The Rhetoric of Ice and Fire: Dictators and the Finnish Sauna

We had the pleasure of meeting the brilliant speechwriter Guy Doza in London. A couple of years ago, Guy wrote a fantastic guide to rhetoric with a witty title: How to Apologise for Killing a Cat. His latest book, The Language of Evil, is hitting bookstores this spring. In it, Guy explores the speeches of dictators and tyrants. Naturally, we delved into these topics: Guy's favorite rhetorical techniques and the kind of destruction words can cause at their worst. Our conversation also included mentions of saunas and ice plunges.

 

The language of the Summer School of Rhetoric podcast is usually Finnish, but this episode is entirely in English, including the introduction, to cater to an international audience.

 

The Summer School of Rhetoric is a professional event on persuasive communication, held annually in Finland. Past speakers include speechwriters from the White House, Downing Street, Berlin, and NATO headquarters. The next Summer School of Rhetoric will take place on June 5-6, 2025.

Here is the event's website: https://www.retoriikankesakoulu.fi/2025/