Lessons from history and today on why brief speeches are simply better

AN awards ceremony in Limerick. A newspaper apology in the US. The Gettysburg Address. This weekend crafted an odd connection between the three.

The awards ceremony was that staged by the Limerick Chamber of Commerce on Friday night. Now, here’s the truth about awards ceremonies from one who has served as master of ceremonies at dozens of them. They’re a lot of fun because everybody’s on a celebratory high, so moaning and bitching doesn’t happen. The MC has a ball because a PR company provides all the speaking notes while juggling the awards, be they scrolls, lumps of plastic, or cups of silver, and managing the bouquets is someone else’s problem. The only downside is that they always take exactly twice as long as they’re supposed to.

“The keynote speaker will address those present at 7pm on the button,” the organiser promises. “Then there’ll be one award between each course — no speeches, each recipient just says a few words of thanks — and you’ll be winding everything up around 9pm.”