Obama: The Great Communicator
President Barack Obama has been hailed as "The Great Communicator." His ability to strike a chord with America propelled him into the White House for two terms as the leader of the free world. Political adversaries had a hard time stopping his momentum as he communicated with the American people in a way that harkened back to President Ronald Reagan.
Part of what gives Obama the ability to do great things is his skill at communicating his ideas efficiently for his target audience to comprehend. He's able to laugh at himself and others while acknowledging the hard work that others do to allow him to lead effectively. He knocks down barriers and communicates past the filter, giving Americans a feeling that they're personally connected with him.
Obama uses several rhetorical devices in his speeches, but three techniques, in particular, appear to be consistent across all of his speeches. Transcendence, Repetition, and Gestures and voice.
Transcendence. By using concrete and tangible language, Barack Obama can transport us to another place and paint a portrait that we can see in our mind's eyes. Like his victory speech of November 7th, he spoke in concrete terms about the people who supported him and campaigned for him:
"You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who's working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. You'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. You'll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who's working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home."
Repetition. Speechwriters call this technique "anaphora:" repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences. Repetition is used artfully to emphasize one idea and make it memorable clearly. Barack Obama rose to prominence in 2004 with an electrifying speech at the democratic national convention where he used repetition effectively. For example,
"We have more work to do. More work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois…."
"More to do for the father I met…."
"More to do for the young woman…."
"I believe that we can give our middle-class relief…."
"I believe we can provide jobs…."
"I believe that we have a righteous wind in our backs…."
3. Gestures and voice. President Obama, like many effective speakers, uses gestures to punctuate nearly every sentence.
Obama also uses his voice effectively. He slows it down, lowers his volume, and pauses for impact. At other times he speeds up his pace and raises the volume of his voice to underscore a key sentence.
I would want to model after him as an effective advocate for children. I need to be effective in my presentation to the target audience (all the stakeholders in child development) because being passionate to voice the voiceless is not enough. An effective speech or presentation raises the audience's hopes and gives them something to believe in. People need to believe in someone. They want to be inspired. Whether you lead a nation or a business department, someone is looking to you for inspiration. The use of words, gestures, and voice to drive your message home is critical, especially when addressing families and colleagues on issues that relate to children.
References
Raza, A. (2016). 3 Moments Where President Obama Earned the Title of
Great Communicator
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/280400
President Obama is an excellent example of a great communicator. During all of his speeches, he was great with displaying eye contact around the room. In his tone, you could hear the empathy, and genuineness of him wanting to make a difference in the world. He never used words that was to big for the average American to understand.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good choice of person that everyone knows and has seen in action. You make a great point about wanting to inspire and be inspired. This is a good mindset when working with children and families. Thanks for a great post!
ReplyDeleteLucy, I always enjoyed hearing President Obama speak and was compelled by his words. After reading your description of the techniques of great communication that he used, I now understand a little bit about why I was drawn to him as speaker and president. What skill to be able to use such concrete and tangible language while speaking. I admire that ability! I wonder how he learned to do this or if it just comes naturally to him. Thank you for your post!
ReplyDeleteLucy,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you about President Obama being a great speaker. He speak where he can reach all people whether there is acceptance are not. When he spoke about children and families he was so passionate and caring in what he was saying and that means a lot when it comes to communicating to the entire United States. As a Matter of fact when I first read the direction the first person I thought about was Michelle Obama Because she is also a great communicator the way she often spoke about children being healthy was and still is important and they listen because here in Alabama the school lunches are more healthy for our students. Awesome choice.
Melinda Abro
Lucy,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you chose someone out of your personal connections. I took the route of someone in my family and never thought to go deeper with the concept of who I look up to. President Obama was and continues to be a man of great words. He can articulate his points and positions very well and clearly. People are drawn to him by just wanting to listen closely to what he says and the points he makes. He is full of knowledge and it is a wonder how he presents his points so clearly. Great post!