“Through Clearness of Speech”
“The word is the most direct manifestation of the thought; hence it is one of the most important agents of influence when it clothes itself with precision and clearness, indispensable in cooperating in creating conviction in the minds of one’s hearers.”
In this lesson, the Shogun is telling us that our words to others must be clear. If we are confused, then our speech will be as well. And people will not follow those who are confused. He continues by also telling us not to talk too much –
“Leaders of souls should not forget this one thing: too great wealth of words is hostile to conviction.”
“Speech is like a diamond when it is the vibrating form of concrete thought and when it presents itself in a quiet way, rendering its suggestions familiar and clear by the way in which the orator knows how to present them.”
He says that when parents tell their kids “you will be a great ________ one day, or “You will be in prison one day”, it often comes true because the child comes to believe it. And if the parents oscillate from dire predictions to kindness and love, it doesn’t help because the child will “fail to regard lightly the terrible menace with which they were threatened.”
If the parents oscillate, they lose their authority. Thus, if you confuse people with one opinion one day and another the next, they will stop listening.
“But those that know how to present their thought in a few phrases, in a way that impresses itself on their listeners, may easily become leaders of the masses.”
There’s a lot of valuable information here. Thank you for sharing it. The most influential leaders are the most effective communicators. Love the last line of this post about “presenting their thought in a few phrases.”