Winston Churchill delivered one of the most defining speeches of World War II: “We Shall Fight on the Beaches.”
When the stakes are high, the key to effective leadership is to deliver the right message, the right way.
And Churchill achieved that by crafting a speech with well-chosen words in well-chiseled lines.
Look at its most powerful passage below, and you’ll discover 6 timeless tactics you can use to improve your speeches:
Tactic #1 – Use Unifying Language
When you want to inspire your team to achieve a bold goal, tap in the power of unifying language:
"We shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
we shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender."
We hear “we” 11 times!
We also hear one oh so powerful “our” in “defend our island.”
Skillfully used, pronouns such as “we” and “our” create a strong sense of unity.
And unity can move mountains.
Tactic #2 – Paint Vivid Scenes
The language of leadership paints vivid scenes:
"We shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
we shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender."
Such simple words, yet such vivid scenes.
When you paint vivid scenes, you evoke emotion.
And emotion leads to action.
Tactic #3 – Inspire Action with Action Words
The language of leadership inspires action:
"We shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
we shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender."
How does Churchill inspire action?
Verbs.
Strategic verbs.
Notice how he gradually increases the power of his verbs, from the weak “flag” and “fail” to the more active “go on” to the dynamic “fight.”
Tactic #4 – Reject the Negative
The language of leadership highlights the positive direction by rejecting the negative:
"We shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
we shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender."
Churchill tells us not only what we shall do but also what we shall not do.
When you use this tactic, remember to spend less time on the negative and more time on the action you want to inspire.
How many times does Churchill say “fight”?
Seven!
No wonder that word echoes in the ears and through the years.
Tactic #5 – Persuade with the Power of Sound
The language of leadership persuades with the power of sound:
"We shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
we shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender."
The repetition of F in “flag or fail” makes the phrase sound convincing.
The repetition of ND in “defend” and “island” strengthens the connection between these key ideas.
The soft rhyme in “never surrender” makes the phrase unforgettable.
Carefully composed, the music of your words can move your audience.
Tactic #6 – Create Patterns and Twists
The language of leadership highlights key lines with patterns and twists:
"We shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
we shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender."
Churchill creates a pattern by repeating “we shall fight.”
Then what does he do?
He gives that pattern a twist.
Instead of saying “we shall fight,” he says “we shall defend.”
And that twist highlights the key line “we shall defend our island.”
Soon Churchill resumes the “we shall fight” pattern.
Then what does he do?
He gives it another twist and says “we shall never surrender.”
And that twist highlights this powerful line.
Your Turn
Now it’s your turn to apply these 6 timeless tactics. And feel free to forward this email to your friends to help them in their leadership journey.
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