 – 15 minutes. If you are writing a manuscript, you know how many words it should contain. Namely: If you speak at a speed of 100 words per minute, your manuscript will contain 1’000 – 1’500 words.

Tip 10: Tell them who you are.

The audience is curious. They want to know who’s talking to them. Tell them. However, I recommend you spice it up.  Don’t just enumerate what you have done in the past, but use a story to talk about yourself. For example, I could tell you how I can still remember how I grew up in Lucerne next to the Museum of Transport and what I experienced in the course of it all. Thus, the listeners casually learn who I am.

If you stick to these tips, you are already one big step closer to a 1st of August speech that will be positively remembered. I wish you every success.

If you like the blog article, share it in social media like Facebook, XING and Co.