Sunak’s statesmanlike performance in PM speech

On 25 October, Rishi Sunak delivered a pitch-perfect, statesmanlike speech in assuming the role of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

In times of crisis citizens want – above all else – a leader, to be a ‘beacon of hope’. Sunak was that beacon of hope, through how he presented himself and communicated his messages.

Tellingly, the last words of the speech were “. . . and fill tomorrow and everyday there after with hope.”

With the benchmark of a credible, believable, inspiring leader of state, giving a first speech as Prime Minister, in a time of turmoil, I scored Sunak: 9/10.

Here is more analysis of the speech:
– Sunak’s measured cadence aligned, with his sober yet inspiring messages. Important messages should never be spoken with a rushed delivery. Sunak was not afraid to pause. He conveyed that he deserved the time he was using.

– The energy in his vocal tone along with punctuating his thought groups, combined to underpin Sunak’s own belief in the words he was speaking. People will believe your certainty. They may not know if an idea is good or not, but they will believe how certain you are that it is a good idea.

– Sunak’s body was still. This posture conveyed certainty.

– Memorable sentences that were emphasised with a sharp vocal ‘attack’ included: “Some mistakes were made”, Difficult decisions to come”, Day in and day out”.

– There was use of the literary devices of anaphora and parrallelism including: “Control our borders”, Protecting our environment”, “Supporting our troops”.

– The length of the speech (6:04 minutes) suited the situation. Long enough to give weight to importance of Suank’s messages but not too long to lose the attention of the audience.

My one suggestion to Sunak for improvement would be, to speak the first 30-45 seconds of the speech without referring to his speaking notes.

Here is the LINK to the speech.