Synthesized answer
Keynes describes Lloyd George's "medium-like" sensibility as an unerring ability to perceive everyone immediately around him [1, 2]. He possessed six or seven senses not available to ordinary men, allowing him to judge character, motive, and subconscious impulse [1]. This sensibility enabled him to perceive what each person was thinking and even what they were going to say next [1].
With a telepathic instinct, Lloyd George would compound arguments or appeals best suited to the vanity, weakness, or self-interest of his immediate auditor [1]. This perception of others' inner workings made him highly effective in negotiations, as illustrated by his practice of reinforcing his case with _ad hominem_ arguments in private conversation or sounding out ground for compromise during the interpretation of his speeches [3]. His swiftness, apprehension, and agility in sizing up situations and responding with slight changes of ground could defeat opponents whose minds were slower and less adaptable [4].
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
ch a man have against Mr. Lloyd George's unerring, almost medium-like, sensibility to every one immediately round him? To see the British Prime Minister watching the company, with six or seven senses not available to ordinary men, judging character, motive, and subconscious impulse, perceiving what each was thinking and even what each was going to say next, and compounding with telepathic instinct the argument or appeal best suited to the vanity, weakness, or self-interest of his immediate auditor, was to realize that the poor President would be playing blind man's buff in that…
d wiser when he was seated; and his hands, though capable and fairly strong, were wanting in sensitiveness and finesse. The first glance at the President suggested not only that, whatever else he might be, his temperament was not primarily that of the student or the scholar, but that he had not much even of that culture of the world which marks M. Clemenceau and Mr. Balfour as exquisitely cultivated gentlemen of their class and generation. But more serious than this, he was not only insensitive to his surroundings in the external sense, he was not sensitive to his environment at all.…
oughing from the chest, produced their impression rather by force and surprise than by persuasion. Not infrequently Mr. Lloyd George, after delivering a speech in English, would, during the period of its interpretation into French, cross the hearthrug to the President to reinforce his case by some _ad hominem_ argument in private conversation, or to sound the ground for a compromise,--and this would sometimes be the signal for a general upheaval and disorder. The President's advisers would press round him, a moment later the British experts would dribble across to learn the result or…
oyd George also--but his mind was slow and unadaptable. The President's slowness amongst the Europeans was noteworthy. He could not, all in a minute, take in what the rest were saying, size up the situation with a glance, frame a reply, and meet the case by a slight change of ground; and he was liable, therefore, to defeat by the mere swiftness, apprehension, and agility of a Lloyd George. There can seldom have been a statesman of the first rank more incompetent than the President in the agilities of the council chamber. A moment often arrives when substantial victory is yours if by…
e assumption that the return of the Prime Minister to power was the primary consideration, the rest followed naturally. At that juncture there was a clamor from certain quarters that the Government had given by no means sufficiently clear undertakings that they were not going "to let the Hun off." Mr. Hughes was evoking a good deal of attention by his demands for a very large indemnity,[99] and Lord Northcliffe was lending his powerful aid to the same cause. This pointed the Prime Minister to a stone for two birds. By himself adopting the policy of Mr. Hughes and Lord Northcliffe, he…