It would be nice if we only had to deliver “nice” speeches that make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But in reality, there are times when the news we have to deliver will be bad or the message we intend to bring won’t be popular. To say that Barack Obama’s speech on the role of race in American politics was “difficult” would be an understatement. Given the choice, I’m sure this is the last topic any of the presidential candidates would have tackled. Unfortunately, Obama didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He needed to do some damage control … and he needed to do it quickly!
Now that the dust has settled, I’d like to examine Obama’s speech and identify some things he did to tackle what I consider “the topic from hell”.
The Opening
How did Obama decide to open his speech? Did he do it with a shocking statistic? Did he grab the attention of the audience immediately? Did he say something profound? Nope. He thanked the person who introduced him. Can you imagine that? Rather than stepping up to the plate and swinging for the fences, Obama took a few practice swings to find his groove. Why? Because it was appropriate.
If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I don’t subscribe to a lot of the run-of-the-mill philosophies of many experts. One of those philosophies is that you should start with a bang. My philosophy is that you should always start with an appropriate opening for the event, audience and occasion. In this case, starting with a simple “thank you” broke a lot of the tension that was in the room.
Once he finished saying “thank you”, Obama still didn’t say anything with shock value. He simply quoted the famous words from the constitution:
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”
Regardless of where the audience stood on the issue of race, the opening words of the speech found common ground. When you’re delivering a difficult speech, you would do well to follow Obama’s example. Instead of just jumping in with your point of view and plowing forward, find some common ground that you can establish with your audience BEFORE trying to state your point. To do otherwise would be counterproductive.
In the following passage, Obama continued to lay a foundation of “common ground” for his intended audience (his intended audience was not everyone listening to the speech):
This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the
long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free,
more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this
moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our
time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that
we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the
same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the
same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.
Even after laying the foundation of common ground, Obama still didn’t dive into the topic. He went on to remind the audience of his background.
This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the
American people. But it also comes from my own American story.I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised
with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army
during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at
Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in
America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black
American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we
pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles
and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as
long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even
possible.It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has
seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts –
that out of many, we are truly one.
Keep in mind that the speech ran approximately 37 minutes. He had some time to play with. You may not have that much time to deliver your difficult speech, but you should still broach your topic carefully. By taking your time to build common ground and establish your credibility to speak on a topic, you also lower the resistance of those listening to you.
The Good Stuff
I’m not going to dissect the body of Obama’s speech. What I will say is that it was straightforward and honest. At the same time, he didn’t use a lot of sensationalism. Obama could have used graphic examples to drive home some of his points, but that would have alienated many of his listeners. At the same time, he didn’t soften his point of view. Sometimes, less is more. And in the case of avoiding graphic examples, Obama made the right choice. This is not to say you shouldn’t use explicit examples when they’re called for. Just make sure the examples you use really are necessary.
The Delivery
If you watch the speech, you’ll notice this is a very different presentation style than we’re used to seeing from Obama. The presentation was very serious and lacking in the high energy normally associated with his speeches. That being said, I believe Obama gave the speech of his life. Poise, minimal gestures and good use of vocal variety were all used well to deliver a serious message at a crucial time. The word “appropriate” comes to mind again. Your presentation style and energy level should be tailored to the size of your group, room, the event and the message.
The Closing
One of the things I’ve noticed about the speeches Obama writes (he did write this one himself) is that his closings seem a little anti-climactic. Yes, he managed to tie his closing statements into his opening statements, and he told an emotional story to draw people in. It just seemed a little flat when he ended with “thank you”. If you watch, you’ll notice the audience isn’t quite sure if the speech has ended. I don’t think he needed to have an exciting ending, but I would have liked an ending that was a little more definitive.
In Summary
Many are saying this speech was the most significant speech on race in the past 40-45 years. It was a tough topic to tackle, but Obama did it masterfully. You can watch the full speech below.
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Nice analysis. I spoke about difficult topics for many years, and I found that diplomacy, humor and finding common ground were all important aspects of the presentations. And yes, sometimes audiences needed to be shocked, but I usually would play that by ear, depending on the kind of response I was getting.
In my case, I was coming from an educational perspective, so humorous analogies were frequently a way to point out the absurdity of some of the misconceptions I was trying to clear up.
But as you mention, methods of getting a message across have to be tailored and appropriate to the particular group.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for pointing out that humor is also a good way to approach a difficult subject if the situation calls for it. As with any approach, the biggest challenge is making sure we understand the audience and the words that will reach them.
Thanks for commenting
This is a great post on the eloquence of Barrack Obama. Now I wonder is eloquence a necessary trait for the president, or does the public want more “simple and straight-shooting talk?”
John McCain is definitely assuming the second, as did George W. Bush’s first campaign in 2000. Of course, this “straight-talk” is just another style of public speaking.
Nonetheless, neither of them has the sort of pointed and subtle speaking style that Obama has. It is truly amazing that he has come out of nowhere in the last 6 months to take the lead from the apparent shoe-in Hilary Clinton for the Democratic nominee.
Nonetheless, does this savvy public speaking skill matter to the public?
I tend to think it does.
As a public speaking coach / trainer, I present frequently and coach others on their presentations. Hence, I am constantly observing the interplay between presenters and audiences.
I find that most audiences form accurate general impressions of a speaker, though they may not be able to articulate the behaviors and techniques that led them to form that impression. After all, we’ve all spent a good portion of our lives gaging the truthfulness of the people with whom we interact.
In his book, “Strangers to Ourselves,” Timothy Wilson of the University of Virginia notes that the brain can absorb about 11 million pieces of information a second, of which it can process about 40 consciously. The unconscious brain handles the rest.
Our unconscious brains are gathering up thousands of subtle signals from the speakers that we observe regularly and forming general impressions such as, “He’s lying.” or “She’s arrogant.”
In this election in particular, the President’s ability to inspire the American people is critical. Our economy is weakened, our federal debt is growing, and our national infrastructure (schools, roads, ****) is falling apart. The Iraq war is sapping our federal and state programs with it’s huge costs. Health care costs are soaring and beginning to cripple middle class Americans and small businesses. Climate change threatens the delicate balance of the ecosystem and our national dependence on oil has made us vulnerable to terrorist attack while funding the very nations that host the terrorists. Meanwhile, the good will we enjoyed after Sept. 11 has been completely squandered and our foreign polity is universally criticized or detested abroad.
The current president never asked Americans to sacrifice anything to pay for the war in Iraq. Now, we are beginning to pay the price because other programs have been neglected while the war has sucked up trillions of dollars.
Can one person solve all these problems and manufacture the political will to get things done? No. No president alone can do this. They need the support and participation of the entire nation, just as FDR needed the support of the American people throughout the Depression and WWII.
Who is the appropriate candidate to lead us forward? One who can inspire the American people to take part in the recovery of our nation. As JFK said:
“Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
“This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.“
MLK Jr. said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
These were all just “words” … but what powerful words!
Our next president needs to speak the truth, tell us we need to participate, and inspire us with hope.
Who does that sound like but Barrack Obama?
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