Listen for different vocal textures, speeds, volumes, pauses. How do they occur? Did the sounds seem planned or did they seem to arrive naturally from the speaker’s emotional response to what they are communicating?
“Finding Forrester”
Scene from “Finding Forrester“, 2000, Columbia Pictures Corp (Sony Pictures). Fast-forward to 6:45 to get to why this clip appears here. William Forrester (Sir Sean Connery) explains to Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) to write, just write without thinking. Just write! If this doesn’t inspire you to write feely, nothing will!
Elizabeth Edwards
Instead of a live audience, Elizabeth Edwards speaks with a camera; I felt like she spoke with me personally. I spoke with her by listening. I hope ”A Question for You,” independent of your political leanings, inspires you to make a positive contribution any way you can.
“The Hollow Men”
Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) reading T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men” in the movie “Apocalypse Now!”, 1979, Zoetrope Studios. I’ve heard other readings of this poem, but none compare with this combination of cinematography, light, music, tempo to create this sensory masterpiece.
Ultimate Passion – Steve Palmer, CEO Microsoft
EVERY time I watch Steve Balmer, CEO of Microsoft, in this video it makes me smile. He IS passionate!
“I Have a Dream” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
One of the greatest speeches of all time.
“Born for Love” – Leo Buscaglia
Perhaps the most played speaker in my collection. Below the video, click the link to display all 10 parts of this 10-part video at YouTube.
Click —> “Born for Love” all 10 parts.
P.S. To the Toastmasters, Leo stands behind a lectern and uses notes… who cares?!
“Relational Presence” – Lee Glickstein
Thank you Lee for teaching us to “Be with…”
“How it All Ends” – Greg Craven
Greg Craven’s series on global warming and taking action. Great use of props and humour to make a serious point. Spread the word. You can easily navigate all the videos in the series at the Web site Manpollo Project.
A picture of me from 2004 (Greg and I look similar?)
Barbara Jordan
Keynote Speech – 1976 Democratic Convention
Barbara Jordan’s speech appears on American Rhetoric.com. If clicking the picture above does not work correctly, try clicking this link. This audio clip can take a while to load.
Maya Angelou
Sometimes a quietly self-assured voice can express ideas more deeply…
Craig Ferguson Speaks From the Heart
A rare moment on television: someone who normally performs speaking honestly and openly about something very important to him or her.
United States President George W. Bush
Learn from this video.
Steve Bridges and President Bush at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
LOVE
Some use their voice to start wars; others use it to end the cycle of violence and teach others to Leave Out ViolencE (LOVE). One way that LOVE helps youths is by teaching them to speak in public, sharing their experiences with giving and receiving violence.
These young people are fabulous. Please listen to our youth… they have so much to say.
Visualize your Speech!
Learn from Astrid Whiting, medical exercise specialist, author and personal trainer about using visualization to achieve peak performance. The principle of visualization that works for sport also works for public speaking!
Before you speak, visualize yourself as a confident, self-assured speaker. Imagine what it will sound like; imagine how you will move, imagine people nodding and smiling as they receive the benefit of the information you share.
Jenn Davies Interview for National Kids Cancer Ride
Jenn Davies of Kelowna, B.C. speaks very articulately of her involvement in the National Kids Cancer Ride.
Tribute to Don Lafontaine – Movie Trailer Voice
I always enjoyed listening to “The” voice, never knew who it was, and never had the presence of mind to find out. Well, now I know and also found out that he passed away on 2008-09-01. I honor his work and dedication.
See www.donlafontaine.com for more.
The Magic Hockey Helmet – Miller Donnelly
I dedicate Miller’s speech to the little boy or little girl inside each of us who wonders, “Can I really make a difference?”
Miller, yes you can – yes you ARE making a difference. I give you a standing ovation for a great speech; impeccable logic. Well done!
Nick Vijicic – Amazing
Watch and listen to how Nick masterfully builds rapport and falls flat on his face, literally. Then watch how he lifts the hearts of an auditorium of young people as he lifts his body off the stage. By the way, Nick has no arms or legs. Listen to how few words he uses to accomplish the turn from humour to heartfelt. Amazing!
Craig Senior Interviewed by Bob Urichuck
You finally get to see a video of me! We shot this in one take, the first take. Then we went showshoeing for two hours!
Donate to help children living with and beyond cancer at http://CraigSenior.SNKCR.com
Ram Das – Be Here Now
Pay attention to his voice and pacing on this one. The video goes black part way through. Dr. Bill Ramos created this video for a workshop and used the blank screen “[sic] by purpose coz i wanted the workshop attendees to use their imagination on these parts, the words serving as guided imagery. I felt the words are too powerful to be represented by visuals. these were actually quite powerful during the worskhop being flashed in a big screen, in a dark room.”
