Master Communicator President Ronald Reagan kept note cards of quotes and words of wit and wisdom he later incorporated into his speeches.
Display of Ronald Reagan’s handwritten note cards of quotes
We recently took a trip to the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Southern California. The library is just magnificent. The history inspiring. And the words of President Ronald Reagan, the words that helped shape a new world, are prominent everywhere.
One of the most EXCITING exhibits for me was a case that held a note-book of the notecards containing President Reagan’s handwritten notations of good quotes and words of wit and wisdom. Words that he incorporated into his history-making speeches and addresses. These are so well-preserved you can read what he wrote:
I could learn a thing or two from this practice of President Reagan. I can’t tell you how many times a great pithy quote I want to create a word quote or utilize in a blog is because I don’t write it down. It is so impressive at the moment I’m sure I’ll remember it. But I don’t. And I always chastise myself when I can’t remember. I have a note feature on my new Smart Phone that I remember to use more often to capture those great words of wit and wisdom. But I don’t do it regularly. Clearly not like President Reagan did.
Quotes and words of wit and wisdom other than our own are a powerful tool for enhancing the content of our speeches. I did a post about the power of quotes, that quotes OTHERS who believe in quotes.
With today’s technology – Smartphones, tablets, computers – there is no reason why we can’t adopt the practice of the late masterful communicator – President Ronald Reagan.
Image Source: Linnaea Mallette on Dreamstime
