Shel Leanne analyzes how Barack Obama makes speeches, from his body language as he approaches the podium and his rhetorical style to his unusual use of gestures. She reminds readers of classic rhetorical techniques that anyone can use to make their own speaking better.
She offers eight chapters on his style:
1, Earning trust and confidence: thorugh body language, intonation, gestures and strong beginnings;
2. Breaking Down Audience barriers: dealing well with whatever elephant is in the room, finding common dreams and values, shared history, and using words that resonate;
3. Winning hearts and minds: Know your audience, personalize your message for you, and for it;
4. Conveying vision: Using descriptive words, familiar references, anecdotes and symbols to spread your message;
5. Driving points home: know your themes, develop and focus them; use repetition, tone, and pacing effectively;
6. Persuading: getting a nod from an audience, sequencing ideas and addressing objections;
7. Facing and Overcoming controversy: know your goals, change the tone through humility, graciousness and choice of language, accept responsibility;
8. Motivating others: build to a crescendo, repeat your takeaways and slogans, end strong.
What do teachers in first tier schools do, so that students like Obama learn to speak this way?
I wonder how many public school teachers know and find these techniques useful for controlling otherwise distracting students? Schools of ed don’t require use of these techniques.
I know several teachers who use them, but don’t know if these teachers are the rule or the exception.
Does anyone know and can direct me to research about teacher use of any of the eight techniques Leanne says Obama uses? What are your observations?
I wonder if teachers would accept S.L. as a professional development speaker? Seems like she’d add something for everyone except the SPITRs in the audience.
Sources:
Fitzgerald, M. How to Talk Like Barack (A review of the book by Leanne, S. 2008, Say it like Obama.
Say it like Obama: The Power of Speaking with Purpose and Vision, New York: McGraw Hill.