Speech writing as a distilling of experiences, and of learning
Constructing and performing a speech may come naturally to some politicians, whilst others often spend years honing and tailoring their skills. Whether a natural or not, there is no doubting that speechwriting and performing is highly emotive, and can trigger strong reactions within oneself dependant on both internal and external factors at any given time. In order to find out more about the inner workings and emotional facets of speeches in politics, the Silent MP speaks to former speech writer for Tony Blair and Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Jon Cayzer.
‘I had to completely put myself aside’, begins Jon, ‘[and] not think about myself at all, but write as a traditional leader’. Perhaps the most famous speech written by Jon was given by Buthelezi in 2004, discussing the ongoing AIDS epidemic in Africa. It was particularly emotionally raw on the topic of Buthelezi’s son, who had recently died from the disease. Given the emotional gravitas of the subject matter, a strong working relationship between politician and speechwriter was truly essential in the crafting process.
Jon agrees with the Silent MP that politicians can communicate in lots of different ways, and often struggle to do this alone. ‘They are exposing their true self to you first before exposing it to the world’, explains Jon, ‘they need you to see them, and craft this truth of self into something’. For Jon, it is crucial that the politician feels comfortable with the speechwriter, and is able to talk freely, without filter. In this sense, Jon explains how Buthelezi’s experience allowed him to write from the heart, which is reflected in his speech:
‘As I feel the pain of the death of my own son, I hear the cries and laments of South Africa’.
Yet, the large majority of our politicians do not have the luxury of a personal speechwriter, which, alongside the thought of writing and performing their own speeches, is particularly daunting. So, the Silent MP asks Jon, what advice would you give to these politicians?
The first step, Jon tells us, is to ‘develop some lines and language that that is meaningful to you, or special to you’. This should be an organic process; writing down our thoughts and experiences, as they happen, can form this positive habit. According to Jon, a speech should be a ‘distilling of experiences and of learning.’ Hence, keeping this sort of emotional record of what has moved us will come in handy in the future. ‘There were ideas I used in South Africa that I sat on for years’, Jon says. The right time will come around, and when it does, our mind will not be a blank slate; our reflections will be there, waiting for us to put them into practice.
Keeping track of our inner narrative as a politician will consequentially improve our ability to organically prepare and perform a speech. Drawing on our authentic experiences and emotions is, unsurprisingly, less emotionally taxing than constructing a speech from scratch.
Jon tells us that if he were to perform a speech he’d written for Tony Blair, ‘I would look crazy’. Speeches never work if they are in the abstract, he explains, it is important that a speech is constructed in a mindful and patient manner, as this will shine through as speaking to our ethos, our essential being, and our motivations as a politician.
