by Stephen T. Messenger
July 28, 2026
I attended the Army War College graduation ceremony last year, and the guest of honor, General James Rainey, spoke with the students for about seven minutes. In that short window, he asked everyone to remember one thing.
Over a year later, his “one thing” has stuck in my head. One of the reasons I continue to remember was because his core message resonated emotionally. Another was that many people quoted his idea after the speech and throughout the next week. The final reason was because it was meaningful to the audience.
But the most important reason I remembered it was because it was only a few words strung together with maximum impact. When we’re crafting a message for the audience, we’re successful when the crowd takes away our central idea and remembers it for years to come.
If we want our ideas to stick, we have to communicate a short, impactful core idea that will worm its way into the minds of our listeners.
Colonels Play Offense
General Rainey was speaking to over 300 colonels who had completed a year of study and were about to go back into the force to tackle challenging assignments. He knew his audience and crafted the message to fit those listening. Prior to telling them his central message, he prefaced it with, “I’ve been to a lot of graduation speeches and, candidly, I don’t remember a lot of them. But let me give you one thing to remember…”
His one thing was: “Colonels play offense.” This message continues to echo through the halls of the Army War College, and I just heard it quoted last week in a presentation to another class.
Like colonels, every speech we write must be on the offensive. General Rainey understood good deliveries have a powerful and simple message to the right audience that strikes a nerve. It must hit them emotionally, have them repeating it, and mean something personally to those listening.
Emotionally Intense. The best speeches touch the heartstrings. By knowing our audience and what they are going through, we can more easily connect with them on an emotional level. I gave a presentation to a group of high school students last week. I initially thought they were from a highly privileged background, but learned 30 minutes before I spoke that they were actually students with social and financial needs. My message changed to match the audience.
Easily Repeatable. No one will remember our entire speech. I’ve tried memorizing the Gettysburg Address at 272 words and still struggle with it. However, our audience will remember our key message if we serve them a phrase that sticks. I spoke at the Drexel Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony this spring. In it, I asked the newly minted lieutenants to remember three words: “Do your best.” At the end, I had many of the officers come up to me and repeat that phrase back.
Personal Connection. The audience will connect with the message if it’s personal. I once spoke to a high school on Veterans Day. This is often a challenging engagement in which to capture the attention of hundreds of teenagers in an auditorium. Having kids myself, I know that each of them was simply trying to find their own way. Using visual aids of a pitcher filled with iced tea and some cups, I filled the glasses to overflowing, spilling it all over the floor. My message rested on the military concept of “pour into other people.” A year later, students were still talking about it.
Our messages should be emotional, repeatable, and personal to have others retain the key takeaway. At most, they’re going to remember a few phrases and how those words made them feel. If we focus on our narrative, we can have a lasting impact.
Words That Live Forever
There have been many speeches where we recall the theme and core idea, even though we can’t remember much else.
When Martin Luther King, Jr. declared, “I have a dream,” those four words changed a generation and spread a lasting message of hope for equality across the nation. Franklin D. Roosevelt inspired a country to dig its way out of the Great Depression with a single truth: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Across the Atlantic, Winston Churchill rallied England through Nazi attacks by promising, “We shall fight on the beaches,” motivating a hesitant nation to never give up.
Similarly, John F. Kennedy’s call to action, “Ask not what your country can do for you,” reframed citizenship in a single sentence. Long before them, Patrick Henry stood on the steps of St. John’s Church in 1775, declaring the time for debate was over with his iconic cry, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
These speeches are just a small sample of narrative power. There are hundreds more, from Ronald Reagan’s demand to “tear down this wall,” to Lou Gehrig’s gratitude as the “luckiest man on the face of the earth,” Jimmy Valvano’s plea to “never give up,” or Teddy Roosevelt’s praise for the “man in the arena.”
If we do it right, a simple core message can stick with the audience for the rest of their lives.
Make It Stick
I still remember the words of my Battalion Commander in the 82nd Airborne Division. He would repeat the phrase, “Get after it.” While these three words seemingly mean nothing more than to start moving, his message was that we needed to be all in for the next event. Throughout the 800+ man battalion, we all knew when the boss said those words, we gave our all. Now, 23 years later, I still remember that.
When we speak, if people don’t remember our message, we might as well not have said anything. In order for our ideas to stick, they must be emotionally intense, easily repeatable, and create a personal connection. When we can distill our ideas into a few words, we have a shot at making others remember the message for a long time.
Speechwriters play offense. When crafting a speech, don’t just deliver it; go on the offensive. Our best weapon is a single phrase that lasts forever.
Click here to sign up for The Maximum Standard’s weekly email where you’ll get a leadership vignette delivered for free every Tuesday morning!
We’re always looking for authors. We coach first time authors (and anyone) through the writing process if you need a little help. It’s worth taking the first step to get published.
This website is a personal blog and all writings, podcasts, opinions, and posts are the authors’ own and do not represent the views of the United States Army nor any other organization. Podcast music credit in this audio file is to: “Alex Productions – Legends” is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0). / @alexproductionsnocopyright
The Maximum Standard 