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5 oratorical lessons from obama

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

#  1. use slogans

in his run for POTUS, Obama used slogans masterfully in his bid to become US President. one of the most memorable slogans from obama ‘s 2008 presidential bid is, “yes we can”  or “si se puede”. not only did that slogan get more people into Obama ‘s tent, it did ring strong in the minds and hearts of his supporters from diverse backgrounds. slogans are as old as rhetoric.

# 2. use sound bites

one of the sound bites that is widely associated with obama ‘s campaign is “fired up, ready to go.” he used that sound bite and many others to galvanize and inspire thousands of supporters. although the sound bite was credited to south carolina assembly woman, he nonetheless used it to his support. sound bites are very effective because they resonate well in the minds of fans.

#3. self-deprecate

one of his strengths as a public is self-deprecation. his approach at mocking and teasing at his physical features such as ears endears him to his followers and supporters. he often referred to himself as a skinny kid with a funny name. self-deprecation works well both for comic relief and also to signal to his supporters that he does not take himself too seriously.

#4. appeal to core ideals

to some extent, obama was partly propelled into national stardom because he embraced core american values and articulated them in a most eloquent way at the 2004 democratic convention. his ascent without doubt rested partly on his rhetoric and his meteoric ability continuing to hammer on those issues for several months while in the senate. knowing the core values is one thing, but communicating them eloquently is the decisive element.

#5. build up of momentum in speaking

in most of his speeches he builds up of tremendous momentum by using long sentences with short nano-second pauses that lead up to a major point that deserves all attention. he uses long lists to emphasize, raise the tempo and hammer home key points in a decisive way. build-up adds drama, emphasis and taps into emotions. winston churchill was a master at this.

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5 Speaking Lessons from Martin Luther King, Jr

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Since 1993, I have read every single book or document that I have found about Martin Luther King, Jr.  After reading Donald T. Phillips’ Martin Luther King, Jr, I decided to share five lessons on speaking from legendary leader.

#  1. Win by Persuasion not Coercion or Alienation

During his career, Martin Luther King, Jr used the power of persuasion to win over enemies, cynics and bigots on the civil rights cause. Besides speaking to large crowds, he also took a lot of time to write individual letters to the people who did not agree with him. After receiving a letter from a lady who stated that Negroes could never be equal to whites, MLK wrote back saying: “ I must confess, I am in total disagreement with with your position…. This, however, does not at all cause me to hate those that that believe in segregation.”  It appears that each and every single person who is persuaded mattered a lot to MLK.

# 2. Seek to Understand before you Speak

As a leader, Martin Luther King, Jr sought the truth about issues before he spoke about them in public. He held the view that, not all that is written is true. As a result, he often went down to the field to seek the facts, sent aides to obtain facts about burning issues or made telephone calls to get first hand information to inform his speaking. Can you find some inspiration in this approach to speaking that is inspired by a desire to first seek the facts before communicating.

#3. Walk your Talk

Like several great leaders before him, Martin Luther King, Jr did not just talk. He took time to walk his talk. During the American War of Independence, George Washington spent long hours in the field with his troops. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln walked daily to the War Department and toured the capital on horseback. Martin Luther walked and marched with civil rights activist all across the country.

If you are a leader who has not walked your talk, it is about time, you step it up.

#4. Speak in Subtle but Substantive Terms

In his speeches, he was sometimes very subtle, but equally very substantive. He did not allow any distractions to take his focus off the issues at hand. After he was attacked by a nazi hater, Martin Luther King, Jr kept his cool. Instead of pressing charges or fighting back, he used the opportunity to display his focus on what was substantive. He said: “I am not interested in pressing charges. I am interested in changing the kind of system that produced that kind of man.” That was subtle, but substantive.

#5. Make Extensive Use of Metaphors

Martin Luther King was the master of metaphors. He used metaphors to enhance the clarity of his message. His major speeches were loaded with metaphors to convey clarity. In the mountaintop speech, he said “I ‘ve been to the mountain top”. In another speech, he urged his comrades to press on: “Press on and keep pressing. If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can walk- CRAWL. This is sentence is loaded with a powerful metaphor and imagery. The fly, run, walk and crawl makes the message compelling.

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