Tools of Influence: Excerpts from influential speeches that demonstrate powerful rhetorical devices

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer another approach. From 200 of the most influential speeches of modern times, I selected 11 excerpts that brilliantly illustrate a powerful rhetorical device.

And above is the YouTube video of me performing those excerpts. 

Writing and Speaking to Effect Change

Like most counselors and how-to writers, my goal is to help people improve their lives.
In recent months, I've revised my approach to writing my Psychology Today articles. 

I recognize that these changes may reduce my credibility but I hope the articles are more helpful.

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I explain the thinking behind the changes in hopes that it will help you to be a more effective change agent, whether you're thinking or speaking. 

The Most-Time Effective Way to Create Change?

It seems to me that the most time-effective way to create change is to create a memorable slogan--what I call, bumper-sticker rhetoric. Examples:

• Mend it; don't end it (welfare.)
  
• Civil rights. (rather than, for example, taxpayer cash and human redistribution of resources based on race and gender.)
• Go green. (rather than impose great costs for highly uncertain benefit.)
  
• What would Jesus do?
• Glenn Beck (and Joe Wilson and any outspoken conservative) is "a nut job" or "wing nut."
  
• Got milk?
• Perhaps most potent: Change. (That helped get Obama elected despite his being inexperienced and a hard leftist.)

With that as a model, I've created these:

• What are you worth? Score every hour of the last day or week (or longer) from -100 (a drug dealer) to +100 (trying to cure cancer). What's your average score?
  
• One-minute taxation. Enter your gross income and assets at irs.gov. Your total annual tax is deducted from your checking account. All other taxation (sales, tolls, state income, etc.) are eliminated.
  
• There are four widows for every widower. Fund men's health.
• Reverse discrimination means worse products and services for everyone.
• Is it cost-effective to try to cool the planet? Demand debate.
  
• K-16 on YouTube--so all students can always have America's best teachers.

For any of these, I'd welcome a more pithy version, a critique of its underlying proposal, or your suggestion of something you'd like to see on a million bumper stickers.