SAY IT LIKE OBAMA: THE POWER OF SPEAKING WITH PURPOSE AND VISION
by SHEL LEANNE
BNET Business Network endorsed Say it Like Obama saying that the book “will improve your ability to give a speech, if you practice its techniques.” (see below).
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How to Talk Like Barack
Barack Obama speaks with such power that while most corporate executives said they wouldn’t vote for him, they would surely like to speak like him. That might seem impossible, but a well-timed book by Shel Leanne says ‘yes you can.’
In “Say It Like Obama,” Leanne analyzes how Obama makes speeches, from his body language as he approaches the podium and his rhetorical style to his unusual use of gestures. Her aim is to make readers conscious of classic rhetorical techniques that anyone can use to make their own speaking better.
She starts the book with a breakdown of his 2004 acceptance speech, which would be worth watching while looking at her analysis. There are numerous slinks to the speech on the Web.
She has eight chapters on his style:
- Earning trust and confidence: through body language, intonation, gestures and strong beginnings;
- 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;
- Winning hearts and minds: Know your audience, personalize your message for you, and for it;
- Conveying vision: Using descriptive words ,familiar references, anecdotes and symbols to spread your message;
- Driving points home: know your themes, develop and focus them; use repetition effectively, and tone and pace;
- Persuading: how to get a nod from an audience, how to sequence ideas and address objections;
- Facing and Overcoming controversy: know your goals, change the tone through humility, graciousness and choice of language, accept responsibility;
- Motivating others: build to a crescendo, repeat your takeaways and slogans, end strong.
She caps each chapter with a summary of what was discussed.
You can learn to make better speeches by studying his techniques, or those of other great speechmakers, like Winston Churchill. Churchill would annotate his remarks, noting places where he should cough, take a sip of water, or even stumble over wording to appear more spontaneous. Obviously, he also practiced.