Speeches
Sunday, 21 July 2024
Rostrum 101st Anniversary Luncheon
Rod, and I as Patron, are delighted to be with you at this luncheon to celebrate Rostrum International’s 101st Centenary, on the exact day it was founded in Manchester.
Rostrum prides itself on providing a friendly environment for its members to practise public speaking. And already I can sense I am among friends.
Today we celebrate the role of Rostrum in encouraging and nurturing effective speaking and the power of the spoken word.
Words that can encourage, uplift, give hope, persuade, and create change.
We can all point to moments in history when just a few words conveyed deep meaning: Winston Churchill’s We shall never surrender, Martin Luther King Jr’s I have a dream, John F Kennedy’s Ich bin ein Berliner.
In recent times we think of the words of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafza who addressed the United Nations thus. “So here I stand, one girl among many. I speak not for myself but for all girls and boys. I raise up my voice, not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard”.
Such powerful words for someone who was just 16 at the time.
Young voices can be influential voices. I always encourage young people not to leave a room without saying what they want to say because young voices can challenge the norm and give new perspectives.
Rostrum recognises this with its Voice of Youth competition giving young people greater confidence and skills in public speaking.
Friends
Although I enjoyed debating at school, as a young adult I became nervous about public speaking and if I am to be honest, I didn’t particularly like it.
In my early professional career, when public speaking was becoming more important, I discovered a device that worked well.
I realised that when I stepped onto a stage, I could step into the role I was expected to play.
Not exactly acting but taking on the confidence and persona of my role. In that way I could be a vice-consul at the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong, Acting High Commissioner in London, Ambassador in Beijing ….. and Governor.
After a while you grow into public speaking.
As I am sure you have discovered, it can be very enjoyable, sometimes challenging, but in a good way.
I also learned that it is important to be able to think quickly on your feet.
I have seen successive Prime Ministers at global summits be able to hold a room or sway a debate by being strong listeners and having strong people skills.
They were influential because they could speak off the cuff and engage with points made by other speakers, a stark contrast to others who stuck to prepared texts.
In my experience good leadership is often founded on knowing how to structure a persuasive argument and articulate it well.
The other trick I learned was concision.
To that end, I congratulate and thank all the volunteers who co-ordinate the Rostrum Clubs.
If I may, as your patron, I encourage you, as you look to the future, to expand to rural areas where great public speaking could provide a more influential regional voice.
I also congratulate the members who will be awarded medals today.
I wish Rostrum all the best for the future and look forward to the South Australia’s own Centenary in 12 years’ time when you will still be ensuring that people are “not silent when they ought to speak”.