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"That as an impressive speech, you should check it out"

Tell me how

I found last weeks speech by the Mayor of New York at the Knicks Championship Parade impressive in a number of ways and I've actually gone back to it and watched it a couple more times since then.

That got me thinking of other speeches that I was impressed by and I struggled to think of many that I would go back to again and again. Maybe this one won't either once some period of time has passed, but as I said, it got me thinking. We grew up hearing about the significant of particular speeches, mostly political or activist in focus and maybe some people would put some sports victory speeches in that category. Often they are remembered for singular phrases or the context in which they were given, rather than the actual whole speech itself. And in todays world of hyper-media training and speech writers, we often get the same old same old that doesn't really doesn't sound unique or original.

Does anyone have any speech in particular that comes to mind that is worth sharing with other people and if you do, what was it about that particular speech that impressed you?

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Tell me how

This was the particular Mamdani speech I was referring to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciimC-cE_eI

It's one of the most naturally delivered speeches we've seen from any politician since at least Obama and this one felt more personal than his did, which was maybe because of the subject matter and the location.

It wasn't a political speech, except it was, except it wasn't. If you know what I mean. He never referenced his administration, his victory, his "side" the "other" side etc, but it clearly struck people in a political way. The owner of the Knicks, who sat head bowed without applauding throughout it, spoke afterwards and said somewhat bitterly that he wasn't there trying to win votes which was clearly a dig at the Mayor.

Mamdani walked the people through the history of the Knicks and tied it in perfectly with the experience of New Yorkers and particularly when talking about meeting adversity and focusing on on doing what you can etc etc.

As a sports speech, it was excellent, as a political speech, it was pitch perfect and as a victory speech it was everything that was needed. This wasn't a politician reading someone else's words from a teleprompter in a way that felt shallow and disconnected this was a fan reading words that meant everything to him and that he felt a part of. Very impressive.

Cyclingtourist

It's just basketball.

thomil

The fact that this is considered impressive shows just how poor most politicians and public figures are at communicating, and how desensitised we as the electorate have become. Looking only at the communications aspect of it, Mamdami is the bare minimum of what we should be expecting from our public representatives, rather than some sort of grand achievement.

That's not meant as a swipe at the OP, by the way. This is a general issue. Public speaking and proper debate are in dire straits in general.

dxhound2005

Kudos to Julian. Everyone needs a Director of Speechwriting.

"Julian Gerson is the speechwriter for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, having served as his Director of Speechwriting since the mayoral campaign. He notably crafted Mamdani's highly publicized 2025 victory speech and the 2026 inaugural address."

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568323#Comment_124568323

I agree largely with your post.

I'm not so sure about Mamdani being the bare minimum of what we should be expecting. I mean, I wish that that were the case, but he appears as an outlier mostly because he is. Even the Democrat establishment in the US wanted to keep him very much at arms length last year before the election and even now, they haven't been rushing to align with him.

So is it fair to expect something as the bare minimum, when we get so little of it? In any jurisdiction, this thread is not just about the US obviously.

And that's what I'm curious to see, if others can suggest speeches or speakers that they would be willing to say they found impressive and having the potential to be impactful.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568253#Comment_124568253

Nah, he’s going to transform New York and usher in a new political paradigm and if it doesn’t work out then it’s his enemies fault.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568887#Comment_124568887

This isn't about Mamdani, it's about the speech (Hence the thread is in AH instead of Politics)

Care to suggest one you rate similar to how I rate his?

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568928#Comment_124568928

Apologies if I took your thread off topic . I can’t think of any speeches, call me cynical but I think actions speak louder than words, and the current fawning over Mandami is at best cringe inducing and at worse setting us up for another kind of populism.

aero2k

Edited to fix typo.

In 2016 I was on a business trip to the US. I turned on the TV as background noise to accompany my packing for the return trip, and flicking through the channels I came upon Barack Obama giving the commencement address at Howard University. I stood, transfixed,, with tears in my eyes as he spoke. I had recently visited some US suppliers to our company, and I had been shocked at how they hated Obama, and loved Trump, who at that time had not yet been elected. I was thinking as I watched, regardless of political differences, or skin colour, how could you not be proud to have someone as your president who could give such a message of hope, with such self deprecating humour, all while imparting important messages. A few highlights:

And finally, change requires more than just speaking out -- it requires listening, as well. In particular, it requires listening to those with whom you disagree, and being prepared to compromise.

The point is, you need allies in a democracy. That's just the way it is. It can be frustrating and it can be slow. But history teaches us that the alternative to democracy is always worse. That's not just true in this country. It’s not a black or white thing. Go to any country where the give and take of democracy has been repealed by one-party rule, and I will show you a country that does not work.

And democracy requires compromise, even when you are 100 percent right. This is hard to explain sometimes. You can be completely right, and you still are going to have to engage folks who disagree with you. If you think that the only way forward is to be as uncompromising as possible, you will feel good about yourself, you will enjoy a certain moral purity, but you’re not going to get what you want. And if you don’t get what you want long enough, you will eventually think the whole system is rigged. And that will lead to more cynicism, and less participation, and a downward spiral of more injustice and more anger and more despair. And that's never been the source of our progress. That's how we cheat ourselves of progress.

So don’t try to shut folks out, don’t try to shut them down, no matter how much you might disagree with them. There's been a trend around the country of trying to get colleges to disinvite speakers with a different point of view, or disrupt a politician’s rally. Don’t do that -- no matter how ridiculous or offensive you might find the things that come out of their mouths. Because as my grandmother used to tell me, every time a fool speaks, they are just advertising their own ignorance. Let them talk. Let them talk. If you don’t, you just make them a victim, and then they can avoid accountability.

