Five years ago, in a dazzling speech at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, Steve Jobs introduced his iPhone with these words, “Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything…”
On June 4th, 1940, Winston Churchill gave a speech warning of a possible Nazi invasion. This was its climax:
“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.”
Just over 3,300 years ago, Moses concluded a 36-day long speech to Israel with these words:
I’m 120 years old today and can no longer go out and come in for the Lord has said to me, ‘You will not cross this Jordan.’ The Lord your God will cross before you; he will destroy these nations from before you and you shall inherit them. Joshua, he will cross over before you as the Lord has spoken.
(Deuteronomy 31:2-3)
Do you think it would have been as effective had Steve Jobs sent everyone an email about the new iPhone? Within a week of its release, Apple sold about a million iPhones; by the end of 2007 about ten million, and to date about 85 million. Without Steve Jobs’ iconic speeches, would those sales figures have been achieved?
In 1940, some of England’s leaders, men like Lord Halifax, considered the attempt to defeat Hitler to be hopeless. Their call to cut a deal with Hitler was especially persuasive after France unexpectedly fell to the Germans and the British Expeditionary Force was ignominiously rescued from the beach of Dunkirk. Over three hundred thousand soldiers were saved from annihilation by a heroic fleet of small boats, arriving back in England early June 4th. It is hard to imagine England recovering its nerve and its determination to fight had Churchill urged England never to surrender in a newspaper column. Instead he mesmerized the nation with his speech that afternoon.
Just before his impending death, Moses handed to Joshua the leadership of Israel on the eve of their most formidable challenge—defeating barbaric tribes and conquering the Promised Land. The spies had earlier demoralized the Children of Israel with terrifying accounts of the land’s impregnability and what is more the people were anxious about a future without the man who had guided them for over forty years. Yet, after Moses’ speech the Torah concludes by informing us that the Children of Israel listened to Joshua as Moses had directed. (Deuteronomy 34:9) Without this monumental speech by Moses, could the leadership transition and the subsequent inheritance of the Land have occurred?
The Torah is more about actions than beliefs. For instance, it tells us to love the Lord our God rather than to believe in Him. (Deuteronomy 6:5). It focuses on walking, sacrificing, and eating rather than on thinking, theorizing, and speculating. Which action verb does the Torah mention more than any other? Words for say, speak, or talk appear nearly five times more frequently than any other verbs.
Speeches can transform our destiny. We hold enormous power in our speeches. When your spouse agreed to marry you, it was probably after one of your best speeches. When you got your favorite job or scored your biggest sale it was after another of your effective speeches. When you influenced friends or persuaded someone towards your point of view, you were employing your power of speech.
Is your power of speech as effective as it could be? Presenting yourself successfully through speech is a theme that runs through almost all the resources we offer. In my book, Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money, I explain why speaking from notes harms communication and teach you how to speak without them. Moses, Churchill and Jobs certainly didn’t read their speeches. Find out more about this tip, as well as additional ones vital for improving your financial situation, while taking advantage of the book’s lowest sale price ever. Alone, or as part of our Income Abundance Set, it makes a thoughtful and long-lasting gift for those you love, as a road-map to a transformed financial future.
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This week’s Susan’s Musings: Zig Ziglar: A Truly Great Man
I found two text messages on my phone after my exercise class last Wednesday. The first, from our daughter in nursing school, told me that she had assisted in a birth for the very first time. Even the sterile method of communication couldn’t conceal her excitement.
The second was from my husband, telling me that our dear friend, Zig Ziglar, had passed away. Even the sterile method of communication couldn’t mask his grief…READ MORE
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I’m a doctoral candidate in a Philosophy of Theology program writing a dissertation. I’m attempting to answer the question, “What is the biblical concept of community?” More than understanding its historical expression, I am seeking to show how its value is critical to humanity in contemporary culture. What insights are found Torah for defining and living in community? Thank you for your contribution into my life through Thought Tools.
Roderick L.
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