METHOD Giving a convincing speech

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms/film/made_in_dagenham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l1B1ugcMGI

Made in Dagenham tells the story of real events at Ford’s

Dagenham factory in 1968 that resulted in the 1970 Equal Pay
Act. The women went on strike to protest the fact that they
were classed as unskilled workers. Spokeswoman Rita had to
win the support of the factory’s union representatives by
giving a convincing speech at the Trade Union Conference.

> Practice exercise

Give a convincing speech

a. Watch the speech. Say what strikes you and makes it convincing.

b. Match each item (on the left) with its corresponding effect on the audience (on the right)

1. Use a powerful (usually moving)

anecdote ●
2. Ask (straightforward) rhetorical
questions ●
3. Hail and call on your audience ●
4. Use three-part lists ●
● a. to catch your audience’s
attention right from the start.
● b. to give dramatic effect and
rhythm to your discourse.
● c. to get them want to act about
the situation.
● d. to get your audience to agree
and make your statement stronger.
 c. Match each strategy above to an extract from the speech.
Quote 1: “My best friend lost her husband recently”  strategy:

Quote 2: “When did that change? When did we, in this country, start bein’ happy, to do
nothin’?”  strategy:

Quote 3: “It has NOT changed. That is NOT us...It is NOT you...”  strategy:

Quote 4: “Unless you back us, you stand up, you remember who you are”  strategy:

d. Spot the following elements at the end of the speech and highlight them using
different colours.
reference to noble principles – contrastive intonation – repetition / anaphora – striking image –

“Unless you back us, you stand up, you remember who you are and you accept, that this is a
matter of principle. Women are entitled to the same rates of pay as men. And that is it. No
matter the cost, no matter the difficulty, no matter them that are gonna lose out, no human
being should be punished in the workplace cause’ve how they was born! (Cheers. Rita calls
above them) We are the working classes. The men and the women. We are the furnace which
fires the world and without us nobody earns tuppence h’appenny! (big cheer)

We are not separated by sex, only by the will of those who are not prepared to go into battle
for what is right - and those who are!”

RECAP:
Rule 1: Have a real presence on stage  expressive body language and intonation.
Rule 2: Get your audience’s support by using examples they can identify with and referring to
undeniable (moral) principles.
Rule 3: Use rhetorical devices to strengthen the impact of your words (i.e. three-part lists,
repetitions, metaphors, rhetorical questions, etc.).