By Lou Hampton
On a recent visit to Winston Churchill's country estate, Chartwell, I took the opportunity to read Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning - Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister.This account by noted European historian John Lukacs of Churchill's May 13th 1940 address to the House of Commons and subsequent speeches given that year has the page-turning qualities of a suspense novel.
Much of Europe had fallen to the Germans. Defeat of Great Britain by Hitler was a real possibility. Some of the British leadership were already discussing suing for peace. Churchill was widely disliked or distrusted by many in his own party.
But Lukacs shows how Churchill rallied the British people, turned political antagonists into supporters, and turned the tide of war. It's an interesting, insightful, and at only 147 pages, quick read.
Churchill used his power of speaking to its full effect in bringing about the changes in public attitude he needed for victory. Lukacs brings out several techniques and strategies Churchill used, which provide powerful lessons for speech writers. Here are 3:
1. Churchill's vision created the rhetoric. He was clear on where he needed to take his audience before he started to write the speech.
2. He was willing to level with the public and let them know the difficulties and sacrifices they would have to make. He trusted the public rather than pandered to them. "I always hesitate to say anything of an optimistic nature, because our people do not mind being told the worst." Honor your audiences by trusting their ability to handle difficult situations.
3. Churchill often used conversations with friends and colleagues to try out phrases and concepts he was thinking about including in the speech. A trial run allows the speaker to refine content and increases the speaker's comfort and confidence. Likewise, speech writers should test their material before sending it to their boss or client.
This is book that will be appreciated by both the reader interested in British and World War II history, as well as by speakers and speech writers interested in the mastery of persuasive rhetoric.
John Lukacs. Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning - Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister. 2008. ISBN #978-046-500287-0
And to keep up to date with other speech writing tools and strategies as well as ideas to protect reputation and succeed in other high-stake communication situations, I invite you to visit http://www.speaktolead.com
From - Lou Hampton, The QuoteAbility Coach and Reputation Protector
