Whatever would the world be without teleprompters! That magic piece of glass has changed the grasp for power everywhere. Speech writers for politicians are worth their weight in inflationary-priced gold! The best of the best can make $100,000 per project, or over $300,000 a year. But oh boy they are worth it — when they can capture an audience with emotion on a Teleprompter, even if nothing could’ve been said ad lib in a meaningful way.
“Great speech!” What in the world does that even mean — since they didn’t write it themselves, the phrases were manufactured for pay and poll-tested, and keeping a promise is never enforced? Do we all “really” believe Hollywood actors reading someone else’s lines energetically makes Dustin Hoffman for-real into Mr. Magorium, or Jack Nicholson for-real into Batman’s Joker? Reading lines is only just that.
What if everyone had to write their own speeches, from the heart — and got a lien on their house or bank account wiped out if they intentionally misrepresented someone or something, or their actual platform. What if there were real-world consequences for deceit or manipulation? Hmmmmm. Fascinating proposition.
“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”
-Peter Drucker
