4.3. JESSE JACKSON'S 1984 DAVID AND GOLIATH SPEECH

Whatever your politics, you know who he is and what he stands for. Long before he was the de facto pundit of democratic politics, he was a presidential candidate delivering speeches with a flavor only preacher-politicians can muster. Jackson exhibits one of the secret weapons of presenting: making the old new again. Every listener had no doubt heard the David and Goliath story—in many cases, more times than could be counted. But Jackson put a unique twist on the story, likening the fatal stone to unregistered voters, and he put a dramatically sharp edge on his point by doing so. He may not have won the presidency, but you can still see networks soliciting his opinions almost every week 26 years later.

Jackson demonstrates the value of fresh perspective. Presenters often agonize over generating brand-new, innovative content without realizing that sometimes a deft twist on an old story will do the trick just fine.