OK, I have been critical of Obama recently as I believe that a lot of his White House speeches have been too smooth, and even rushed. I compared him to his original speeches where he was so natural and relaxed.
But look at this clip of his recent talk at Notre Dame university. Hi is back to his best. Everyone was won over because he came across as so believable and honest, whilst talking about what is a very delicate and controversial issue.
Great control of silence. He does not try to talk when they are cheering, He enjoys it and welcomes it.
By way of contrast, see here how Michael Martin, speaker of the House of Commons in the UK, delivers a key statement to the House. The contrast could not be starker - the lack of eye contact, the defensive body language, and the "dead" delivery only serve to emphasise the distance between the speaker and his audience.
The man never pauzes, which makes listening to him pretty tiring
ReplyDeleteYou are right. But I have noticed how when you hear someone speaking 'live', That is to say when you are actually in the room, he always seems to go slower than when you watch a recording. Brad had the room spellbound when he delivered a talk the other day, yet when I watched the recording it seemed way too fast.
ReplyDeleteThis needs more investigation and I would be grateful for any comments.