Simple and Direct— Plain Speak Without the Jest

Remember back in our Key Player analysis of Truman, where we gave you a definition for a speaking and delivery style called "plain speak" and lobbed a few quotes showing how Truman used it?

Here's a refresher:

Plain speak = the act of saying what you think clearly and honestly without trying to be polite.

Truman Example = If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. (Source)

When it came to speaking style, Truman didn't know anything but plain speak. In fact, his oral biography was appropriately titled Plain Speaking.

The writing style presented in "The Truman Doctrine" also invokes that same simplicity and directness of plain speak, but without the wit or sass. (We've decided the speech has a more serious tone instead).

Here's what we mean by this plain speak writing style:

The sentences are short. Like really short.

There is no other country to which democratic Greece can turn. (29)

This is a serious course upon which we embark. (96)

Truman doesn't need long-winded sentences to convey his message. Instead, his sentence structure is short and declarative, just like a declaration of foreign policy should be.

The speech itself is short.

Let's think about this for a second. The speech took eighteen minutes. That's it. Eighteen minutes was all Truman needed to lay out a policy that would change the way the U.S. interacted with the rest of the world for nearly half a century.

The way it's laid out is short.

Refer back to our section on how the speech breaks down. You can pretty much pick the text apart as a five-paragraph essay. Even better, the transcribed version of the text provides a visual breakdown of the natural pauses Truman put into his delivery—what show up in the transcription as line breaks.

These breaks allow the reader/listener to follow along with ease. Think of them as structural rest stops inserted for you to stretch your legs and reflect on what's just been said.

See?

Together, all of this creates a speech that, while grave and serious in tone, is simple, direct, and to the point. As Truman himself said, he wanted the speech to be free of any kind of (complicated) double talk and hated anything with a lot of "hooey." (Source)

(For an even closer look at "plain speak," check out our readings of the Opening and Closing sections of the speech.)