Some speeches are so bad that they’re good. This is quite possibly one of the best worst speeches the internet has ever seen. Phil Davison was seeking the Republican Party’s nomination to stand as Candidate for the Stark County Treasurer election in 2010 and gave this majestic performance. Receiving hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube the speech has been watched by people all over the world and Phil Davidson became a bit of a celebrity even getting himself an interview on Fox News.
There is a delicate balance between the words that you choose to use and the voice that you use to deliver them. Phil’s speech shows us how the delivery can really drive a speech into the ground. But we can learn from everything, so here are five no-brainers from this speech:
- Don’t shout at your audience – especially right at the beginning when you are introducing your name
- If you are going to use a quote it is always best to read it rather than memorise it
- Don’t ever boast about having a Masters in Communications
- Rehearse your speech out loud before you deliver it. You can deliver it to a friend, to a mirror, to your pet cat – anyone, because it gets you thinking about what works and what doesn’t
- Don’t drink too much coffee before your speech
Cambridge Speechwriter 