Obama Drama: His Communication Style Under the Microscope
Okay, I can’t remain silent any longer about the Obama craze. Every media pundit you turn to is analyzing, forecasting, mimicking, or scratching their heads about this junior senator from Illinois. What is it about his communication style that causes 20,000 people to turn out to hear him as if he were a rock star when they’ve never cared about politics before?
Sure enough, on my radio interview yesterday with The Entrepreneurial Moment, http://www.preciseselling.com/Radio.htm, we weren’t ten minutes into the show when the inevitable question surfaced from host Brian Sullivan: “So can you comment on Obama’s style—what is it that makes him so charismatic as a speaker? Let’s hear your analysis when we come back after the break?”
That was the teaser. So I had 60-seconds to think about it. Sure, as a communication specialist, I’ve watched all the presidential hopefuls over the last several months and analyzed their strengths and weaknesses during more debates than most. But typically when I’m doing press interviews, they expect me to spit out a 20-second sound-bite. Here was a talk-show host giving me the freedom of about five minutes to elaborate on Obama’s style—and with 60 seconds to think about it.
So I decided that I’d just pass my analysis on to you. Here’s what I’ve called Obama’s 5 S’s of Speaking Style:
Smile: It’s hard not to be attracted to someone’s smiling. (Most people are surprised to discover how dour they look all too often when speaking—especially when tense and especially when presenting on sensitive subjects. Cameras also have a way of emphasizing negative facial expressions.)
Stature: He’s tall. How many times have you heard someone comment on candidates who “look presidential?” Survey after survey shows that tall people are thought to be smarter, more attractive, more capable, and more successful than shorter people. Tall people command attention more quickly than short people; it’s just a fact of life. (As someone who’s only 5’4” myself, I’d like to know if anyone out there has a supplement for this condition.)
Smooth Gestures and Movement: (This learned skill is the next best thing if you can’t change your height.) He walks purposefully and gestures with large graceful movements. None of those short, chop-through-the-air John Kerry gestures we saw in 2004. You know the kind I’m referring to—those when your mother wagged her finger in your face and said, “Johnny, how many times do I have to tell you not to leave your bike in the driveway?” Obama’s hands and arms have the opposite effect—open, warm, inviting, inclusive.
Syntax: His speech is fluid. He thinks well on his feet. No rambling. Few word fillers.
Soothing Words: His word choices are uplifting. He likes to focus on positive word choices. He prefers to talk about “change” rather than “problems,” about “solutions” rather than “the mess we’re in.” Audiences walk away with “hope” rather than a “we’re heading toward doom” feeling.
This year’s race is one of the most exciting in many years—if for nothing else than to see a contrast in communication styles and how the public reacts from day to day as the candidates shape, reshape, and measure the responses to their message. As the great philosopher Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”





