Jan 9, 2018
At the Hollywood Foreign Press Golden Globes Award Show, the alcohol flows freely. Many award recipients reach the podium under the influence, and that makes many of the speeches more entertaining. Of course we're not laughing with the recipients; we're laughing at them. That's in stark contrast to the powerful speech delivered by a seemingly sober Oprah Winfrey.
Alcohol at evening speeches and other events is not uncommon. Many speakers may be tempted to drink to soothe their nerves or "take the edge off." This is generally a bad idea. A speaker needs to be sharp to be effective. If the alcohol is significant enough to relax us, it's significant enough to cloud our view of how we are performing.
So save the partying until after the presentation.
I don't know if Oprah will run for President in 2020, but the speech feels like that's a possibility. Regardless of her ambitions, it's instructive to see how she uses stories to accomplish her goals.