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er Story. . .
THE SPEAKER’S PARADOX
Randy J. Harvey, PhD, JD
2004 World Champion of Public Speaking
Former president John F. Kennedy said of Winston Churchill, “He mobilized the English
language and sent it into battle.” Both Kennedy and Churchill understood the power of
words to turn the course of human history, first their history and then the history of the
world. Words are powerful tools inspiring both conversion and revolution, changing the
human heart and the history of the world.
The power of a speaker does not come from the multitude of their words, the length of
their speech or the depth of their knowledge. A speaker’s power comes from their
personal conviction, faith in the guiding elements of life. Not any life, the speaker’s life.
We observe the lives of great speakers of the past, because at the conclusion of their
lives we can weigh the quality of their words to change the world they occupied. We
© 2005 Randy J. Harvey
see in the words of Lincoln at Gettysburg, a two-and-one-half minute speech that has
inspired hearts for the last 160 years, and we ask why? The answer lies in the life of
Lincoln as a student of himself, his beliefs and his desire to communicate his most
strongly held beliefs to his audience in words they will remember. Simply stated, his
words are a reflection of his soul. They capture who he was, what he was about and
where he learned them. Three questions that every aspiring speaker and leader should
take the time to answer for themselves. Those three questions are addressed at length
in my book: Public Speaking 101: Messages that Matter. ( Available on Amazon)
In this brief article I want to discuss with you the number one rule I follow and the
single speech development skill I learned years ago as an aspiring speaker that
propelled my speaking ability light-years ahead of where it began.
(Continued on page 65)
THE SPEAKER’S PARADOX
Randy J. Harvey, PhD, JD
2004 World Champion of Public Speaking
Former president John F. Kennedy said of Winston Churchill, “He mobilized the English
language and sent it into battle.” Both Kennedy and Churchill understood the power of
words to turn the course of human history, first their history and then the history of the
world. Words are powerful tools inspiring both conversion and revolution, changing the
human heart and the history of the world.
The power of a speaker does not come from the multitude of their words, the length of
their speech or the depth of their knowledge. A speaker’s power comes from their
personal conviction, faith in the guiding elements of life. Not any life, the speaker’s life.
We observe the lives of great speakers of the past, because at the conclusion of their
lives we can weigh the quality of their words to change the world they occupied. We
© 2005 Randy J. Harvey
see in the words of Lincoln at Gettysburg, a two-and-one-half minute speech that has
inspired hearts for the last 160 years, and we ask why? The answer lies in the life of
Lincoln as a student of himself, his beliefs and his desire to communicate his most
strongly held beliefs to his audience in words they will remember. Simply stated, his
words are a reflection of his soul. They capture who he was, what he was about and
where he learned them. Three questions that every aspiring speaker and leader should
take the time to answer for themselves. Those three questions are addressed at length
in my book: Public Speaking 101: Messages that Matter. ( Available on Amazon)
In this brief article I want to discuss with you the number one rule I follow and the
single speech development skill I learned years ago as an aspiring speaker that
propelled my speaking ability light-years ahead of where it began.
(Continued on page 65)
