As a former councillor, Mayor and local government association representative, Tracey Roberts understands what being a candidate is like. She successfully turned a very safe Liberal seat held by the former Attorney-General into a very safe Labor seat with a margin of 14%.
The pattern of progressive women beating conservative men continues!
Tracey’s speech talks about her experience as a migrant to Australia, her local government experience (it’s impressive) and her family.
Where her speech is strongest is in her bringing a unique perspective on the topic of health – an area she is strongly focusing on. This is due to her experiences that she talks about briefly in this snippet.
“As a breast cancer survivor, I’m acutely aware of the importance of the financial investment in good health services and progressive medical research that saves lives, for, without this investment in medical research and services, I would most likely not be here today to experience this moment. I certainly would not have had my two much-loved sons, Lee and Matthew, who are first-generation Australians, nor my adored grandchildren.”
This is a perspective that many of us don’t have and Tracey uses it well to illustrate her point.
To use your unique perspective in your own speeches:
• Storytelling is great but it’s always better when your story offers a unique perspective. What is it about your experience that you can share? Personal stories help facilitate connection.
• You can go into as much or as little detail as you like. Tracey briefly touched on her experience and it was enough to establish that her perspective was unique. If you want to go deep – do it.
• There can be many perspectives within the same experience. Not every cancer survivor is going to feel or think the same way about what they’ve been through. Be true to your own thoughts, feelings and memories.
Give it a try for yourself and let me know how you go.
If you need more help, download my free guide to writing ovation-worthy speeches here.
