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Ronald Reagan's 5 Keys to Great Communication

9/26/2017

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"Is it possible to devote 90 minutes of prime TV time to Ronald Reagan as an actor who changed the presidency through his use of the mass media and still miss why he was a great communicator? CNN did..."

So begins Lee Edwards' excellent Daily Signal article entitled, "CNN Documentary Gets Reagan's Legacy Wrong," in which he paints a vivid picture of President Reagan's "boundless optimism and belief in the American spirit," his foreign policy success, "the unprecedented level of economic prosperity that Reagan sparked," and his "firm commitment to the Declaration and the Constitution and his deep respect for the Founders." 


​We, like Ronald Reagan, live in a time of division and strife. Sometimes the differences of opinion in America seem too big to bridge. Living in such a time, President Reagan's ideas were met with derision and scorn.

But fast forward a few years, and people were praising him and calling him “the great communicator.” What happened? What made the difference? 

His success is part of the answer. As time passed, people could see his policies were working.  

But how did Ronald Reagan become a beloved leader to whom many look for guidance, even today? Why did someone like President Obama, his idealogical opposite, try to copy his style?  

How did Ronald Reagan become a great communicator, and what can we learn from him today?  

Here are five things he did to communicate effectively that we, and our children, can do too.


Prepare and Practice

President Reagan began young. By age 15 he was teaching Sunday School classes regularly in his church. He worked to earn money as a radio announcer in high school, and later went on to become a popular actor. He practiced his public speaking skills in his years as a spokesman for General Electric, and during his two terms as governor of California.  

Reagan was a serious scholar of political topics long before he became president. His messages were carefully considered and honed. Michael Reagan recalled that his dad was always working at his desk, reading and writing.

As patriotic parents, we need to give our children opportunities to think, read, write, and speak about important topics. We ought to discuss current events in our families. We should all (even the kids) be prepared to share important ideas at mealtime. It was President Reagan who said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”  

And, as parents, as we set an example of reading, writing and speaking about things that matter, we will provide inspiration for our children while we prepare to make a difference in ways that reflect our values.    


Communicate Great Things

President Reagan didn’t think of himself as a great communicator. His focus was on his message, not himself. He explained, “I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things."

Lee Edwards explains that "Reagan was a transformational president who changed the presidency, not because he knew how to use a teleprompter or had a remarkably warm and inviting voice, or sought dramatic backdrops for his speeches like the Berlin Wall or the Statue of Liberty or a cemetery above Omaha Beach—but because he believed in ideas like individual freedom and responsibility, our Judeo-Christian heritage, and peace through strength."

If we want to follow President Reagan’s example, we need to have a clear vision and communicate great things. But have you even wondered how Reagan had great things to communicate? 

In addition to being a scholar, speaker and writer of history, politics, religion, and other subjects, Reagan was a faithful journal keeper, as were many great leaders of the past. It’s no coincidence that many great leaders have kept written records. Writing in a journal allows a person to refine their thinking, evaluate priorities, plan and reach goals, and remember important principles, experiences, stories, and even jokes they can share with others.  

Keeping a meaningful journal is one of the most important habits we can help our children develop. Some families set aside a time each evening for writing in their journals. Kids are more likely to continue this life-changing habit when they see we keep a journal too.

The Thanksgiving message below is an example of how many great things President Reagan could say quickly. This message lasts a little more than a minute.  (1:24)
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Communicate with Respect

President Reagan’s messages were clear, sometimes pointed, but he had a gift for delivering his remarks with respect. He went out of his way to build relationships of trust. Often under attack personally, he didn’t take offense. He could attack false paradigms and defend true principles without being offensive.  (1:43)

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Use Stories and Humor to Convey Your Message

Ronald Reagan was a masterful storyteller.  He used stories to paint clear and inspiring pictures that held our attention, and even our hearts.  

Reagan had a joke for almost every situation.  He loved to laugh with us, and he used humor to unify and to heal. But he also employed humor to illustrate idealogical differences and to defuse difficult political situations. This entertaining video gives examples of his humor and explains his system for collecting jokes and humorous anecdotes. (5:15)
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Be Genuine

President Reagan often wrote his own speeches, but he also found great speech writers who studied his core beliefs and style, and tailored speeches to fit him as perfectly as possible.  Still, he rarely gave the exact speeches they wrote.  He refined their work until it reflected exactly what he wanted to convey to the American people. 

But beyond his words, President Reagan’s life was a perfect reflection of his message.  We knew he was genuine.  

Peggy Noonan, former Reagan speechwriter and biographer, emphasizes, “The secret of Reagan's success was no secret at all. It was his character—his courage, his kindness, his persistence, his honesty, and his almost heroic patience in the face of setbacks—that was the most important element of his success.”

Yes, Ronald Reagan gave many memorable and remarkable speeches, but in the final analysis, it was the way he lived his life that made him a great communicator!
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Click here to learn more about President Reagan, one of our truly great leaders.


