Abraham Lincoln, Twitter Pioneer
5 Communication Tips from America’s Original Twitter President
A startling new communications technology bursts onto the scene, destroying time and distance, laying the groundwork for vast business empires, and even changing the nature of war, government, and language itself. While this might sound like a description of how Facebook and Twitter are changing the modern world, it is also the story of the telegraph in the mid-19th century! Abraham Lincoln, as Commander in Chief of Union forces and our first Republican president, relied extensively on the newly developed telegraphic messaging to help guide Union armies to victory.
Much like high-tech moguls and modern day presidents who have been known to send e-mails and tweets at all hours of the night, the stories of Lincoln spending late nights at the war room telegraph office answering his telegraphic Twitter feed are well documented by historians. In his book Lincoln at Gettysburg, Northwestern University Professor Garry Wills pays special attention to Lincoln’s fascination with the newly emerging form of instant messaging.
“As president, Lincoln worked intimately with the developer of telegraph in America, Joseph Henry, the president of the Smithsonian Institution. He had praised the lightning ‘harnessed to take his man’s tidings in a trifle less than no time’. Lincoln spent long hours in the telegraph center at the War Department, and was impatient with the fumbling and imprecise language still being used on this instrument, which demands clarity as well as concision.” (1)
These demands for “clarity and concision” brought about by the new technology forced a new “telegraphic” style of speech, of which Lincoln became a master. In his book, Wills goes on to describe how a former West Point mathematics professor named Ulysses S. Grant shared Lincoln’s affinity for the new telegraphic style, and suggests that their rapid-fire and precise telegraphic threads may have helped hasten the Union victory. The precision Lincoln honed at the telegraph office influenced his public speeches as well. For example, by flowing the Gettysburg Address across Twitter, we can better appreciate the precise and telegraphic directness of his thinking:
The instant messaging, Twitter, Snap Chat, WhatsApp revolution we are currently experiencing is also placing new demands on how we communicate with each other. Lincoln spoke to Congress during the height of the war that “as our case is new, we must think anew, and act anew.” So what would Lincoln advise when it comes to using platforms like Twitter?
1). Begin with the end in mind.
“If we could first know where we are, and whether we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.” (2)
Before you start writing, ask yourself what outcome you are trying to achieve. Some messages are intended to invoke a response, while other messages simply need to transmit information or say hello. Still others are written to argue a point or sway opinion. Whatever the situation, start with the end clearly in mind and you will surely be able to better judge what to write and how to write it.
2). Be concise or be lengthy, but always be clear.
“Writing — the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye — is the great invention of the world.” (3)
If a simple yes or no will suffice, then don’t fill up the screen with additional words just because you can type fast. At the same time, if precision and great detail are required, provide it. And no matter what the length of your message, make sure you take the time to choose words that accurately communicate your thoughts. If necessary, read it aloud to yourself or a colleague before hitting the send button.
3). Use stories and even humor to make your points.
“People… are more easily influenced through the medium of a broad and humorous illustration than in any other way.” (4)
Do you remember any of the tweets, updates or eMails you have read today? Unfortunately, all too often there is a vast grey line of forgettable messages that pile up in our in-boxes and newsfeeds. Obviously your stories and humor have to be in good taste, but when used effectively they are an incredibly powerful way to communicate.
4). Douse those flames!
“With malice toward none, with charity for all…” (5)
Following the battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln wrote General Meade a scathing letter criticizing him for letting Lee’s army retreat across the Potomac. Did Meade offer his resignation upon receiving the letter? No, because Lincoln never sent it. It was discovered among his papers after his death.
Criticism delivered electronically can be particularly damaging to the morale of individuals and organizations. Furthermore, as we have witnessed in several recent media stories — e-mails, Tweets, and text messages have a long shelf life. Think twice before you hit that send or post button!
5). One way or the other, respond and act quickly.
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” (6)
As the war progressed, Lincoln would increasingly respond to his generals practically in real time — sitting in the telegram office reading stacks of telegrams as they poured in from various battles. Learning to perform messaging triage on the digital battlefield is an essential survival skill. Some messages need a quick response, while at other times, it’s better to simply not engage with a message at all.
There can be little doubt that if Lincoln were living in our times he would be a prolific user of short form messaging — thinking and acting anew in order to take advantage of this powerful, universal means of communication.
1). Begin with the end in mind.
2). Be concise or be lengthy, but always be clear.
3). Use stories and even humor to make your points.
4). Douse those flames!
5). One way or the other, respond and act quickly.
Jim Walker is a writer and marketing consultant from Philadelphia. His latest book, The Magic of Thinking Tiny, is available on Amazon.
Notes:
1). Garry Wills, Lincoln At Gettysburg — The Words That Remade America (Simon & Schuster, 1992), p. 170.
2). “House Divided” Speech, June 16, 1858
http://abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/house.htm
3). “Discoveries and Inventions” April 6, 1858
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/discoveries.htm
4). Donald Phillips, Lincoln on Leadership, Warner Books (January 1992) p.155
5). Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln%27s_second_inaugural_address
6). Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address
