2nd Century Salesman Reveals The Secret To Speaking Like A Leader

TL;DR

1. Why do we speak?

2. The speaking secrets of a 2^nd century salesman

3. The spirit of liberty

Why do we speak?

What is the purpose of speaking?

This is a question we don’t ask enough.

All too often we accept a speaking engagement because we’re asked – and only because we’re asked.

But there has to be a why.

Why are you speaking? Why should you speak? What is the purpose – what do you want to gain or achieve from speaking?

These are the specific questions that need to be asked.

You need to ask them every single time you have to speak or give a presentation.

These are the same questions I ask with every client.

But there’s also a deeper question that sites behind the specifics of any one speech.

That us – what is the purpose of speaking ever?

This is the fundamental question.

It’s the First Principle – if you will – of my job as a speechwriter.

Why does any of speak?

Simple: to communicate.

Let’s break down what that actually means.

I have a long love of languages – including Latin – in fact, I teach it on the side.

So I like to look at the root of the words we use.

And communicate is an interesting one.

It comes from the Latin word communicare.

Now, communicare can mean several things, but its core meaning is ‘to divide or share something’ with another person.

If you have a sandwich, for example, and you divide it between you and a friend – that’s communicare.

Which leads to another meaning of communicare – ‘to make something held in common’.

So once that sandwich is divided, it’s now ‘held in common’ – we both have it. And we both have ownership over it.

So what’s ‘held in common’ when you communicate through a speech? What do you ‘divide and share’?

Your message.

An idea.

Which means if you want to speak, you have to have a very clear idea of what that message or idea is that you’re going to divide and share with your audience so they walk away holding the same idea at the end.

Why am I going on about this?

Because it makes a huge difference for what – and for how – your speech communicates.

Let’s take a silly example.

Say you have made a beautiful cake – an Alsatian coffee cake, perhaps – and you want me to try it and appreciate just how good it is.

Do you give me a piece on the same plate as a pile of pasta, a scoop of ice cream, a few squares of chocolate, and a slice of pizza?

No.

Of course you don’t.

If I eat everything on the plate, the flavour of that beautiful coffee cake is lost.

Perhaps it’s not even the one I most remember anymore.

Or maybe I’m just too stuffed to really appreciate it.

Now, if all you wanted was for me to remember your hospitality, that’s fine.

But if you wanted me to like that Alsatian coffee cake?

You done messed up.

The same goes for a speech – do you want the audience to be impressed?

Or do you want them to be sold?

Most speakers get up – speak – and we all agreed they spoke.

But that’s about it.

Great speakers, on the other hand, get up and sell.

The speaking secrets of a 2nd century salesman

This reminds me of something I read recently.

I’ve been reading the Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus.

The funny thing is, he never wrote anything – what we have was written down as notes by his student Arrian.

And Arrian writes in his introduction that – because it’s written from off the cuff speaking – it’s not literary. And some people may have a problem with that.

But, he says, Epictetus wouldn’t have care, because his only purpose was to move people’s minds towards what is best.

He wasn’t trying to be known as the most impressive or most rhetorical speaker.

He wasn’t trying to be that speaker who leaves everyone with an ache in their side from laughing.

He was trying to sell his philosophy – to move people’s minds.

And isn’t that what a leader does?

So if you want to be a leader – talk like a leader.

A leader who sells their vision.

A leader who moves minds.

And – lest you think you can’t do this without being ‘talking fancy’…

Arrian writes that everyone who heard Epictetus could do nothing but be persuaded.

That’s the Power of One.

One goal: to move minds.

One message: pursue philosophy.

The spirit of liberty

One of my favourite examples of this is the famous ‘Spirit of Liberty’ speech by Judge Learned Hand given 80 years ago to soon-to-be-American citizens.

You can read the full speech here (it’s only 595 words), but I’ll be talking solely about Hand’s focus on moving minds towards one goal – to pledge themselves towards the pursuit of liberty, which Hand saw as the unifying faith of his country.

First, notice the beginning of his speech…

“We have gathered here to affirm a faith, a faith in a common purpose, a common conviction, a common devotion.”

…and the end:

“In confidence that you share that belief, I now ask you to raise your hand and repeat with me this pledge:

I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands–One nation, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Notice how the end flows instantly – seamlessly – beautifully from the beginning.

That’s focus.

Everything in between is devoted solely to expounding the ‘faith in a common purpose’ he names in his opening, and moving his audience’s minds inevitably without pause to the final pledge of devotion to that same faith.

Let me show you the outline of his speech and you can see the single-minded focus:

1. We are gathered with a shared devotion

2. We have come from different backgrounds, but have come here motivated by freedom/liberty

3. What do we mean by liberty?

4. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women – the spirit of liberty

5. What is the spirit of liberty?

6. It is the faith “that there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side-by-side with the greatest.”

7. It is a beacon of hope we share – the symbol of our nation

8. We are here today to pledge ourselves to that faith

9. I ask you to join me in that pledge

See how it flows inevitably? It never deviates from moving the audience’s minds from the beginning towards to desired end.

It sells – and it sells good.

Go ye and do likewise.

Talk soon,

Alexander Westenberg

Speechwriting consultant for executives looking to speak like a leader

P.S.

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