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A Special Invitation: President Reagan's farewell address is a masterpiece -- 21 minutes of wisdom and goodness. Please watch and share it with your family. Click here if you prefer to read. (21:23)


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Celebrating Constitution Day

9/17/2017

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Today we celebrate the 230th anniversary of one of the most important days in history --- September 17,1787, the day members of the Constitutional Convention ratified the United States Constitution. 

Constitution Day is a wonderful opportunity to study, and teach our children, the principles of government that have created abundant and unprecedented liberty, peace, and prosperity for millions of Americans. Some individuals and families may want to invest more time in learning about our Constitution. You may want to celebrate Constitution Week, Constitution Month, or devote much longer to understanding and preserving this inspired foundation of our freedom.

The better we understand the Constitution, the more prepared we can be to to do our part to "preserve, protect and defend" it. Here are some ideas and resources that may be of help. Choose one or more learning activities that will be best for your family.   
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​Celebrating Constitution Day

Read the United States Constitution.  
Read the ​Constitution. Discuss what a remarkable, revolutionary document it is, and why we must each do our part to "keep" our republic.

Learn about part of the Constitution and/or memorize something about the Constitution.  
You could watch this video with John Stossel asking members of Congress to tell their favorite part of the Constitution, and then ask family members to tell their favorite part. You might even memorize a part of the Constitution or an inspirational quote about the Constitution. 

Learn about how the Constitution was created.  
Watch A More Perfect Union. Discuss the inspiring story and heroes behind the birth of our Constitution.

You could also watch Prayer and the Miracle in Philadelphia and explain that after much study, work, and discussion, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were unable to create and agree on a constitution until they asked for, and received, help from God.
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Talk with your family about your heritage.
Share your feelings about the blessings and responsibilities of being a citizen of the United States of America. Tell stories about your family heritage, the one you've received and the one you want to create.

Discuss with your family why the Constitution is relevant, important, and essential today.
Watch the video below that tells why the Constitution is important today. Study and prepare to explain why you think the Constitution is relevant and important in our complex modern world. You might want to make a video and post it on social media, or share your views with a friend.


Consider what you can do.
Perhaps one of the most significant things you can do is to consider how you and your family can protect and preserve the Constitution, create a written plan, and begin to take action. (For ideas, see the excellent outline, The Patriot's Guide, created by Heritage.org.) 

Enjoy patriotic music.
Play inspiring patriotic music.  Sing some of your favorite patriotic songs.   

Serve refreshments.
After a lesson, video, or activity, you could serve patriotic refreshments.
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Why the Constitution is Important Today



Helpful Resources to Learn About the Constitution

The United States Constitution    
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Inspirational Quotes About the Constitution   
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The Preamble Set to Music  (3 minute video)

A More Perfect Union  (150 minute video)
Story of the creation of the United States Constitution

Founding Brothers  (90 minute video)
Story of the birth of our constitutional republic.

We Still Hold These Truths  (20 minute video)
Principles that make America great.

We Still Hold These Truths   
Leaders' guide about the principles that make America great (goes with book by the same name).  

The Patriot’s Guide: What You Can Do for Your Country   
PDF from the Heritage Foundation with ways you can make a difference

Why We're Losing Liberty (5:33)
How does the Constitution preserve liberty and prevent tyranny? Professor Robert P. George answers this important question.
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Consource.org
Online library of wonderful constitutional resources.
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Our Lost Constitution Facebook Page 
​Senator Mike Lee's Facebook page where he teaches about our constitutional heritage and how we can help preserve it. The page amplifies Senator Lee's excellent books,
Written Out of History and Our Lost Constitution.

The 10 videos below were created by Senator Lee to accompany the Our Lost Constitution book. They help explain what has gone wrong in Washington D.C., how the problems were created by violating the Constitution, and how they can be resolved by restoring the Constitution. The relevant chapters from the book are listed after the link to each video.

Video 1: Federalism and separation of powers provide structural protections for the Constitution.  (1:01:18)  Chapter 3: The Legislative Powers Clause, Chapter 6: The Tenth Amendment and the Commerce Clause

Video 2: Americans can help restore constitutionally limited government. (18:49)
Chapter 10: What You Can Do to Reclaim the Constitution

Video 3: The origins of the Second Amendment and how it was restored. (21:10)
Chapter 7: Reclaiming the Constitution Through the Courts

Video 4: The origins of the Fourth Amendment and its challenges today. (24:15)
Chapter 5: The Forgotten Fourth Amendment

Video 5: How Senator Lee became interested in the Constitution. (20:10)
Introduction (How Senator Lee's parents nurtured his lifelong love of the Constitution.)

