The Power of Presence: Lessons from Paul Atreides’ Speech in Dune Part 2
In this scene, Paul controls his tone—sometimes loud, sometimes light. He uses pauses to control the rhythm. He interacts with his audience with strong eye contact. He tells of the future and the past
Spoiler alert! This article includes scenes and spoilers from Dune Part 2.
The Speech
One of the scenes I remember most is Paul Atreides’ speech to the Fremen, declaring himself the one, the Messiah, the Lisan al-Gaib. He promises to lead them to a green paradise.
This speech hits deep, it's powerful, full of presence. The addition of the Fremen language makes this scene even stronger.
When I was in the theater watching this speech, it felt like Timothée Chalamet was also my Lisan al-Gaib.
Speaking with Mindfulness
What makes a speaker charismatic? In my How Feyd-Rautha Inspired Me to Be Mindful and Charismatic article, you’ve learned that a large part of charisma comes from presence.
When the speaker fully engages with what they are saying, interacts with their audience, makes strong eye contact, and mindfully controls the rhythm of the speech—combined with decent content—these are the elements of a good speech.
But what is the core concept behind these elements? You guessed it right: Mindfulness.
To fully engage with the audience, to control the speed, and so on, you need to be present, to know what is going on around you, and to know what you are going to say next.
To be present, you have to practice mindfulness first.
Back to Paul’s Speech
In this scene, Paul controls his tone—sometimes loud, sometimes light. He uses pauses to control the rhythm. He interacts with his audience with strong eye contact. He tells of the future and the past using his prescient power. He gives the Fremen hope and vows to lead them to their goal with the witness of The Hand of God.
Well, he just hits every point of a good speech!
“Lisan al-Gaib!”
But behind all those aspects, we can clearly see that Paul Atreides is fully present. His existence is so strong, his movements and eyes are so powerful.
That’s the power of presence.
Powerful Speakers
Of course, the movie can use music, editing, and camera movements to make the scene stronger. But this speech technique is not only seen in the movies.
You can see the same speech technique in tons of charismatic speakers, politicians, and lecturers. From Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, Matthew McConaughey, to Jordan Peterson and so many more. (Just go to YouTube, type these names + speech)
You will never see a speaker with a flat tone, blurred tongue, speaking so fast without any pause, only looking at their script on the table. And people would comment below the video saying, “This just hit my heart so badly.”
Speaking Exercise
Now you understand how mindfulness can help you in speech. You also know the elements of a good speech. It’s time to practice!
- Catch Every Opportunity: From school or office presentations, meetings, friend chats, to real speeches. Practice being mindful while you are speaking.
- Plan Your Voice: Imagine how to make your voice more dramatic—where should it be powerful, where should it be light and quiet.
- Pause: Lots of speech technique books tell you that a pause is one of the most powerful tools in speech. Find the spots you want to stress; a pause is a good tool to use, but don’t pause all the time!
- Eye Contact: Try to look at your audience, see through their eyes, but don’t maintain eye contact too long to make them uncomfortable.
- Writing Helps You Speak: Since I started writing, I find I can speak more clearly and logically. Writing helps you organize your thoughts and express them in a better, easier-to-understand way.
I have to say, this is really hard, especially for a person like me who gets nervous so easily. My heart pumps even speaking in a casual chat with only seven people.
But maybe don’t see it as a hard exercise. It’s just another mind playground for you to find something interesting and have never noticed.