Add this topic to your myFT Digest for news straight to your inbox
A lesson in public speaking for Halloween
Chancellor’s words evoked generosity, while leaving plenty of wriggle room
The actor’s address to Variety’s Women of Power event borrows from classical techniques
Her pitch included deft digs at opponents both inside and outside the Tory party
The opposition leader attempts to bring radical values into mainstream politics
The Queen’s 1947 Cape Town speech may not have been delivered live. Does it matter?
A collection of ‘hilariously talky’ short stories in which lonely characters often walk away from their own lives
The term echoes some of history’s most dishonest sloganeering
Giuliani’s outburst on behalf of US president is very like a Shakespearean sound bite
The Labour leader’s canned video was a poor substitute for an authentic live speech
Pitting Nick Drnaso’s ‘Sabrina’ against conventional novels is an aesthetic nonsense
US secretary of state’s speech addressed three audiences in one
A theatrical murder is at the heart of this nostalgia-filled 1950s seaside detective romp
The former slave’s 1852 oration makes a very modern point about ‘tone policing’
Congressman Ryan invokes values in his tirade against US family separation policy
The human rights lawyer offers a glimpse behind the public image
The president’s commencement speech cannily referenced military language and rituals
The Apple chief should have dared to ‘think different’ before using a well-worn template
The First Lady’s 1990 advice to students still resonates today
How a school shooting survivor commanded an audience by saying nothing at all
Technology has recreated the Dallas event that never was — without the humanity
Hollywood orators invoke solidarity with minorities and under-threat Dreamers
Academics for and against leaving the EU bring nothing to the debate
A promising debut novel is undermined by its author’s weakness for solemnity
Unguarded comments made on air are dangerous but delicious — and highly persuasive