​Video 6: Congress can restore the Constitution through the power of the purse. (17:05)
Chapter 9: Reclaiming the Constitution Through the Power of the Purse

​Video 7: The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause has been distorted to limit public expressions of religious belief. (23:11)  Chapter 4: The Forgotten Establishment Clause

Video 8: How the Second Amendment was “lost” before Its restoration in 2008. (18:28)
Chapter 7: Reclaiming the Constitution Through the Courts

​Video 9: We are subject to unelected, unaccountable federal bureaucrats. (22:04)
Chapter 3: The Forgotten Legislative Powers Clause

Video 10: The Tenth Amendment limits federal power and keeps most aspects of government close to the people. (13:50)  Chapter 6: The Forgotten Tenth Amendment and the Inflated Commerce Clause

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Freedom Project: Principles of the Constitution
  • Preamble  (9:41)
  • Limited Government  (8:02)
  • Legislative Powers and Limitations  (7:23)
  • Executive Powers and Limitations  (9:43)
  • Judicial Powers and Limitations  (10:18)
  • Bill of Rights, Part 1  (9:30)
  • Bill of Rights, Part 2  (8:35)
  • Amendments 11-18  (6:57)
  • Amendments  19-27  (7:30)


Hillsdale College: Introduction to the Constitution
  1. The Declaration of Independence—Universals and Particulars (11:53)
  2. The Declaration of Independence—The Laws of Nature and of Nature's God (8:33)
  3. The Declaration of Independence—All Men Are Created Equal  (7:35)
  4. The Consent of the Governed  (7:37)
  5. Representation of the People  (10:32)
  6. Sovereignty and Power  (11:11)
  7. Reason and Passion  (8:54)
  8. The Separation of Powers  (11:04)
  9. The Necessity of Virtue  (9:22)
  10. Ballots Rather Than Bullets  (10:04)
  11. The Problem with Big Government  (9:47)
  12. The Problem with Progressivism  (14:33)

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​Hillsdale College: The Federalist Papers
  1. Introduction: Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention  Larry P. Arnn
  2. The Improved Science of Politics  Paul A. Rahe
  3. The Problem of Majority Faction  Paul Moreno
  4. Federalism and Republicanism  Will Morrisey
  5. Separation of Powers  Matthew Spalding
  6. The Legislative: House and Senate  Will Morrisey
  7. The Executive  Paul A. Rahe
  8. The Judiciary  Paul Moreno
  9. “The Constitution is Itself . . . a Bill of Rights”  Will Morrisey
  10. Conclusion: Constitutionalism Today  Larry P. Arnn


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Remembering September 11

9/11/2017

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Image Source: Fox News

For many Americans, September 11, 2001 is a day we will never forget.  

The brutal attacks that took the lives of 2,977 Americans, and created lasting loss and injury for thousands more, transformed our country. 

 But by September 12th, shock and horror were being replaced with increased faith, patriotism, kindness and resolve to defend our country and our God-given rights. Here are powerful, inspiring stories and resources for our families.



A Story for Children:  "The Little Chapel That Stood"

Looking for a meaningful story to share with your children on 9/11?  Here is one on video.  

The message of "The Little Chapel That Stood" is that America is a great nation.  Terror is temporary and does not stay, but the freedom and courage of the American people are extraordinary and abiding.       
   
The actual story begins at 7:43.  If you want to skip to it, click on the time bar. 




Inspiring Tributes and Stories

*  The Hero Who Predicted 9/11

*  Man in the Red Bandanna

*  Boatlift -- An Inspirational September 11 Story

*  Beautiful 9/11 Tribute: There She Stands

* Incredible Stories of 9/11 Heroism



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Inspirational Quotes for Labor Day

9/4/2017

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Click here for simple, meaningful ways to celebrate Labor Day.



"[Labor Day] is a peculiarly American holiday . . . . America recognizes no aristocracy save those who work. The badge of service is the sole requirement for admission to the ranks of our nobility." ~Calvin Coolidge


“There is no substitute for hard work.”  ~Thomas A. Edison


“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.


"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." ~Benjamin Franklin 


“Every noble work is at first impossible.” ~Thomas Carlyle


“There is joy in work.  There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.” ~Henry Ford 


“Pray as though everything depended on God.  Work as though everything depended on you.”  ~Saint Augustine


“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” ~Booker T. Washington


I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it should get you pretty near. ~Margaret Thatcher

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My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win out. ~Ronald Reagan


“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.” ~Mahatma Gandhi 


“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”  ~Thomas A. Edison


“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”  ~John Wesley  

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“If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.” ~Thomas Jefferson 


"A man's right to work as he will, to spend what he earns, to own property...they are the essence of a free economy.  And on that freedom all our other freedoms depend.  ~Margaret Thatcher


“I want the people of America to be able to work less for the government and more for themselves.  I want them to have the rewards of their own industry.  This is the Chief meaning of freedom.”  ~Calvin Coolidge


“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.”   ~Thomas Jefferson ​
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