What if what we say result in one of the most famous lines in history?

Hi, everyone-

Remember this line from Roosevelt’s speech after Pearl Harbor attack?

“A date which will live in world history infamy”

As you can see, this sentence was no accident. It was edited from “world history” to the resounding and now famous word, “infamy.” Which sounds trite and easy. Except we know making things sound easy is … not quite so easy. First off:

* How did he arrive at this word with surgical precision?

* How did he do it after just finishing a routine lunch in the office?

* How did he even first heard the call, when his mind was on a simple stamp album project?

The goal of these questions is beyond historical.

It’s personal.

Will we have the same composure, when it’s time for us to bear news of a beloved’s death? Will we create something as timeless, when life—recession, mockery, warfare, misfortune, epidemic, demotion, ridicule, embarrassment, or whatever else—takes all that we own? And will we have the same efficient resolve when it’s our turn?

I sure hope so.

But hope isn’t good enough. That’s why I want to peel the layers of Roosevelt’s timeless speech in this week’s episode on efficient edits.

So that you’ll never be caught unawares, should the time come for you to write something … that the world should never forget.

Given the speed of social media, this could very well be tomorrow.

Let’s take a look at:

* The 3-page black-and white manuscript copy of the President’s pencil-annotated draft,

* What topics he chose to include (and more importantly, which he left out),

* The Earned Ownership principle the President used, to deliver a precise speech.

* The 7-step crescendo of urgency that anyone can use to form an ideal text body.

Scroll up to download and listen to this episode. Or,

Scroll down to read the transcript.

-Thalia

PS: Other episodes or articles on facing the unexpected from the archives, in case you missed it:

SEASON 2, EPISODE 5

Behind the writing (and torpedoing) edits of a famous White House speech

(Music: Silhouettes by Tobias Voigt. License Code: 8IDBGGC5WXLDYLAU)