PUBLIC SPEAKING

The hallmark of my approach to addressing audiences – that which upon I have built my reputation – is to see through the noise to find the signal. And I am very conscious of not parroting the prevailing narrative…an all-too common disease in the world of today’s public speech-making. Given the correct amount of time, my research is wide-ranging, meticulous and driven towards unearthing original insights: I strenuously try to avoid that which has been said too often before. In particular, I seek to distance myself from seeing the world from the perspective of the Western Liberal. If I have a bias – and all of us do! – it is towards rethinking our world’s changing order in light of the new – and, up until the mid-18th Century, old – centre of global economic gravity: Asia.

Typically, my style is rooted in history as I advocate strongly what Churchill said on this subject: “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” My aim is to be different: not to seek controversy but not to avoid it either if I believe something needs to be said. I do not duck tough issues.

My delivery is usually accompanied by arresting visuals. Here I work hard to ensure my PowerPoint presentations tell a powerful story in themselves.

My audiences at Ninety One have varied from ‘one’ (when I sought to brief President Zuma in his Pretoria office ahead of his first state visit to China) to over 5000 (the annual Australian Super Conference in Adelaide, complete as it was with rock music, lasers and dry ice!)

I have also sat on numerous panels, both as inquisitor and inquisitee. I have done my fair share of TV and Radio Appearances, from Johannesburg to London, from Singapore to Sydney, from Dubai to New York.  Even before COVID, I was comfortable using the ZOOM format: in a single day, I addressed an audience in Brunei in my morning and in Santiago de Chile during my evening.

I also do set piece ‘word only’ speeches, most effectively to smaller audiences.