George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan are all recognized as being among our greatest presidents. To achieve their success required them to be accomplished in the skill of persuading others to embrace their objectives. The eight of them were accomplished in the art of persuasion, however, in their own unique ways. In a presidential election year, the lecture will fully explore the respective approaches to effective communication and advocacy that empowered these eight American giants to achieve most of their goals during the years they led the country—and will provide the audience with some useful insights regarding how each of us can be more successful persuaders toward those in our respective spheres of influence.

Talmage Boston is a presidential historian, practicing lawyer, and a contributing columnist for the Dallas Morning News. His first presidential history book, Cross-Examining History: A Lawyer Gets Answers From the Experts About Our Presidents, was released in 2016. His newest book, How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents.