Ed Miliband takes the conference stage in a leader's speech that showcases his strengths, tests his weaknesses, and sets the benchmark for Labour's communications approach. Read more

A retrospective on Tony Blair's mastery of the conference format — the technique, the timing, and the consummate professionalism that made him the benchmark for Labour oratory. Read more

The Unite general secretary takes the conference platform on the back foot — and shows how defensive body language and reactive framing can undermine even a forcefully delivered speech. Read more

Gordon Brown addresses the Labour faithful in Manchester and manages to put the political blues to one side — a study in how experienced politicians can compartmentalise and deliver. Read more

The shadow chancellor steps forward with a speech that sets out a genuinely radical economic platform — and demonstrates that content clarity can compensate for presentational limitations. Read more

A Labour defence spokesman's autocue is sabotaged at conference — a startling reminder that your technical infrastructure is as important as your speech preparation. Read more

Corbyn's Liverpool conference speech benefits from unusually sophisticated stage management — proving that even an anti-establishment politician can gain from professional production values. Read more

What a conference leadership speech needs to do that an ordinary speech doesn't — and how Corbyn's delivery approach sheds light on the question. Read more

Ed Miliband delivers an hour-long conference keynote without mentioning the economy. It's a case study in what happens when a speaker relies on memory rather than notes. Read more

Tips for bringing genuine heat to a conference speech — with political conference examples showing the difference between a speech that sizzles and one that merely warms the room. Read more

The conference speech is not a natural home for comedy — but used well, humour can be one of its most powerful tools, as this roundup of political conference examples demonstrates. Read more

Michael Gove delivers a speech that analysts quickly identify as recycled from previous outings — a timely reminder that political audiences have long memories and sharp ears. Read more

Theresa May takes her set-piece conference speech to Glasgow and goes on the attack against the SNP — a study in the strategic use of location as rhetorical context. Read more

David Cameron's conference keynote covers considerable ground — an examination of how the most accomplished political speakers structure an hour of high-stakes oratory. Read more

Theresa May's conference speech ordeal provides the hook for a genuinely practical guide to managing public speaking anxiety — because if it can happen to a Prime Minister, it can happen to anyone. Read more

A close analysis of Cameron's conference technique — the eye contact, the movement, the lack of notes, and the calculated informality that became his conference trademark. Read more

George Osborne delivers a speech that positions him as a natural successor — a study in how ambitious politicians use the conference platform to project future leadership. Read more

George Osborne in Cardiff offers a regional dimension to the conference speech — and shows how location and audience can subtly shift the tone and content of a political address. Read more

George Osborne faces a Chatham House audience with an economy speech that starts hesitantly — and raises questions about how even experienced politicians can lose their footing on unfamiliar ground. Read more

Cameron's pre-conference communications become an accidental comedy — and a reminder that what a speaker says off-script can be as consequential as what they say at the podium. Read more

Theresa May's Manchester conference speech — the cough, the falling letters, the prankster — becomes a checklist of everything that can go wrong on the most important stage of the political year. Read more

Boris Johnson at Doncaster racecourse fails to clear the fences — a conference speech that promised much but delivered rather less than the occasion demanded. Read more

Theresa May's conference speech calamities provide the perfect teaching moment — a practical guide to preparing for every public speaking problem before it finds you. Read more