all the right answers but because they are perceived to have experienced the same confusion and contradictions as the rest of the population" (3). The purpose of a leadership speech is to foster that perception and so open the way for post-speech action on the ideas articulated in the speech. In short, authenticity, put in the service of persuasion toward action, is decisive in determining which a speech has the effect of inspiring others to a commitment to follow. Pearce cites John F. Kennedy and Barbara Jordan, each of whom suffered from certain limitations of public-speaking technique, whose ability to engage and inspire an audience could be traced to the perception of their passionate attachment and commitment to ideas (15). This does not mean that technique is not important. A speech must be planned, and speaking must be cultivated as a discipline; however, when Pearce advocates "speaking from the inside out" (23), he is making the case that the best speeches (i.e., those that inspire others) express the speaker's "strongest convictions" (24).
The second chapter deals with strategies for recognizing core values and convictions and transform them into the strategies for making a connection of authenticity with an audience. A commitment to articulating these values implies the need for introspection and self-clarification of them. The point is that values "create . . . conviction" (28). They come from within, are connected to autobiographical experience and feelings that the speaker shares. These values must be articulated in a systematic way. Thus, the speech must be written, although it need not be delivered word for word as written. The writing, plus rehearsal, is an exercise in clarification and articulation of a message in an effective way. Pearce discusses the structure of a speech, or the pattern of narrative, ideas, and organization that governs the perception of authenticity. He terms it a "template of components that wil...