257. Move Your Audience: Lessons From MLK You Should Use

2026-01-19

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Why it’s not about being born a great communicator, but becoming one.The greatest communicators aren’t always great from the start. As Lerone Martin knows, even the great Martin Luther King Jr. had to practice before he could persuade.Martin is the Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial Professor at Stanford, and as director of the King Research and Education Institute, he has spent years studying how King developed his brilliant communication that continues to captivate audiences to this day. “This is a skill that Martin developed over years,” Martin says. “There are stories of him pr...

Why it’s not about being born a great communicator, but becoming one.

The greatest communicators aren’t always great from the start. As Lerone Martin knows, even the great Martin Luther King Jr. had to practice before he could persuade.

Martin is the Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial Professor at Stanford, and as director of the King Research and Education Institute, he has spent years studying how King developed his brilliant communication that continues to captivate audiences to this day. “This is a skill that Martin developed over years,” Martin says. “There are stories of him practicing in the mirror... And I think it speaks to us about how we can develop this skill over time.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Martin and host Matt Abrahams unpack the techniques behind King's legendary speeches, from the musicality of his voice to his use of repetition and narrative structure. Whether you’re preparing a speech or building conversation skills, Martin highlights King’s example to show that great communication isn’t always born — it’s built.

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Episode Reference Links:

Lerone Martin
Ep.192 Quick Thinks: How to Supersize Your Stories

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:50) - Why MLK Was So Compelling
(04:17) - MLK’s Early Speaking Struggles
(05:49) - How MLK Practiced and Improved
(06:44) - Favorite MLK Speech
(07:58) - “I Have A Dream” and Prepared Spontaneity
(10:03) - MLK’s Core Techniques
(13:01) - Repetition, Rhythm, and Momentum
(15:30) - Conviction vs. Performative Messaging
(19:00) - The Final Three Questions
(23:35) - Conclusion

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