Speechwriters and speakers should “die harder”

I caught the original Die Hard movie on TV the other day, and remembered why I love it. First, there’s a young, virile Bruce Willis (with hair) – so cool, so tough, so much the hero. Sigh…

Then, there’s the plot – so simple it’s genius. On Christmas Eve, NYPD Detective John McClane visits his estranged wife Holly at her office in LA’s Nakatomi Tower for a reunion and a Christmas party. But terrorist Hans Gruber (the wonderful Alan Rickman) and his cohorts burst in – taking over the building and taking McClain’s wife and some 30 others hostage.  

Throughout the rest of the movie, McClane eludes the bad guys, forms a friendship via CB radio with LA Police Sergeant Al Powell (the sweet Reginald VelJohnson), and eventually thwarts the evil-doers, saves the hostages…and his relationship with Holly.

Believe it or not, as I watched the movie I thought about speakers and speeches. Wouldn’t you follow John McClane anywhere? Wouldn’t you believe what he told you? Wouldn’t you know he’d get you out of any tough spot?

You bet. He’s a natural leader. Tough, compassionate, street smart.

And the script? Simple, linear, compact. The problem is clear; the solution obvious. It’s McClane and the forces of light vs. Gruber and the forces of darkness.   

Can speakers and speechwriters learn anything from a film like Die Hard? I think so. First, a speaker must project honesty, empathy, resolve. He must have and express a clear mission. 

Next, the speechwriter must make sure the speech narrative is clear, concise, compelling. Don’t try to cover the waterfront. Limit your messages, rally the troops. Help your speaker be the hero.

Yippee kai yay.