What King Charles III Can Teach You About the Art of Rhetoric

On 28 April, 2026, King Charles III rose to speak at dinner in the White House and delivered a quiet masterclass in the oldest art in politics: the art of persuasion.

Charles opened his dinner remarks not with a grand thesis, but with an act of sympathy. He acknowledged the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner just days before, paying tribute to Trump and Melania for their "courage and steadfastness." This is the oldest rhetorical technique, dating back to Ancient Greece. Aristotle called it ethos.

Ethos refers to the speaker's credibility and moral character.

Ethos has three elements:

1. Phronesis - refers to the speaker's intelligence and experience, establishing them as knowledgeable

2. Arete - moral value of the argument

3. Eunoia - mutual understanding, speaker's likability and accessibility

Let’s see how the King continues the art of rhetoric in his dinner speech.

Then the gear change. Having established gravity, the King pivoted immediately to comedy — remarking upon the East Wing renovations before noting that the British had made their own "small attempt at real estate development of the White House in 1814," the year British forces burned it to the ground. The joke was self-deprecating on behalf of his nation, and flattering the President's own passion for construction. Lightheartedly, with a single sentence, the King desused two centuries of historical awkwardness.

My favourite King’s joke was about Winston Churchill facing President Ruselvelt naked as he came out of the bathroom (the President wanted to have a chat). Upon seeing Churchill without his clothes, Ruselvelt stated, "The British Prime Minister has nothing to conceal from the President."

Having moved through sympathy, self-deprecating comedy, and shared history, the King arrived at his true destination: the language of kinship. He spoke of the "truly unique" relationship between two nations bound by language, history, and common purpose — and made it feel, for a moment, genuinely felt rather than merely diplomatic. That is what rhetoric, at its finest, can do. 

Warmly

Olga Smith

308. The Power of Great Communication: Lessons from Exceptional Leaders

Whether we are leading a team, pitching an idea, or navigating change, our ability to communicate often defines our success. Everybody is unique and has their own communication style. At the same time, we can learn from the best practices of top leaders.

Lesson 1: The Power of Vision and Emotion

Martin Luther King's speeches, especially his iconic “I Have a Dream, " prove how an emotional connection can inspire action. He didn’t just share ideas, he painted a vision people could feel and believe in.

Lesson 2: Simplicity Wins

Steve Jobs was a master of simplifying complex ideas. Whether unveiling a new product or explaining innovation, he made technology accessible and exciting. If you can’t explain it in simple terms, you don’t understand it well enough.

3. Lesson 3: Authentic Connection

Oprah Winfrey's success is her ability to connect deeply with people. She listens with compassion, responds with empathy, and creates space for open, meaningful conversations.

A Personal Reflection

I’ve discovered that my strengths are storytelling and my confident presence. My weakness: my speech can become rushed when I’m emotional.

Self-awareness is the first step to becoming a better communicator.

Do you know your communication strengths and weaknesses? Share them in the comments. I read every response.

Warmly

Olga Smith

301. Mini 1-Minute Public Speaking Challenge

What if you could become a more confident speaker in just 60 seconds a day?

Public speaking doesn’t require a stage, a big audience, or hours of preparation. It starts with consistency—and small, intentional practice.

Here’s a simple challenge you can start today:

⏱ The 1-Minute Speaking Habit

Every day, pick a topic and speak about it for one minute. That’s it.

No scripts. No overthinking. Just speak.

How it works:

• Choose any topic (your day, an idea, a news story, a lesson learned)

• Set a timer for 60 seconds

• Speak out loud—ideally record yourself

• Don’t stop, even if you stumble

Why this works:

• Builds clarity of thought

• Reduces fear of speaking

• Improves articulation and confidence

• Trains you to think on your feet

Want to level up? Try this:

• Day 1–3: Speak freely

• Day 4–7: Add structure (beginning, middle, end)

• Week 2: Focus on tone, pauses, and body language

• Week 3: Challenge yourself with tougher topics

I do this exercise every day, I love it and it has become a habit for me. I can always find one minute a day to have fun and do something useful at the same time.

Your turn:
What will you speak about today?

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

298. N1 Human Strength in the Age of AI

In a world where AI can think faster than we ever could, what truly sets humans apart is no longer memory or calculation—but something deeper.

For most of human history, cognitive ability—memory, calculation, pattern recognition—has been a defining advantage. Today, artificial intelligence systems can perform these functions faster, cheaper, and often more accurately than we can. This shift forces a fundamental question:

When machines can solve problems, what do humans bring to the table?

For me, this question is not abstract—it is deeply personal.

A Personal Turning Point

I am genuinely grateful for AI, because for the first time in my life, I no longer feel inadequate because of my dyslexia.

Growing up, I was made to feel that intelligence looked a certain way—and I didn’t fit it.

I was shamed for my spelling. Reading wasn’t natural or clear to me, yet my father insisted I read fifty pages a day before I could have any fun. What was meant to build discipline often felt like punishment. While others seemed to move effortlessly through text, I had to fight for every page.

I also struggled with routine and anything that required grinding through information without meaning. It drained me.

I remember friends proudly talking about reading a hundred books over the summer. I could barely get through three.

And for a long time, that made me feel behind.

A Different Realisation

Over time, I noticed something important.

Some of the most well-read people I knew—people who could recall vast amounts of information—were not necessarily getting what they wanted from life.

They knew a lot. But knowledge alone didn’t translate into clarity, direction, or results.

That’s when something shifted.

I began to understand that knowing more is not the same as thinking better—and it’s certainly not the same as discernment.

Dyslexia as an Unexpected Advantage

What I lacked in conventional learning, I developed elsewhere.

Because reading was hard, I couldn’t rely on consuming endless information. I became selective. Focused. Intentional.

I developed a kind of laser focus—a drive to understand what actually mattered and how to get what I wanted.

I didn’t have the luxury of drowning in information, so I learned to cut through it.

In a strange way, dyslexia trained me for the exact world we’re entering now.

The Rise of N1 Strength

What I once saw as a weakness is now part of what I call N1 human strength—the smallest unit of uniquely human value that scales everything else.

N1 strength is not about competing with AI. It is about directing it.

It includes mainly leadership qualities:

1. Taste

AI generates options. We decide what is worth keeping.

2. Judgment

AI offers possibilities. We choose what matters.

3. Direction

AI executes. We define the goal.

4. Integration

AI produces fragments. We connect them.

5. Meaning-Making

AI generates content. We give it purpose.

6. Experience Truth

AI is hypothetical—it can simulate, predict, and suggest.
But truth is grounded in lived experience. Humans test, feel, and verify what actually works.

A New Kind of Confidence

For the first time, I don’t feel like I have to compensate.

I don’t feel behind.

I feel aligned.

AI didn’t just remove a limitation—it revealed that the game has changed.

The traits I once struggled with forced me to develop something deeper than knowledge: discernment, focus, and direction.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com