Abraham Lincoln: The Great Communicator

In my previous article, I described one of the hallmarks of powerful communicators: The ability to connect their message with something else that listeners care about, as a way of influencing the listeners’ actions or attitudes. I also suggested that the Yes! Leader look to examples of great communicators from history to gain inspiration for crafting powerful messages.

I thought it might be fitting on this February 12 – Abraham Lincoln’s birthday – to cite one such example: The Gettysburg Address.

Quick, what do you recall of the Gettysburg Address? Of course you know that it was delivered at the height of the American Civil War. And,if you’re like most people, you probably recall the opening words:

Four score and seven years ago …

Perhaps you thought that Lincoln was merely using a colorful turn of phrase to refer to a particular date in the past. But actually, in those few words, Lincoln immediately signaled the intent of his speech and the conceptual bridge he wanted to build.

“Four score and seven years” from the date of his speech (November 19, 1863) referred to the iconic year of 1776 and the beginning of the American Revolution. By harking back to that event, Lincoln wanted to reframe the war’s purpose as less of a campaign to restore the Union, more of an effort to reconnect with the principles of freedom and equality upon which the nation was built. His intent was to link these principles (and who in his audience would dispute them?) with the great act - the Emancipation Proclamation - that marked the shift in the war’s focus.

Four score and seven years ago … in six words, Lincoln encapsulated his entire purpose of putting the upheaval of the Civil War in a larger context that transcended the political turmoil that preceded the taking up of arms. And by packing meaning into every part of his 268-word, two-minute speech, he created perhaps the most famous “sticky message” (remembered, understood, and inspiring) in American history.