Martin Luther King Jr I Have A Dream Speech Video / Full Text

I Have A Dream Speech by Martin Luther King Jr

Do you dream of overcoming your public speaking fear?
Don’t allow FEAR to control your life and hold you back.

 

Communication Lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Communication was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s forte. He is one of America’s most influential speakers, even 52 years after his iconic “I Have a Dream…” speech…

King captivated his audience with poetic language and thought-provoking ideas during this speech. He painted a picture of how life could be instead of focusing on the negative aspects of how life was.

Today’s communicators can learn several public speaking lessons from King’s famous speech, including using positive language, narrowing your focus, and using your words to create a visual description…”

Watch Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s  ”I Have A Dream Speech”.

This is the shorter version of the speech.  A great leader is normally a good public speaker.

Get motivated? Practice is the key to helping you improve your communication and presentation skills. Join ToastmastersAgora Speakers, or other public speaking groups to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.

For a full version, check out the below video for “I Have a Dream Speech” –
Martin Luther King’s Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C.

Speech Analysis: I Have a Dream – Martin Luther King Jr.  (from Six Minutes Public Speaking Blog)

“Much of the greatness of this speech is tied to its historical context, a topic which goes beyond the scope of this article.

Instead, I’ll focus on five key lessons in speechwriting that we can extract from Martin Luther King’s most famous speech.

  1. Emphasize phrases by repeating at the beginning of sentences
  2. Repeat key “theme” words throughout your speech
  3. Utilize appropriate quotations or allusions
  4. Use specific examples to “ground” your arguments
  5. Use metaphors to highlight contrasting concepts …”

Here is the full text to the “I Have A Dream” speech.

——–
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

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Highlights of World Champions of Public Speaking 2024

Here are the Results of the World Champions of Public Speaking 2024:   winners-trophy

Congratulations to Luisa Montalvo on becoming the 2024 World Champion of Public Speaking.

Congratulations to Hannah Cheng on finishing in second place.    Congratulations to Angeli Raven Fitch on finishing in third place.

2024 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking: Luisa Montalvo

Here is a summary of the video:
  • A near-death experience: The speaker, Louisa Montalvo, describes a car accident where she was clinically dead for 6 minutes.
  • Rescued by strangers: 37 strangers, including firefighters, EMTs, and medical professionals, worked together to save her life.
  • A vivid near-death experience: Louisa shares her imagined experience of trying to enter heaven but being sent back to life.
  • A 90-day recovery: After the accident, Louisa spent 90 days in a trauma center and rehab facility.
  • Finding value in life: Louisa questioned her own value during her recovery but found inspiration in a young man who had lost his legs.
  • The power of human kindness: Louisa emphasizes the impact of the 37 strangers who saved her life and how their positive energy helped her recover.
  • Encouraging self-worth: Louisa encourages viewers to believe in their own value and to treat others with dignity and worth.
  • A call to action: Louisa calls on viewers to hit the “reset button” and look for second chances in their own lives.
  • The potential of unity: Louisa believes that if 37 people can come together to save one life, imagine what 1,700 people could accomplish together.
  • A message of hope: Louisa’s story is ultimately a message of hope and resilience, showing the power of human connection and the possibility of overcoming adversity.
    ———-

Hannah Cheng: 2nd place winner, 2024 World Championship of Public Speaking

Here is a summary of the video:
  • The video is a speech given by Hannah Chang, who won 2nd place in the 2024 World Championship of Public Speaking.
  • Hannah talks about her experiences of feeling unprepared to take on new challenges, such as traveling abroad, starting a business, and giving a speech.
  • She emphasizes that she often felt like she wasn’t ready, but she eventually realized that she would never be fully prepared.
  • Hannah shares a story about how her boss encouraged her to take a risk and become a partner at a law firm, even though she felt unqualified.
  • She decided to quit her job and move to Taiwan, where she met her future husband, Oscar.
  • Oscar encouraged Hannah to join Toastmasters, and she eventually agreed to participate in a speech contest.
  • Hannah felt lost and unprepared for the contest, but she pushed through and delivered her speech.
  • She encourages the audience to pursue their dreams, even if they don’t feel ready.
  • Hannah emphasizes that it’s important to start and learn along the way.
  • The overall message of the video is that it’s okay to feel unprepared, but it’s important to take action and pursue your goals anyway.
    ———-

Angeli Raven Fitch: 3rd place winner, 2024 World Championship of Public Speaking

Here is a summary of the video:
  • Job loss: The speaker, Angelie Raven Fitch, shares her experience of being replaced by an AI named Sophia at her job.
  • AI capabilities: Sophia is described as being available 24/7, speaking 19 languages, and costing 1% of what a human employee costs.
  • Emotional impact: Angelie describes feeling shocked, ashamed, and stunned after being fired.
  • Social isolation: She withdrew from social interactions and isolated herself at home.
  • Financial difficulties: Angelie reveals that she was struggling financially after losing her job.
  • Support system: Her friend Grace encouraged her to join a writing group to interact with other people.
  • Human connection: Angelie found comfort and connection through sharing stories with the writing group members.
  • Realization of value: She realized the importance of the human voice and its irreplaceable qualities.
  • Unexpected job offer: Angelie was offered her job back after the company realized that Sophia couldn’t replace her.
  • Call to action: Angelie emphasizes the significance of the human voice and encourages viewers to consider their own impact through their voices.
    ———-

Practice is the key to helping you improve your communication and presentation skills. Join ToastmastersAgora Speakers, or other public speaking groups to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.

