5 Communications Lessons from FDR's Fireside Chats

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) is consistently rated as one of the best presidents in United States' history because he led his country through the Great Depression and World War II. His legacy is global too, with 13 countries in four continents having statues, streets, buildings, parks, and more named in his honor.

One of FDR's greatest skills was his ability to communicate and inspire faith in his leadership. He took advantage of a new media channel - radio - to create a direct connection with his people via his nationally-broadcast speeches known as "Fireside Chats." Here are 5 communication strategies FDR used in his Fireside Chats that leaders can still use today.

1 - Timing is Everything - FDR wanted his Fireside Chats to be big, not-to-miss, events so he timed them appropriately. He spaced his 30 chats 4.6 months apart, on average, and never had more than four in any one year. He sometimes started each chat by saying how long it had been since the last one. He often timed them to be right around milestone events when interest would be highest - like major events in the war and the opening and closing of congressional sessions. Perhaps, most importantly, he kept the chats short. The vast majority of them were 30 minutes or less and none went over 45 minutes. FDR summed up his timing this way: "The one thing I dread is that my talks should be so frequent as to lose their effectiveness. ... Every time I talk over the air it means four or five days of long, overtime work in the preparation of what I say."

LEADERSHIP LESSON -> Schedule your mass communications to be short and just infrequent enough so you leave your audience, and you, eagerly awaiting the next one.

2 - Start with Structure - FDR opened some of his biggest chats by explaining what he was going to cover in the chat and why it was important. He put his talks in context of previous chats to connect it to a larger strategy. By laying out a structure at the beginning of the talk, FDR helped his audience absorb and understand the information he was sharing. For example, here is how he opened his second Fireside Chat in May 1933 on the complex topic of banking: "On a Sunday night a week after my Inauguration I used the radio to tell you about the banking crisis and the measures we were taking to meet it... Tonight, eight weeks later, I come for the second time to give you my report -- in the same spirit and by the same means to tell you about what we have been doing and what we are planning to do."

LEADERSHIP LESSON -> Learn and apply the structured communication techniques that elite consultants, intelligence analysts, and other communication experts also use to convey complex information in a clear and concise way.

3 - Connect with Audience - FDR lived an elitist life but relied on average Americans for his political base, so he knew he needed to build a connection. He often started his chats by addressing his audience as "My friends" instead of a more formal opening. He may have pictured his listeners sitting in a chair leaning in to listen to his voice from their home (see photo). He also wanted his listeners to feel like he understood them. He made a point in many chats to talk about the trips he made around the country and to describe the average Americans he met. During the Dust Bowl drought, for example, he talked about the pain and suffering he saw first-hand among farmers. During the war, he talked about the factory workers and the armed services members he met. FDR summed up his approach in his April 1938 chat: "And constantly I seek to look beyond the doors of the White House, beyond the officialdom of the National Capital, into the hopes and fears of men and women in their homes. I have travelled the country over many times. My friends, my enemies, my daily mail bring to me reports of what you are thinking and hoping. I want to be sure that neither battles nor burdens of office shall ever blind me to an intimate knowledge of the way the American people want to live and the simple purposes for which they put me here."

LEADERSHIP LESSON -> Start your presentations by sharing a story to build a connection with your audience. If you are a guest speaker at a new employee orientation, for example, share a story about your experience as a new employee that they may also be experiencing.

4 - Call to Action - FDR typically centered his chats around a specific action that he wanted the listeners to take - usually to support a policy of his. He sometimes asked listeners to make a small but symbolic action to show their support. FDR probably thought such an action would cement the support he got in the moment during his talk. In July 1933 he asked listeners to wear a badge showing their support with his economic recovery programs. In April 1935 he asked listeners to be his eyes and ears and report fraud and waste in his New Deal programs to him instead of just gossiping about them. In November 1937 he asked listeners to reply to an "unemployment census" card he was sending to every household. In May 1940 he asked people to contribute to the Red Cross as a way to build awareness of the fight against Hitler in Europe. In April 1942 he told his listeners that they could all contribute to the war effort by cutting back on their everyday needs and comforts.

LEADERSHIP LESSON -> While you have their attention, ask your audience members to immediately take some small action that will help them remember your talk after they leave. For example, ask them to write down one thing they want to start or stop doing after hearing your talk and have them email that to themselves after your talk is done.

5 - Simplify the Complex - One of FDR's greatest skills was to explain complex problems and solutions in a way that the average person could understand. Sometimes he did that by focusing on the basics. In his first chat in March 1933, for example, he started his speech on his banking reforms by explaining how banks work and what caused the run on the banks. Sometimes he used simplifying analogies. In May 1933, for example he explained the complex topics of federal finances, inflations, and the gold standard this way: "In the first place, government credit and government currency are really one and the same thing. Behind government bonds there is only a promise to pay. Behind government currency we have, in addition to the promise to pay, a reserve of gold and a small reserve of silver." In September 1941 he explained the menace from Nazi U-boats by likening them to rattlesnakes. And in February 1942 he asked listeners to grab a map of the world and follow along with him as he gave an overview of the war effort across many theaters of war in the form of a geography lesson (see photo).

LEADERSHIP LESSON -> Research your audience. Begin the conversation you have with them where they need it to start, not where you want to start.

Even though FDR's presidency ended 75 years ago, his lessons are still relevant today. He was an early adopter of a new technology - radio - and tailored his communication style to it to great effect. It would be fascinating to see what he would have done with other new channels like television and the internet.

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Note: You may also like a previous article I wrote about the 7 Keys to Success in First 100 Days: Lessons from FDR

About the Author: Victor Prince is a corporate trainer, executive coach, and best-selling author who helps organizations build leadership, strategy, communications, and critical thinking skills. Earlier in his career, Victor was a consultant at Bain & Company, a marketing executive at Capital One, and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has an MBA in Finance from Wharton. Follow Victor on LinkedIN to access his 100+ articles on leadership, strategy, learning & development, and more.