We went to an Intelligence Squared Debate recently in London. The motion was “The Left has right on its side”.
One of the speakers was a Labour MP Stella Creasy. She’s made quite a name for herself, campaigning successfully for Jane Austen to be put on the new £10 note and for a change in the Northern Ireland abortion laws. She also won “Backbencher of the Year 2017” awarded by the Spectator.
The debate started but Stella was still in the House of Commons taking part in another debate. All three speakers had their say and we wondered whether Stella would make it.
She finally arrived, to immediately stand without notes, and tell us why we should vote for the motion.
We liked her energy, her passion and the originality of her words. She used the power of three – a list of 3 examples in her opening to engage us.
“Here’s three words to scare you: President Donald Trump,
four words to make you despair: Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
and eight words to give you hope: We achieve more together than we do alone”.
The motion didn’t win, but Stella made a lot of new friends.
Intelligence Squared put out a weekly podcast and show videos of past debates. Worth a visit – www.intelligencesquared.com.
Posted by Barry Graham on Sunday, March 18th, 2018 in Features › News ›
Tags: beginning, middle end, the power of a strong opening, writing sppeches