Why You Want to Make Your Speech Title Add Up

A speech by the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, made headlines last week. Not for the quality of its economic analysis or its financial forecasting. No, the headlines came from the Governor's apparent dig at the forces of populism sweeping across Europe and, to some extent, the UK. Evidently populism is frowned upon by central bankers.

But when we read the speech, given at the LSE TRIUM Anniversary Conference on Friday 4 September 2026, we didn't really notice the sideways swipe. Nor were we surprised that a central banker spoke up for the independence of central bankers. That's what they do, after all.

No. What really struck us was the title:

The institutional form of independent central banks: from history to contemporary challenges

That's a mouthful. And it confirms that the Governor is a history graduate with a history PhD to boot. Just about every historical reference that could be made, was made. Locke, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, the French philosopher Montesquieu, Douglass North, David Hume, Thomas Hobbes and John Pocock all put in an appearance. So did Istvan Hont, Mancur Olson, Brian Barry, John Dunn and Jan-Werner Müller. Lord Macaulay, Lord North and John Rawls were tucked away in the footnotes for good measure.

We suspect the Governor knows his audience. He worked at the LSE himself, he's spoken there many times and his wife is a professor there. He's no stranger to the place.

Solid Title Material Misses the Ledger

And here's the irony. The speech itself opened superbly: a letter dated 3 September 1780, written by a 23-year-old aide to George Washington, quoted word for word. That aide was Alexander Hamilton. A date, a number, a quotation and a reveal, all in the first thirty seconds. That's title material. It just never made it to the title. 

Admirable as this whirlwind tour of central banking history was, the lesson for the rest of us is simple. We all need to pay more attention to our speech titles.

Titles Matter Twice

Titles matter when you give a speech. First, they matter to you. A good title consolidates your thinking, shapes how your speech is pieced together and guides how it's delivered.

Second, your title acts as a magnet for your audience. Done properly, it suggests value, interest, benefit and significance. Much like a book's cover, your speech title needs to attract attention before a word is spoken. That's why so many titles feature a bold statement, a striking fact or figure, or a quotation.

This must be difficult for a central banker whose job is to hold down the interest rate.

So when it's your turn to give your next speech, consider the importance of your title, both for you the speaker and, above all, for your audience. Because you need to get real with your speech title.

Do all this and your speech is likely to grow the interest rate and hit all the base points. You might even be in the money. If only we could forecast such an outcome.

For more public speaking and presentation tips, you'll find our full series here. And when you're ready to sharpen your own presentation skills, please don't hesitate to get in touch.