The Word Master

His indomitable will and courage saved the free world.

At one point, he stood, virtually alone, against the most powerful military machine ever faced.

He rallied his country. He spoke to their, and our, emotions. He connected with our hearts. Listen, and hear...

"The Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization ... Hitler knows he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free ... but if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age. Let us, therefore, brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'"

Winston Churchill believed "The key to a speaker's impact on his audience ... was sincerity: 'Before he can inspire them with emotion, he must be swayed by it himself. Before he can move their tears, his own must flow. To convince them, he must himself believe.'" *

That's a lesson worth knowing, a skill worth practicing, in our business.

Radio programmers have been tricked in the last couple of decades. We've been told if we keep every non-commercial spoken word short enough, our stations will magically win.

What you say on the air matters. The words you use matter.

The truth is, if you help me feel what you feel, I'll listen longer ... a lot longer.

Even better, I'll listen tomorrow, and every day, because that gift is so rare today that listeners will seek you out, talk about you with their friends, depend on you to guide them through their commute, or their day at work.

* p, 210, The Last Lion: Alone, by William Manchester