Hi,
When I am asked who was Britain’s greatest ever speaker; I reply with the name, Winston Churchill. Before I explain why, let us look at the average speech given by a busy executive or politician. Many executives or politicians feel stressed before they give a speech. They may be nervous, have other work on their minds or they may be ill prepared. Many of them fail to put enough importance into their speech, and in doing so, lose their audience’s trust, support and understanding. It’s never good for them or for their business or the people they serve.
Was Churchill born a great speaker? The answer is no. Churchill’s early speeches were weak and unstructured, but he quickly learned from the greatest ever leaders. He discovered that Abraham Lincoln memorised Shakespeare and the King James version of the bible. Lincoln studied these works to discover words that were both majestic and easily understood. Churchill did the same, and he added colour by improving his vocal delivery. It was his Irish American friend Bourke Cochran, who taught him how to use his voice like a musical instrument.
Many speakers fail to understand the brilliance of Churchill’s words. They claim his rhetoric was too dramatic and poetic. They sadly miss the greatest lesson from Churchill’s speeches. His majestic words matched the mood and mentality of a nation that craved hope because hope was all it really had. Churchill turned hope into possibility and possibility into victory. He never hid the danger Britain was in during World War 2, but he used the danger to inspire togetherness and a backs to the wall victory. Churchill was a magical speaker because his words were free from the synthetics of many off-the-shelf speeches. The former Bricklayer, Painter and Nobel Prize-winning author understood that a great speech required careful construction and attention to detail in both its colour and its words. Speakers of today should learn from his words, and adapt his techniques for a modern audience.
The Churchill speeches of May and June 1940 will never be forgotten. Even listening to them today puts the greatest motivational speakers in the bottom half of the speakers’ league. Churchill’s speeches prove that his thoughts were far more precise, proactive and positive than many other leaders. Can Obama learn from Churchill? I promise to reveal that in the book.
Tomorrow, I will reveal what marketers can learn from Obama.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square,Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
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