A question that has been asked over and over down the centuries is, “Are great speakers born with an innate gift for oratory or is it a skill they develop through study and experience?” It is probably not the first time you have heard this question and the answer often is often either an emphatic ‘yes’ or ‘no’. However, the evidence seems to suggest a more elusive answer in that many other variables are involved such as attitude, training, family and even luck. An example to illustrate this is the role that a New York Congressman played in the development of Winston Churchill’s oratorical style, which came to its full fruition, as we all know, during the Second World War.
Undoubtedly Winston Churchill’s wartime oratory had a great influence on the events of the Second World War. Even today his style is still studied as a model of crisis oratory. When one looks at the speeches of such personalities as Bush and Blair at the time of the Iraqi War or Giuliani, just after 9/11, this observation tends to run truer on each reading. The Churchillian factor has become, as one author put it, the lingua franca for a great many of our leaders whether in politics or business. But who was this person that impressed Churchill so much?
Great article about how a great leader gained new capabilities and skills to lead a country during the Second World War!!!