Psalms and Speakers

Winston S. Churchill gave thousands of speeches, and though he had a memory like an elephant’s, he read every one of them from a script.

To deliver these speeches in a compelling way, he wrote them out in a style he called “psalm form.”

Let’s borrow a speech from another great speaker, Abraham Lincoln, to see how it works.

Let’s read the following out loud:

​​Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now let’s break it into individual lines—like psalms in a bible.

​​Four score and seven years ago

our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,

conceived in Liberty,

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Can you feel the difference?

Now underline words you’d like to emphasize.

 

Four score and seven years ago

our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,

conceived in Liberty,

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Written prose is great … for reading in your head.

When crafting words to be read aloud, use psalm form to isolate key points and emphasize important words and phrases.

Your audience will thank you.