My two favorite Speeches

As a former Toastmaster, I have heard a lot of speeches.  The majority of them have been really good.  A few have been really bad.  I've also had the privilege of attending a lot of conferences and the heard a great deal of professional speakers.  They have all been really good and I've taken something away from every one.  So, picking out two favorite speeches has been difficult, but I think I have it figures out.  Surprisingly, neither one is one of my speeches. 

I just discovered one of my favorite speeches on the weekend.  We have our grandson visiting us.  I love my grandson with all of my heart and soul but my body just doesn't have the stamina to keep up with him as much as I'd like.  So, when he gets a little wound up, we have quiet time with a movie, usually a Disney movie that I enjoyed when his mother was his age.  We were watching Beauty and the Beast.  My sweetie didn't have children of his own so an added bonus of watching the classics with my grandson is that I get to share them with my sweetie.  So, I was a little shocked when my sweetie started singing along with the tea pot in "The Tale as Old as Time".  Mostly shocked because I don't allow him to sing in the house.  If you want to know why, ask him to sing.  You will know why.  Also shocked because he knew the words.  And, then, as the townspeople/prepared to storm the castle, I looked over and there was a tear in my sweetie's eye.  (Ok, he was bawling like a baby)  I asked about his strong reaction.  He said he had watched this movie many times as it was the inspiration for the best speech he had ever heard.  I didn't remember making a speech inspired by Beauty and the Beast. 

He told me the speech was given by Mark Brown at the Toastmaster World Championship of Speaking in 1995.  My sweetie was in attendance for this and he still remembered most of the winning speech by heart.  He remembered the theme;  Ignorance, Intolerance, and Indifference.  We googled it and found it easily. I recommend you do that.  Mark Brown, 1995 World Champion of Public Speaking.  It is impossible to listen to this speech and not be inspired to make your little corner of the world a little better.  It is a call to action to fight against Ignorance, Intolerance, and Indifference.  I watched the speech twice.  The first time I was inspired.  The second time, I was deeply saddened.  The winning speech was written 23 years ago.  It would win if it was presented today.  In 23 years, we haven't made much progress on Ignorance, Intolerance, and Indifference.  Perhaps the only difference between now and then is that the person occupying the residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue advocates and supports Intolerance, Ignorance, and Indifference.   It makes me a little pessimistic that I can make a difference, but I do feel inspired to keep trying.  I think the best tribute to this amazing speech would be to make it irrelevant. 

I heard my other favorite speech 4 years ago this month. It was at MoMonday.  If you never been to a MoMonday, you really need to.  It has been described as part inspiration and part entertainment.  Basically, 6 speakers share their story, their talent, their passion, etc.  Stephanie Staples created this event and when she moved to BC, another couple has taken on the baton.  I''ve been to a few and they have all been excellent.  My sweetie told me that he was going to be giving a speech at the September, 2014 event.  I have to admit, I tried to talk him out of it.  He wouldn't listen.  When we arrived, I discovered he had no notes and he never rehearsed his speech in front of me.  I was very worried.  My sweetie always used some sort of notes when he spoke and I was his unofficial coach.  He always rehearsed in front of me.  I looked at the program and he was the last of 6.  It was a sold out show.  I suggested that the audience might be tired after 5 speakers so we could sneak out and probably no one would mind.  He wanted to stay. 

Like I said, this event is usually first class, but this night was something magical.  The first speaker had the audience in tears, it was so captivating.  The second speaker had the audience in tears of laughter.  I felt sorry for the third speaker having to follow the first two, but the couple also did an amazing job. 

At the half -way break, I was literally sick to my stomach.  I had no idea what my sweetie was going to say and he had no notes.  I suggested more strongly that we sneak out.  He didn't want to.   I asked him it would be alright if I snuck out.  He said I could do what I wanted but he was counting on my support.  I still thought about it, and then decided to stay. 

The fourth speaker had one of the most original journeys that I had ever heard, and that wasn't even the central message of the speech.  The audience was speechless. 

"Are you sure you are up to this", I asked my sweetie.  He told me to stop asking because he had committed to speak and he was going to speak. 

The fifth speaker was a teenage girl who talked about how poetry slam helped her cope with life.  She demonstrated a couple of her spoken word poems and they were outstanding. She came second place in a Manitoba competition missing her chance to go to the nationals in Vancouver.  Her speech was so moving that one lady stood up and volunteered to buy her a plane ticket so she could attend.  More people stood up to give her $100 towards expenses.  All I could think, was could my sweetie follow that? 

Stephanie started to introduce my sweetie.  I tried to sneak into the bathroom.  Stephanie was telling the audience that my sweetie was going to speak about his depression and how his girlfriend made the difference in his life and that girlfriend was in attendance tonight.  "Stand up Shelley," Stephanie said.  She caught me just as I was at the door to the washroom.  I couldn't bail on him now. 

For the next 10 minutes, I was mesmerized as my sweetie chronicled his journey in his speech, "Struggling to Smile."  He gives me credit which I don't deserve.  He did all the work.  I just gave him a nudge.  I thought I knew everything about my sweetie but I learned a lot more.  Listening to this amazing speech, I made a decision.  I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.  Not only did he touch my heart but he was an excellent finale to the night.  It took me a long time to get close to him to give him a hug.  So many others were talking to him. 

He has given the speech many times since then for middle school students as part of his volunteering with Canadian Mental Health Association.  When I was in middle school, I was too cool to react positively to a middle aged man talking about depression.  When he does this speech in front of students, he comes out high as a kite.  He can't believe the insightful questions he receives and also the thoughtful evaluations. 

It is a great speech, but the real reason that it is one of my favorites is because it gives me hope for the future.  If the next generation are so enlightened and so open to mental illness and resources to help, the future looks great.  Maybe the next generation can make Intolerance, Ignorance, and Indifference irrelevant.