Winston Churchill is remembered for his powerful, quotable lines. In Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln, James Humes explains that Churchill used what he called “power lines,” built around the C.R.E.A.M. acronym:Contrast, Rhyme, Echo, Alliteration, and Metaphor.
CONTRAST
Contrast highlights opposing positions in a clear, memorable way, emphasizing both the strength of your position and the weakness of the alternative. Examples include:
- Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. - JFK
- Ultimately, you judge the character of a society, not by how they treat their rich, the powerful, and privileged, but by how they treat the poor, the condemned, and the incarcerated. -Bryan Stevenson
RHYME
Rhymes aid memory and can give statements a sense of authority. Examples include:
- If it doesn’t fit you must acquit. -Johnnie Cochran
- What darkness conceals light reveals.
ECHO
Echo is a repetition of the same word or phrase over and over again. This is important to emphasize a particular point or show how a certain proposition has proven true time after time. Some examples of echos are:
- We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. - Winston Churchill
- I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up… I have a dream that my four little children will one day live… I have a dream that one day every valley shall be engulfed… - Martin Luther King
ALLITERATION
Alliteration uses repeated initial sounds to create rhythm and emphasis, and gives a similar effect as rhymes. Examples include:
- This is a case of regret not rape.
- This was a reactionary reflex not a resisting.
- Without rhyme or reason.
METAPHOR
Metaphors explain complex ideas through familiar analogies and help audiences visualize concepts. Examples include:
- You don’t hit 73 home runs by playing fair.
- Politics is like a rubber band the more you pull on one end the more you pull on the other end, and if you pull too much it will snap.
CONCLUSION
Try to limit your power line to one per Opening, closing, or other speech. People can generally only remember one power line per speech, and if you use too many power lines they will lose their effectiveness.
