The Reagan Persuasion: Charm, Inspire, and Deliver a Winning Message

188 Pages·2010·0.67 MB·English

by  James Humes

THE
R E A G A N
PERSUASION
Charm, InspIre, and delIver
a WInnIng message
J A M E S C . H U M E S
Copyright © 2010 by James C. Humes
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Humes, James C.
The Reagan Persuasion : charm, inspire, and deliver a winning message /
James C. Humes.
p. cm.
1. Reagan, Ronald--Oratory. 2. Reagan, Ronald--Language. 3. Rhetoric--
Political aspects--United States--History--20th century. 4. Communication in
politics--United States--History--20th century. 5. English language--United
States--Rhetoric. 6. Public speaking--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
E877.2.H86 2009
973.927092--dc22
2008041757
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
DEDICATION
H H H H H
To my daughter, Rachel Bailey Humes, who attended the
first inaugural ceremony of Ronald Reagan with me in
January 1981 in Washington, where afterward we feasted
on Belgian pancakes in the new Reagan White House.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
H H H H H
Acknowledgments ....................................................................vii
The Fifteen Secrets of the Great Communicator ...................1
Chapter I: Preparation Is Paramount ......................................7
Chapter II: The Take-Away Parable .....................................17
Chapter III: Clarion Closers ..................................................33
Chapter IV: The Take-Away Zinger .....................................49
Chapter V: The Reagan Recipe for Humor ..........................61
Chapter VI: Podium Presence ...............................................77
Chapter VII: Voice Is Verse ...................................................87
Chapter VIII: Read a Speech Like Reagan ............................95
Chapter IX: Eat, Drink, and Be Sorry .................................105
Chapter X: No PowerPoints, Graphs, or Slides ..................111
Chapter XI: “Case the Joint” ...............................................121
Chapter XII: “Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics” ...............133
Chapter XIII: Acing the Q&A .............................................141
Chapter XIV: Brevity Is Beauty ...........................................157
Chapter XV: “Sellin’ Is Believin’” ........................................165
Ten Tips to Speak Like Reagan ..........................................177

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
H H H H H
Again, my thanks to Linda Graham, who transmitted my
handwriting into manuscript form with constructive com-
ments and suggestions, and to Barbara Veylupek, for her
assistance. I also had assistance from Susy Brandt.
I appreciate the efforts of my literary agent, Carol
Mann, in a flat book market.
Hillel Black, my editor, made helpful and constructive
comments that shaped and improved the manuscript.
Finally, I have to thank Steve Schuck of the Schuck
Foundation and its president, Don Griffin, whose support
makes possible my writing and lecturing.
THE FIFTEEN SECRETS OF
THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR
H H H H H
Ronald Reagan was more than just “the Great Communi-
cator.” He was the giant political personality of our time.
No one would call Reagan a political philosopher, least of
all himself. But Reagan would profoundly reshape the po-
litical dialogue in America. Just as his early hero Franklin
Roosevelt made liberalism the dominant American po-
litical philosophy, a half-century later Reagan would make
the majority of his country’s citizens accept conservatism
as their worldview. But, if Franklin Roosevelt promised
more government as the solution to society ills, Reagan
would say the government was “not the solution but part
of the problem.” Reagan, like Teddy Roosevelt, found the
White House “a bully pulpit” for promoting his views and
persuading Americans to adopt them.
“WON THE WAR WITHOUT
FIRING A SHOT”
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of Reagan,
“He won the Cold War without firing a shot.” Certainly
the U.S.’s overwhelming superiority in nuclear defense
H 
2 THE REAGAN PERSUASION
systems played an important part. But as powerful as the
weaponry were Reagan’s words. When most of our aca-
demic experts on the USSR, including those of our State
Department as well as the British Foreign Office, projected
the continuation of the Soviet Empire and the Cold War
for at least two more decades, Reagan prophesized to the
British Parliament an earlier date for its collapse. Reagan
asserted: “Marxism is on the ash heap of history.” That
phrase resonated in the Soviet satellite countries east of
the Iron Curtain, and countries like Poland responded to
Reagan’s challenge.
SELLER OF THE FREE MARKET TO THE
FREE WORLD
For decades, American presidents had shrunk back from
praising the virtues of capitalism. To say something positive
about the profit incentive was like defending millionaires.
In speaking in Western Europe, where just about all of the
countries had socialist or social democratic governments,
American presidents had shied away from lauding the
“profit motive” as a key to economic growth. Profit was to
many a euphemism for greed. Reagan was the first presi-
dent to proclaim the greatness of the free market society,
as well as freedom. Rather than echoing the defensiveness
of previous presidents, he mounted an offensive on behalf
of capitalism.