This past week, President Obama was criticized for not making his inauguration speech more memorable.
There were certainly quotable sections, but not the clear “hook” that Obama has been known for.
When he spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Obama’s memorable moment came when he said:
“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America.”
He did it again in 2008 in New Hampshire with three simple words:
“Yes we can.”
And during his victory speech on November 4, 2008, he said American could:
“… put their hand on the arc of history and bend it once more …”
So it’s understandable that people expected something memorable.
Making speeches more memorable by crafting sound bytes is both an art and a science. Sometimes it’s a crap shoot.
I’ve examined some of the more popular sound bytes in history and come up with six devices you can use to make your speeches more memorable.
ANTITHESIS
Antithesis is the use of two contrasting words, phrases or sentences placed directly opposite one another.
Antithesis is used in the phrases:
“Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” — JFK
“Give me liberty or give me death!” — Patrick Henry
From literature, we’re all familiar with the phrase:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …”
ALLITERATION
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in neighboring words or syllables.
The most famous line Martin Luther King Jr. ever spoke was:
“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.”
Notice how the sound of the hard “c” punctuates the sentence.
Also note that the phrase combines antithesis with alliteration.
not be judged by … but by …
LISTS OF THREE
Although there are different names for it (Triad, Lists of Three), the device is still the same … so are the results. Using a list of three words or phrases in succession is a time-tested technique for creating memorable hooks.
Lists of three that are embedded in our brains are:
Of the people
By the people
For the people
Life
Liberty
And the pursuit of happinessI came
I saw
I conqueredFather
Son
Holy GhostFaith
Hope
Love
Winston Churchill has been quoted as saying:
“I have nothing to offer but blood, sweat and tears.”
What he actually said was:
“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
Don’t you agree that the list of three sounds better than the list of four?
Here’s a list of three Churchill combined with antithesis:
“Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few”
In the coming days, I’ll follow up with another post detailing the final three devices you can use to make your speeches more memorable.
Would love to hear your feedback on these three.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Great insight and helpful tools. I think he delivered a great speech withe regards to intention, tone and energy. I just wished that he had said, ‘we will defeat you with ideas’ (referring to “our” enemies). But he his a leader. We want to follow him.
Great breakdown of literary techniques that reach the ear and the heart.
@BertDecker
Thanks for the feedback, Bruce. I think we all wanted a little more “something” from Obama’s speech, but people have started to do “something” to better the country. You can’t ask for better results than that.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Bert. Much appreciated
Thank for the analysis, John. Perhaps Barack Obama’s consistent successes have created very high expectations. I’m sure musicians feel the same pressure when they produce their first mega-hit album. The follow-ups are usually disappointing in comparison (even if they’re still very good).
John Kennedy’s famous phrase is also classified as chiasmus (pronounced ky-AZ-mus) which is a reversal of order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases. Examples are Cicero’s maxim, “one should eat to live, not live to eat” or the sports line, “winners never quit and quitters never win”.
There is a very enjoyable resource written by Dr. Mardy Grothe titled, “Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You” that contains many chiasmus phrases from the worlds of politics, sports, business and others.
Perhaps someone will send President Obama a copy so he can get some ideas for his next speech
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Hi Ed,
Thanks for adding to the post. I enjoy it when others can weigh in and add information I’ve left out.
I don’t know whose going to give that book to President Obama, but I’m going to get one for myself
Regardless of how long I’ve been writing, I’m always fascinated by how much we can do with words.
As for the high expectations, I think you’re spot on. Had John McCain or George W. Bush given that same speech in the same way, people would have been raving about how great it was.
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