Winston Churchill was a pervert.
He was a tremendous politician, a prolific writer, and one of the greatest English orators of all time, but he was also a dirty old man.
I’m not judging, just letting you know about another side of the historic figure. He was credited / blamed with the concept of imagining your audience in their underwear (or naked) to help with public speaking.
First of all, bad advice. I tried to find some rationale for this approach, but everyone recommends against it outside of the old TV trope. Especially if you’re speaking to a bunch of coworkers, unless you want a visit from HR.
Second, I doubt that Churchill promoted this method. He authored over 15 million published words, outperforming Shakespeare and Dickens combined. I checked a few places but didn’t have time to review his entire catalog, and my lazy searches did not uncover any exhortations to nudists. He is often miscredited with misquotes.
Three anecdotes to demonstrate his perviness, nonetheless (courtesy of “The Wit and Wisdom of Winston Churchill”):
• Just before stepping onto stage for a speech in his late 70s, an aide passed him a note, letting him know that his fly was unbuttoned. His response: “Never fear. Dead birds do not drop out of nests.”
• After accepting a proffered drink from a young server, an uptight bishop seated next to him refused, stating that he’d rather commit adultery than take an intoxicating beverage. Winston’s response – “Come back lassie; I didn’t know we had a choice.”
• During the Second World War, he rejected unlabeled sheaths that were developed by a condom manufacturer to prevent the 10.5” long barrels of rifles from freezing in battle in Norway. “I want a label for every box, every carton, every packet, saying ‘British – Size Medium.’ That will show the Nazis, if they ever recover one of them, who’s the master race!”
I read Churchill’s “The Scaffolding of Rhetoric” which aims to offer “certain features common to all the finest speeches in the English language.” Anybody ever read this unpublished article? (That’s a rhetorical question). I’ll summarize for you.
1. Correctness of Diction – Pick the best words! Don’t use a big, confusing word when simpler language will better relay the message. (Unless the point is ironic obfuscation – terminological inexactitude was a phrase he coined to mean lies, over a hundred years before we had alternative facts.)
2. Rhythm – Churchill wrote out his speeches with a specific cadence, so that they sounded like poetry more than prose. While he memorized his lines ahead of time, he also held a detailed copy of the speech (disguised as notes), complete with intentional pauses and stumbles designed to make it seem more natural. It is a performance, not a reading.
3. Accumulation of Argument – Build a powerful case, carrying the audience towards your target conclusion through vivid imagery and pointed facts. “If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver.”
4. Analogy – “the influence exercised over the human mind by apt analogies is and has always been immense. Whether they translate an established truth into simple language or whether they adventurously aspire to reveal the unknown, they are among the most formidable weapons of the rhetorician.” Example – “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.” (He wrote that about Lindsey Graham).
5. Wild Extravagance of Language – “The emotions of the speaker and the audience are alike aroused and some expression must be found that will represent all they are feeling.” “The orator is the embodiment of the passions of the multitude. Before he can inspire them with any emotion, he must be swayed by it himself.” In other words, be sincere. Churchill was a rousing speaker. (Rousing is probably not the best word to use there.)
There are supposed to be six (6) principal elements according to this unpublished essay, but the fifth point seemed to just reiterate the fourth regarding use of analogies. Also, the sixth argument is a bit unclear. I suspect young Churchill lost his focus while writing this piece, which is why he never formally released it. He really hit his stride in speaking some 43 years later.
To summarize – Good words. Smooth flow. Strong argument. Powerful analogies. Elicit emotions. And check your zipper before stepping on the stage.
There is some good food for thought or thoughts for food from the guy who may have said “I have often had to eat my words and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet.”
But back to the initial idea of picturing your audience in their underwear – I believe that this was a misappropriation of two different quotes, taken out of context and combined in one folly:
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak.”
and
“No half-way measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed.”
This advice is not to be applied to public speaking but may come in handy if you’re ever asked to act in a porno. Though to be fair, most adult film actors come across wooden (or so I hear).
As for this deep dive into Winston’s dirty mind, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Wait, this is actually the end. Sorry for the confusion.
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