President John F Kennedy and what makes a great speech?

50 years later, President John F Kennedy’s inspiration lives on. NSB was approached by Global News in their coverage of the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. Included in his legacy is the power of his speeches and the impact he made for his country. Global wanted to know  – what makes a great speech? In the interview, our CEO Theresa Beenken spoke of 3 key considerations: Authenticity.  Inspiration. Audience.

  • Great speakers are authentic. They speak with passion, conviction and from the heart.
  • Great speakers inspire. With clear messages and visual imagery they put forth the possibility of what can be.
  • Great speakers consider the audience.  The speech isn’t about the speaker, it’s about engaging with a live audience and resonating with their needs.

JFK’s most famous line exemplifies these themes: Speaking with passion, JFK challenged:  “My fellow Americans (audience engagement) ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.“(inspiration and possibility) JFKs full inauguration speech Global TV asked us about how speeches have evolved: Theresa noted:  ‘What has stayed the same in our 40 years in business is the power of connecting and being engaged with a live experience – and it continues to grow – with more events like creative mornings, TED, event conferences. What has changed is that while President Kennedy was at the forefront of the television revolution, we are now at the precipice of a social/digital revolution – there is more opportunity now than ever before to be part of the conversation, share in the collective knowledge and access ideas from around the world.’ From the great JFK:  The torch has been passed to a new generation.

NSB CEO Theresa Beenken with GlobalTV

NSB CEO Theresa Beenken with GlobalNews

———————————————————————– NSB is Canada’s original and most experienced speakers bureau, celebrating 40 years of leadership in the industry. We believe that the sharing of ideas through the power of speech – and the resulting ripple effect of new perspectives, informed discussion & inspired action – makes the world a better place.