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14 Comments

1. Well done.

2. I agree with a great deal of what you have written here. Being able to clearly and persuasively express the ideas and actions that need to be enacted can be very important in many scenarios.
   However, I believe that your statement that all leaders are excellent public speakers is either overly broad or subscribes to a very narrow definition of what a leader is.
   The finest and most respected leaders I have been blessed to know have led with few words. They instead led by letting themselves become the standard by which those following them measured their own motivation, discipline, courage, faith and passion.
   Life is a Hollywood movie. Men won’t be willing to stand in the gap for the Colonel who gave the flowery, motivational pep talk and then sent them toward the wall. Men stand in the gap in order to cover the flank of the NCO who trained them, led them to the wall and took his place at the center of the gap. . . with very few words.

3. Toastmasters International generally has several chapters nearby, each with a particular emphasis. If not, you can start one of your own. Apart from developing public speaking skills, it is also good leadership training.
   http://www.toastmasters.org/

4. Unless you are a gifted public speaker (rare), the one sure way to become a terrific public speaker is practice, practice, practice (and good eye contact).

5. At the root of many of our problems is that leaders/politicians are often selected directly or indirectly because of things like this, i.e. speaking ability, looks, family name, etc. I inherently do not trust people who are too slick.

6. The sum of the 3 angles in a triangle is 180 degrees, not 1800.

7. I believe that some of this article is true and useful, however I believe that one very important thing is not addressed. Though powerful words put into a context can often push men to accomplish the impossible, they undoubtedly due so by manipulating emotions, a very dangerous thing. I believe that most folks who are awake to the reality of our current state of affairs would agree with this. I would argue that our emotions are the “most” dangerous thing that humans are innately born with. The news media, the school system, the healthcare industry and yes, our government, all manipulate society with intensionally clever words, purpose driven to strike the deepest chords of emotion within the human brain. Almost daily we (myself included) make our routine decisions based on emotions. Though we know a salad with a grilled chicken breast would be excellent nutrition, we instead choose a fast food burger and fries. Why? Because the burger sounded better, and was definitely more convenient. A decision based solely on emotion, though not correct. I say all this to say, no matter your age, race, or religion, as humans and as those awakened to a deteriorating society, do not allow other people or even circumstances to dictate your emotions. Make an educated decision based on cumulative facts. It may just save your life.

8. Though I failed to mention this in my previous post, I am a defensive firearms instructor who teaches the principles of a weapon engagement on a daily basis. The number one fundamental is your mindset and the direct ability to control your emotions. I encourage everybody to further research this in your preparedness lifestyle. Just my 2$ worth.

9. True leaders have something about them that make you want to listen when they talk. I don’t know what it is but there’s something about their way of talking and deliverance that compels a person to pay attention. And even the way they carry themselves draws attention. I’ve also noticed that many male leaders tend to be tall. Many have a deep and resonating voice versus a weak or high pitch voice. There are and have been leaders who hold none of the fore mentioned qualities but these qualities seem to be prevalent in most leaders, at least in my opinion.
   Then you take me. I’m so inept at public speaking that if I have to speak to more than three people I begin to lock up. Triple that number and I actually begin to hyperventilate and I feel like I’m having a heart attack. I completely lose my train of thought and my voice breaks up so bad that I can’t form my words. I’m serious. It’s miserable. There is no way that I could ever be a public speaker and I know it. So I don’t try to do something that I wasn’t meant to do.
   Now what does this whole public speaking have to do with prepping? For me nothing but for a person who is or can be capable of doing such, could rally the troops and lead a bunch of patriots to a given goal. A great speaker coupled with the ability to lead and with the proper knowledge of the prepping arts could mean the difference between victory or outright defeat.
   But to those reading this, if you’re like me don’t despair. I bet that you have skills that many would love to have and you’re participation in a patriot group of folks post SHTF could mean life or death for your group. Do you have medical skills? Are you proficient with firearms? Do you have a green thumb like no other? Are you a walking talking McGeyver? I could go on and on but you get my drift.
   The point is this…..God has blessed us all with talents and if your talent isn’t public speaking or being the General Patton of you’re day don’t worry. Do what you do and do it well. We’re all valuable to the common cause.

10. Interesting topic. Good comments. And, Good catch Demps, I caught that too.

11. Thank you all very much for your comments. Other than Christmas cards I haven’t written anything for half a century. You are better than any English professor I ever had. I learned a lot from you. So, what did I learn?

    The editor added the subtitles. Had I done them I would have written them in as Given, Seeking, Construction, Proof, Conclusion. This is the structure I used in writing it and the one I use when when having a discussion. (Note: the structure of reason doesn’t work with the liberal mindset. It is always followed with a “Yes, but….”)

    I never should have written “All good leaders”. It took a while but I realized this was me using personal experiences and using them broadly. Lesson learned.

    I limited myself to writing about just the system President Lincoln used to write his speeches and I think I was right about that. There are many components to being a good speaker but I wanted to focus just on this one aspect. I should have said that.

    Thank you again for your comments.

12. The sum of 90 angles in 30 triangles is 1800 degrees.

13. Sorry, a typo on the 180 degrees. Better improve my proofreading skills.

14. I believe there are a whole lot of natural born leaders in the wings…. when the day comes their leadership is needed, they will rise to the top, and many will give the speech of a life time. Watch for the one’s that will be coming from Trump in the next few years… they will be epic. As we will be living an epic story of good verses evil. Nothing new under the sun, but one day there will be the finale. That will be new, though not a surprise.

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