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public speaking

How To be a Good and Effective Emcee?

How To Be a Good and Effective Emcee?
What makes a good MC? 

a-good-emceeWhat does the master of ceremonies do?

Check out a good reference article “How to Be a Good Master of Ceremonies” at Wikihow.

“A master of ceremonies (also known as an MC or emcee) is the official host for a staged event, performance, or party. Normally, a master of ceremonies introduces speakers, makes announcements, and engages with the audience to keep the ceremony agenda flowing as smoothly as possible. While being a master of ceremonies might seem like a daunting task, there are a few ways you can nail your responsibility as MC, and radiate confidence and charisma to keep the ceremony entertaining for all…

Preparing Before The Event
1. Know your event.
2. Know your responsibilities.
3. Know your role expectations
4. Do your research.
5. Stay organized.

During The Event
1. Remain clam.
2. Prepare the opening of the event.
3. Introduce the speakers.
4. Bridge between segments.
5. Be prepared for anything.
6. Close the event.
————-


“As an emcee, you have to stay in control, even if the unexpected happens.”
“When you are the master of ceremonies (also known as an emcee) of an event, your role is crucial to the success of the program, whether it’s for your company, a professional association or a nonprofit organization. A bad emcee can ruin an event while an excellent one creates a seamless and engaging experience in which speakers feel comfortable and the audience feels included from start to finish…”

Source:  http://www.toastmasters.org/Magazine/Articles/When-You-are-the-Emcee

Here are 12 effective emceeing tips mentioned in the above article:
1. Be clear about your role.
2. Prepare speakers thoroughly.
3. Opening remarks set the tone.
4. Don’t “wing” introductions.
5. Names matter.
6. Titles matter.
7. Staying on time matters.
8. Do an on-site rehearsal.
9. Don’t introduce strangers.
10. Manage the stage.
11. Be prepared for the unexpected.
12. Make sure to follow up.
————-

Check out the below Youtube videos too.

The Role of a Great Conference MC

 How to be a great MC #1 “Secrets to a Great Introduction”


How to be a great MC #2 “The MC’s Secret Weapon”

How to be a great MC #3 “How to keep Speakers On Time!”

How to be a great MC #4 “Keeping Events on Time!”

How to be a great MC #5 – Panel Discussion

How to be a great MC #6 – Getting Names Right

Practice is the key to helping you improve your communication and presentation skills. Join Toastmasters, Agora Speakers or other public speaking groups to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.

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How To Improve Your Impromptu Speaking?

What is Impromptu Speaking?

We do impromptu speaking or simple conversation every day.

Research shows that individuals who can express themselves efficiently advance faster in their careers than those who have difficulty speaking. Toastmasters provides the tools to improve your performance in various situations.

Check out the videos below created by Darren LaCroix that explain what impromptu speaking is. Darren is the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking.

Impromptu speaking gives you the experience of thinking and being in the moment. We treat ourselves for when you’re in front of a boardroom, in front of your boss or customers, or even at regular company meetings. Or whatever is important to you to speak your mind at the moment.

How To Improve Your Impromptu Speaking?

The whole purpose of impromptu speaking is to be able to speak your voice in the moment; what do you think.

Check out the video below that explains how you can improve impromptu speaking.

Agora Speakers International is presented as a free alternative to Toastmasters. It is a solid option if you’re looking for a free alternative to Toastmasters to improve your public speaking abilities.

Both Agora Speakers and Toastmasters aim to provide a supportive environment for people to develop their public speaking and leadership skills.

Practice is the key to helping you improve your communication and presentation skills. Join a public speaking group where you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.

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Public Speaking Tips on Stop Worrying and Start Presenting

Public Speaking Tips & Presentation Techniques

Do you need to deliver a presentation soon? Are you getting nervous and don’t know where to start?

Stop Worrying and Start Presenting!  
The following video will show you some useful tips and techniques on how to prepare, what to expect, and dos and don’ts for giving a successful presentation.

Remember a presentation covers four areas:

1. Preparing your message

  • Cover what’s advertised
  • Make it relevant
  • Don’t commercialize
  • Clarify your message
  • Give examples
  • Tell a story
  • Organize your presentation

2. Prepare your visual content

  • One idea per slide
  • Use Images
  • 30pt. text minimum
  • Make graphs big and bold
  • Don’t read your slides
  • Know the length of your presentation, and the format, and leave 10 minutes for questions.

3. Preparing yourself

  • Practice, practice, and practice
  • Rest your voice and hydrate
  • Wear business professional clothing
  • Things to bring
  • Check your lighting, equipment & meet and greet beforehand

4. Delivery tips

  • Be yourself
  • Establish eye contact
  • State your purpose
  • Watch your body language
  • Show enthusiasm
  • Watch the time
  • Have fun

Now get to work and you can give a good presentation. Practice is the key to helping you improve in public speaking. 

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Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking
Practice is the key to helping you improve in public speaking.

Visit Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club to overcome your fear of public speaking!
Our club is one of the warmest Toastmasters clubs in Singapore.

speaking-skillsKampong Ubi Toastmasters Club holds regular chapter meetings where members gather to improve their public speaking skillsOur Club is one of the warmest Toastmasters clubs in Singapore.
Guests are welcome to visit us!   It’s free of charge and there is no obligation that you have to join our club.  Just come, relax, and see what Toastmasters is all about! 

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