Communication That Changes the World

~ by Michele Cushatt

“Best speeches of all time”

I typed those five words into Google, hoping to find a final illustration for a presentation I was about to give. But I underestimated the power of a few words. For the next several hours, I listened to recordings and read transcripts of some of the most famous speeches delivered in history.

I heard Martin Luther King, Jr. announce his dream of racial equality.

I read Winston Churchill‘s challenge to fellow Britons at the shocking news of France’s fall.

I felt George W. Bush‘s call to unity a mere nine days after September 11, 2001.

I listened in awe as Nelson Mandela pleaded for forgiveness and reconciliation across black and white lines.

Over the course of an evening, time stood still. I lost count of the goosebumps raising my flesh and the tears filling my eyes. I traveled back into history, immersing myself as one audience member among many who hungered for a powerful word.

What I heard did not disappoint. Again and again these communicators harnessed the power of communication to inspire hope, challenge culture, fight evil and unite individuals to something grand, something quite near to divine. Although they had no way to know it, what they said in their moment would end up changing the course so many other moments.

What caused these speeches to be counted among the best? What characteristics did these communicators share? I believe their power and influence were a result of four essentials:

• They recognized the need for leadership and stepped up to the task. Few have done this as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. In a time when standing up for what was right came with significant cost, he knew the movement toward equality wouldn’t happen with someone willing to lead it. Often the first step toward great communication is simply agreeing to carry the mantle, regardless of the risk.
• They established a conscious purpose for their communication. What impressed me most about Bush’s post-9/11 speech was how he managed to unify a nation and world within the first dozen sentences. He spoke to multitudes but reminded us of individuals. He made individual stories our story. In doing so, he inspired us to stand together and to heal in community.
• They understood the audience’s greatest poverty, and set out to relieve it. When a nation of Brits listened to Winston Churchill’s speech, their greatest poverty was a dangerous cocktail of fear and despair. Churchill knew a nation without courage and hope would perish. Because of that, he centered his speech on stirring humanity’s capacity for great courage in the face of injustice. And now, decades later, we commend him for his words, for in fact it remains “their finest hour.”
• They allowed the significance of the moment to take center stage. After years of imprisonment and imposed silence, most of us would use a microphone to finally have our say. But not Nelson Mandela. Rather than use the stage to vindicate his own injustice, he recognized the significance of the moment. His response to years of mistreatment had the potential to either unite or further divide his country. But he made it about the message, not the messenger. Another word for that? Humility.

Words carry far more power than we realize. We fling them about, careless, half-hearted, often more caught up in making a good impression than making a difference. But within our words lies the power to change the world, and it’s time we started speaking like it.

You’re a communicator, whether on a stage in front of thousands or in a classroom with a handful of first graders. Step up to the task, know your purpose, see the deep needs of our world, and allow the message to have the spotlight.

You just might change history.

To learn more about Michele Cushatt, or any member of our staff, visit the Trainers and Coaches page.

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