What Amal's speech tells us......Financial Times

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Unfortunately to read the analysis you have to ssubscribe

PAN - You don't have to subscribe. I just clicked on the link under the photo. Interesting that the author chose this as an example of how to give an effective speech. I wonder if she wrote it herself.

Financial Times

What Amal Clooney teaches us about public speaking

The human rights lawyer offers a glimpse behind the public image

In her tribute to husband George last week, Amal Clooney's technique was the main thing to learn from: it was carefully balanced, seeming personal without oversharing

   

June 13, 2018 3:00 am by Sam Leith

A lot of what I write in this column about ethos — the way a speaker presents him or herself to an audience — focuses on the professional credentials they present: a speaker tells the audience who he or she is as a public person.

Amal Clooney’s speech to the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award gala in Hollywood last week presented an affecting and effective twist on that formula.

The human rights lawyer, whose husband George was honoured at the event, barely needs to offer her professional credentials. She is internationally famous. So is he — indeed, as she reminded us, he has been “nominated for awards in more categories than any other human being on the planet”.

What she did here, though, was offer a glimpse behind those public personae at the personal ones. Anyone in business can learn from this: in the right circumstances (a company pep-talk rather than a pitch for new business; a colleague’s retirement party rather than a disciplinary hearing) a little personal warmth can be winning.

Her technique is the main thing to learn from: this was carefully balanced, seeming personal without oversharing. She used simple, unaffected language. And as with all speeches that trade on simplicity, spontaneity and ingenuousness, it was artfully put together.

“It’s somehow easier for me to address a court on behalf of a detainee than to speak publicly — as I’m doing for the first time tonight — about my husband.”

That sentence at once reminds us of Mrs C’s professional standing; offers — in its admission of nervousness — a winning modesty, and promises a unique level of intimacy and personal engagement.

Here we’re going to see not the great lawyer Amal Clooney speaking about the great actor George Clooney, but a wife speaking about a husband.

This is especially effective since, of course, their status as a couple has been the subject of more excited speculation and attention than either of their professional eminences.

She joked that “luckily” she was speaking here without “a white horsehair wig”; but had worn some “waterproof mascara, just in case”. Again, here’s the contrast between public and private; and the hint of vulnerability, the promise of authentic emotion.

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She was affecting to offer the real her, and through that the real George Clooney. She used enumeratio — listing three things about Clooney; that he is “a gentleman”, that he is “generous”, and that he “picks good fights”. But lest he sound like a plaster saint, she offered each time a little run of noble works and then undercut the piety with a deflationary joke — whether references to Matt Damon’s trousers, the old nappies-and-Nutella routine, or Walter Cronkite’s remark about Clooney “diving off the high board without knowing whether there’s any water in the pool”.

A teary-eyed George Clooney reacts to his wife's speech Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

That technique is very winning. And, of course, as well as charming an audience, humour is a token of the authentic self, the offstage self. Laughter connects people — and in this speech it connects George and his wife (along with such stardusty figures as Cronkite) and it connects them to the audience, which is invited to share in it.

The movement of the speech is towards greater intimacy. First she addressed the public excellence of George as it illuminated his private character. Then she moved on to his private excellence — in the process shedding the skin of bulletproof international human rights lawyer to paint herself as a 35-year-old woman “quite resigned to the idea that I was going to be a spinster”, and suddenly “hiding out in my London flat”, giddy as a teenager.

In her peroration she used apostrophe to address Mr Clooney directly — “he” giving way to “you” — so the audience was no longer being told, but was put in the position of overhearing:

“You fill our home with laughter and happiness and that’s even before the children have worked out that Da-Da is actually Batman, a talking fox and friends with Mary Poppins. I’m so proud of you, my love. Congratulations on this great honour that you’re receiving tonight. I’m proud of you, but I also know that when our children find out not only what you have done, but who you are, they will be so proud of you too.”

And there we are: ethos again, not Mrs Clooney’s but Mr Clooney’s; “not only what you have done, but who you are”.

In the event it was Mr Clooney, moved to tears by his wife’s tribute, who needed the waterproof mascara. Only the hardest of hearts, surely, can blame him.

No doubts in my mind that she wrote it...that's why she was nervous - not her normal audience

PAN - I mis-spoke (mis-posted? ) I didn't mean to insinuate she didn't write her speech - just that I wondered if she had help. It must be quite daunting to give that kind of speech in front of such a large audience of strangers. I know I'd want to run it by someone ahead of time to get a second opinion.

Lizzy, I think you're right. She probably send it to someone, to have some advice or corrections. 
We all do that, and we don't have to address million of people.

When I read Amal's whole speech I found it sincere 
and moving
I liked her reference to their twins !

George's parents must have felt very proud
 of their son during that evening.

For sure Joanna they must be very proud of George

Lizzy - you could be right, but I doubt it, unless it was someone like Nick Clooney. This lady has addressed the UN Security Council - and Assembly - and, in a way given them a dressing down about lack of action on ISIS. A very daunting task! And now endless packed halls for conferences.

But she had done quite a lot of this sort of thing, but obviously about law, in front of Kings, Princes Army generals, law conferences etc in all sorts of different countries around the world.

What made this different for her was the personal nature of what she said in front of a room of George's peers - and many actors. A daunting prospect. But she obviously wanted to do it.
And given the number of times George has said wonderful things e g Golden Globes, Cesars etc etc, it was a lovely thought.

And I'm not sure about the Nick thing, cos
it was an absolutely personal thing just for George.

party animal - not! wrote:Lizzy - you could be right, but I doubt it, unless it was someone like Nick Clooney. This lady has addressed the UN Security Council - and Assembly - and,  in a way given them a dressing down about lack of action on ISIS. A very daunting task! And now endless packed halls for conferences.

But she had done quite a lot of this sort of thing, but obviously about law, in front of Kings, Princes Army generals, law conferences etc in all sorts of different countries around the world.

What made this different for her was the personal nature of what she said in front of a room of George's peers - and many actors. A daunting prospect.  But she obviously wanted to do it.
And given the number of times George has said wonderful things  e g Golden Globes, Cesars etc etc, it was a lovely thought.

And I'm not sure about the Nick thing, cos
it was an absolutely personal thing just for George.

PAN, those are attributes that make Amal a great catch.

Amal’s speech was very personal.  Straight from the heart.    As PAN said Amal has given tons of speeches and she is an experienced writer.  I think this was 100% her effort. 

Nick and Nina have a lot to be proud of in their son and their daughter-in-law.

I don't think Lizzy was saying that she didn't write it, but that maybe she send it to so someone (like we all would do) to see if the speech was okay or if they had some suggestions, especially because she never talked in front of this crowd before. 

I'm also sure than when she speaks in front on the UN or somewhere else she asks for advice on what she's written: not even advices, maybe just an opinion.

As I said before, I wasn't questioning whether she wrote the speech - just whether she had any help or asked someone for their opinion. This was not the usual speaking engagement for her and the topic of her speech was intensely personal. I wouldn't fault her for seeking advice.

If I were her, I had definetely shown the speech to somebody beforehands, no matter how often I do speeches.
And that's nothing bad, why not benefitting from others' expertise?
But I don't think somebody else wrote the speech for her. Giving speeches in front of large auduences is nothing new for her, she's been on podiums and stages for discussions and has written /co-written books. So she knows how to express sher opinion.