Regardless
of how you feel about the current political situation in the USA, the State of the
Union (SOTU) address is a wonderful learning opportunity that shouldn't
be missed. Think of it as an educational or political experience, as
theater, or whatever- but think of it!
President
Obama's speaking skills are widely regarded as excellent. What should
you look for in tonight's address? If it follows the same pattern as
previous ones, here's what to expect.
1.
Excellent body language: great posture, gestures that seem natural, and
eye contact to all sides of the audience. His facial expressions will
show sincerity, enthusiasm and caring about what he is saying.
2.
Stories about real people: President Obama is a master at having real
people and their stories illustrate his talks. The stories are short but
powerful.
3.
Metaphors and alliteration are usually included in his powerful
presentations. Awesome alliterations and magnificent metaphors help make
his speeches memorable.
4.
Powerful wording: The speeches usually have some words that are
powerful enough to make people take notice. The words are not
necessarily long words, but rather are words that are not used often
enough to be taken for granted. (Such words can often be found in
synonym dictionaries online.)
5.
Precise timing: President Obama knows how long to allow people to clap,
to laugh, or to think about an idea he has just presented. The more
complex the idea, the longer people need to consider it and its'
implications. (Congressional representatives most likely consider the
ideas in terms of their committee responsibilities and the impacts they
will have on their constituencies. Ordinary citizens consider the ideas
by how they will affect them.)
6. Expert knowledge of the speech so he does not need to look at notes.
Yes,
there is probably a tele-prompter somewhere out of sight of the
cameras, but President Obama does not seem to need to use it. He knows his speeches!
(We don't see the many, many hours of preparation that go into writing and practicing those speeches, to make them so good.)
Tonight,
as you settle on the couch to watch the State of the Union address,
take this list and see how many of these techniques you can spot!
Tomorrow, you can add them to your speech-giving strategies!