Now it’s your turn. And the good news is, you’re ready. And when your journey seems too hard, and when you run into a chorus of cynics who tell you that you’re being foolish to keep believing or that you can’t do something, or that you should just give up, or you should just settle -- you might say to yourself a little phrase that I’ve found handy these last eight years: Yes, we can.

I've just read it again and I'm in absolute bits. To see the contrast in just 10 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K4MctEmkmI

Full text here.

https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/barackobamahowarduniversitycommencement.htm

Hopefully I won't be accused of shilling or advertising😁!

FestivalFrank

OBama - great oratist and yes it does fill you with hope and belief but then you see what he actually did which was business as usuall in the middle east and Israel.

Everlong1

You certainly won't be getting any inspirational quotes from any Irish political leaders, not of late anyway. We seem to be cursed with mumbling and stuttering mediocrities like Enda Kenny and Micheal Martin. Simon Harris and Leo Varadkar are a mild improvement but only from a low bar. Then of course at the more extreme end of the scale you have the local yokel brigade who can barely string a sentence together like Mattie McGrath and the Healy Raes.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124572208#Comment_124572208

Think Michael D represented us quite well from a speech delivery perspective.

But on the whole, while we're known for the gift of the gab, it isn't really because we're particularly eloquent.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124572158#Comment_124572158

The gold standard for many when it comes to speech delivery in our lifetimes probably.

I remember in probably mid 2007, writing in the Sunday Tribune, Marion McKeown wrote that sge may have just heard a speech from the next President of the United States.

He wasnt even a candidate at that point but he was emerging as one to watch with the Democrat Party and she said his speech was unlike anything she had ever heard before.

Its a measure of how good he was that in 2017, soon after Trump came to power, his lackey Stephen Miller said that Trump was the best orator of our time and the best communicator to ever hold the office. A clear indicator of how much Obama irritated Trump.

dxhound2005

The Mayor hijacked the occasion. The Knicks owner wasn't impressed.

"During the Knicks' 2026 NBA Championship celebration at City Hall, Mayor Zohran Mamdani received significant backlash from fans and sports commentators for taking up an estimated 70% of the politicians' and executives' total podium mic time. The nearly 10-minute speech overshadowed both players and ownership, with all Knicks players combined getting only two minutes of microphone time, and several key players receiving none."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE0zd5IpfAw

Jack Daw

You could get any number of actors to do what Obama, Mahmdani do and give a good speech, it's really not worthy of much praise in my opinion.

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124572171#Comment_124572171

Was it? The Iran nuclear deal and how he dealt with Israel to me showed a deviation from presidents past and present.

eastie17

Joe Connolly, 1980 all Ireland hurling final winning speech. Followed by the “wests awake”

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124573416#Comment_124573416

They're actors. That's literally their job.

But as others have pointed out, we rarely see speeches of this caliber any more where you come away thinking the speakermeant what they said.. I know he probably didnt write it, but he delivered it as if he did, and thats something thats impressive for a politician to achieve. More so when what he said resonated so much with most listeners.

Sudden Valley

The Americans have had quite a number of good orators over the years like Obama, Bill Clinton, and Reagan and some terrible ones like George W and Trump. They do spend a lot of money on PR and speech writers there compared to politicians in other countries.

pjdarcy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CNewYDzeDg

Nelson Mandela - Full Speech At Start Rivonia Trial (20 April 1964)

Full text available here

dxhound2005

The Mayor's speech (writer) stuck to a very well used formula of repetition. Like "I have a dream" repeated 8 times by Martin Luther King. The Mayor used the repitition of We Watched / We Waited. And then told the crowd how great New Yorkers are. Good politics, but he could have kept it short and to the point in 2 minutes.

https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/06/remarks-as-prepared--mayor-mamdani-hosts-and-delivers-remarks-at#:~:text=We%20waited%20without%20ever%20knowing,in%20New%20York%20City%20legend

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124572408#Comment_124572408

Any idea why they put a time restriction on a celebration?

Sounds ridiculous. 53 years waiting and then they ran out of time!

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124573823#Comment_124573823

If it's so easy, why have we so few examples of politicians doing it as successfully as he did?

And don't give me the "they don't want to steal the limelight" line. If there's one thing most politicians do without batting an eyelid, it's stealing limelight. Even more so when it is a positive story like a championship victory.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124573836#Comment_124573836

Not a success in the eyes of many in America. As would be expected, given the state of their politics.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124573790#Comment_124573790

But it's all hot air from these great orators most of the time and it's the same bullshit a few lines about hope etc and people seem to leave impressed , give me a boring administrator who doesn't say much but gets things done instead.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124574254#Comment_124574254

give me a boring administrator who doesn't say much but gets things done instead.

Such as?

But that aside, this discussion is about the effectiveness of the speech, not specifically to consider it in just a political context.

adaminho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124572331#Comment_124572331

Not a speech as such but him vs Michael Graham is gold standard oration!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwvMNkCruGw

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124574273#Comment_124574273

Yeah, I referenced him myself earlier. That is Irish radio heritage.

Trevor_Cory

Keith Olbermanns monologue after the passing of Citizens United is something I think of often. It stands the test of time and he foresaw many of the political shortcomings we see today. This got him fired from the network.

https://youtu.be/PKZKETizybw?is=niWqvEKmrb7t1FzR

littlefeet

Does it have to be a politician?