Brian Tracy Reacts to Famous Speeches | Brian Tracy

Hello, I'm Brian Tracyan. Today I want to talk to you about famous speeches. There are a lot of truly incredible speeches out there, but why are they so great? What made them so popular? Let's take a look at some famous speeches throughout time to see what they included to bring them to the next level. Let's start with one of the most popular speeches of all, at least for me. It's Martin Luther King Jr. S I have a Dream speech. This incredible speech, which I have watched over and over again on video, blends masterful language with the technique of repetition. He uses metaphors that make the subject matter easy to understand as well, making it a suitable presentation for a large audience of multiple education levels. While this speech was relevant to the times and spoke to a wide array of people, the content of the speech remains timeless because of the themes that it covers. Addressing the need all people have to believe that things will get better if they just persist. Dr. King presented this speech with strength and passion and confidence, also helping to make it truly memorable. He was genuine, putting himself at the level of his audience and not above them. He drew on the emotions of the listeners and motivated them to rise above current circumstances and unite for a better cause. By the way, I've studied the background of that speech and it turns out that Martin Luther King had given parts of this speech many times over the years, and this time he brought together all of the best parts into a single speech that, as they say, broke the bank and Monte Carlo. Another well known speech in history is George Washington's resignation speech. Congress reads this memorable speech aloud every year for a reason. The issues it contains are still relevant today. Washington begins his speech by getting straight to the point that he will not serve a third term as President. This lays the foundation for the rest of the speech. The speech is detailed and explanatory. He gives his insights on issues, explaining the pros and cons clearly so that the audience can add their thought processes to the ideas he presents. The advice he offers is honest and thoughtful. Even more, and probably the most notable aspect of his speech is, is that Washington remained humble. He thanks the audience, the American people, for the opportunity he had to serve instead of focusing on his own actions. While this would have easily set voters up to likely elect him again, he humbly chooses to resign and to set a better precedent for future elections. Washington also unites his audience. He reminds them of their common interests and goals, motivating them to work together to be successful. Up to that time, by the way, it was assumed that Washington Once the Revolutionary war was won, would become a king, he would declare himself a king, and he would put aside all the talk about stepping down and so on. They said that the greatest thing that Washington ever did was his way of leaving the office in the first place. He actually stepped down, he fulfilled his promise and he passed on a tradition of re election to subsequent kings that has lasted to the current day. Speaking of past presidents, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is another memorable speech. Maybe the best ever given in the English language and definitely the best of the 1800s. We also know the famous speech that starts with four score and seven years ago. But that opening line isn't the only powerful thing about this speech. The Gettysburg Address is short and to the point. It has only about 270 words. Lincoln delivered this speech following another speaker's two hour speech, a man named Edward Everett, at the dedication of the Civil War cemetery at Gettysburg. The reason this speech continues to echo throughout history is because Lincoln used powerful and honest words. He invoked strong emotions relating to human needs and reinvigorated people with his honest convictions about timeless human principles such as liberty, freedom and justice amid discouraging circumstances. The terrible deaths, 50,000 dead at the battle of Gettysburg, by the way, it's an interesting point, is that what they did normally when they had speeches, they did not have sound systems, is they had a speaker. And the speaker was like the length of a movie. In this case. Edward Everett, the top speaker in the United States at that time, spoke for two hours and he talked about Shakespeare and poetry and humor and stories that go back throughout all of human history. And he had people laughing and cheering. Most amazing darn thing. And then when he finished his speech, he put it down and he went and he sat down and Lincoln was invited to stand up. And Lincoln was listening to this speech and thinking, there's no way I could match that speech. But he got up and he organized his papers and he began speaking. The person supposedly recording, photographing the speech had no idea that he was starting the speech. Nobody really knew when his speech was over. Many people didn't even know that he had started and begun two things that happened. Edward Everett, of course a professional, leaned in on his speech. And he said at the end of the speech, he said, I would have given my life to give that speech. 270 words. I would have given my life to give that speech. And Lincoln felt that the speech was a failure. And he got down. And as he sat down, back in his chair, he said, that speech won't scour. Talking about how a plow would cut through the earth when it's being pulled by a horse. They called it scouring. That speech won't scour. And then he went back, took the train back to Washington. Because the speech was so short, is all, the reporters were able to write it down, and then they were able to get onto the telegraph and send it back. And the speech went out and went out and went out to every office and every town and every city and every newspaper, and then it was published. And before Lincoln could get back there, there were copies of this speech in the newspapers throughout the entire United States. And people were standing in groups in the street and in the corners, reading and talking about this speech and referring to it and calling people over. And the whole country was reading this speech, and they said it did as much as anything else to change the direction of the Civil War. So. Amazing. Amazing. Another emotional and memorable speech is Lou Gehrig's Luckiest man speech. Now, Lou Gehrig was a famous baseball player stricken with what at that time was a mysterious disease. That disease is now named after him. It is called als. Gehrig delivered one of the most touching speeches of the 20th century as the disease forced him to retire from baseball. He was one of the most famous and respected baseball players in the world at that time. And now he learned that he was dying. But he didn't make the speech about himself. Instead, he expressed genuine, humble gratitude for having the opportunities he'd had in life. He called himself the luckiest man on earth. And he thanked everyone from the ball field, 50,000 people, for all that they had done to help him in his life. And from the groundskeepers to his parents and his wife, Gehrig's short speech was overwhelmingly positive. You can probably pull it down online and find it and read it in its entirety. It was overwhelmingly positive despite the heavy topic, proving that a great speech can leave your audience feeling more uplifted than before they heard your words. The final speech that stands out as one of the most memorable of all times is John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. This speech has stood the test of time thanks to one perfect phrase where he said, man holds in his hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. This shows that no matter how long your speech is, it's the content that matters. President Kennedy spoke to his audience in a way that made them know he cared about them and had confidence in them and believed that they could accomplish hard things. Like many other famous speeches, he unified his audience in the hopes of accomplishing positive goals. And of course, the other thing he said there was ask not what your country can do for you, but rather ask what you can do for your country. Everybody remembers those words. We don't necessarily follow them, but we remember them. Now that you know a bit more about commonalities between some of the most famous and well known speeches, I'd like to give you my ultimate list of of public speaking tips available for you to download from this site so that you can read it and study from it on your own at home and help you to write your next memorable speech. And now I'd love to hear from you. So my question today is on what topic do you believe you could give your most famous or memorable speech ever? And remember the answer is what change in thinking do you want to make with your speech that will cause people to be different afterwards and to improve their life and work and their relationships? What one speech that would you like to deliver that would accomplish that? Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now. If you enjoyed this video and feel it was valuable in teaching you about famous speeches, share it with your friends or anyone else who might benefit from this information. For more resources on public speaking, visit my website at briantracy. Com. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now.