A perfect persuasive story: Nehru’s ‘Tryst With Destiny’

Nancy Duarte

Written by

Nancy Duarte

Image source: Nehru Memorial

When I deliver presentations internationally, I like to use examples of great speeches from the countries I’m visiting. When traveling to India, it was only natural to analyze the beloved speech “Tryst with Destiny” delivered by India’s prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Today would have been Nehru’s 123rd birthday. I wanted to honor his memory by sharing one of his greatest pieces of communication.

This speech was delivered On August 14, 1947, the night before India was going to be freed from British rule. Nehru was very popular in India, and led the country with a global context. He was determined to make India a leader in science and technology.

Nehru’s speech follows an almost perfect frequency as it moves along a persuasive story structure.

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Duarte video: Did Nancy Duarte Analyze Nehru’s Public Speaking?

Now you know that Nehru is famous for more than just his jacket!

 

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