The Blueprint for How to Write and Deliver a Difficult Speech – Obama in Cairo

In yesterday’s post, I said that Obama’s speech at Fort Hood was not his best ever, but I didn’t say which speech I thought was his best.

Most of Obama’s speeches are good, but his best speeches, in my opinion, were the most difficult to deliver. Back in March of 2008, I wrote a blog post about his speech on race in America. I would rank that as his second best speech.

I think the best speech he ever delivered was his speech in Cairo. If you ignore your feelings about politics, religion etc … and examine the speech strictly from a rhetorical point of view, it was a masterpiece.

I wrote an opinion piece for Ragan.com, but I didn’t share it on my blog. So forgive me for being late. The principles of this speech are timeless. Here’s the article:

In Global Speech, Obama Strives for Common Ground
by John Watkis

President Barack Obama is no stranger to delivering a difficult
speech, but his speech at Cairo University was his most difficult
to date. Because of the tension that exists between the United
States and Muslims around the world, there was potential for a
hostile response from the audience.

In a textbook display of speechmaking, the president was able to
systematically overcome audience resistance and create a connection
with them.

Here are the strategies Obama employed to connect with his audience:

He spoke their language … literally and figuratively:

It was clear from the exuberant reaction that no one in the
audience had expected to hear the U.S. president say, “assalamu
alykum,” an Arabic greeting meaning “peace be unto you.” It was
like President John F. Kennedy’s assertion,”Ich bin ein Berliner”
– but tenfold.

Obama gained and held the ear of his audience by quoting the “Holy
Koran” on four occasions, referring to the story of Isra, and using
the phrase “peace be upon them” when referring to Moses, Jesus, and
Mohammed. As in a corporate speech, the proper nomenclature is
essential.

He established common ground:

Obama masterfully established common ground – not only between the
Islamic world and the American people, but between himself and his
audience, Muslims and Jews and humanity as a whole.

He spoke about his family, including “generations of Muslims.” He
told of his experiences growing up in Indonesia and working in
Chicago communities with many who found dignity and peace in their
Muslim faith.

In asking Muslims to look at Americans in a different light, he
took an approach that might well be used by anyone speaking to a
potentially adversarial audience. Rather than brashly extolling
America’s virtues, Obama praised Muslims for their contributions to
America and to the world. He spoke about their successes and their
commitment to bringing about global peace.  He decried the
unfairness of much of the world’s viewing Islam in the wrong light.

Once that idea had been extended and the audience was with him,
Obama declared: “But that same principle must apply to Muslim
perceptions of America.”

The turnabout was effective because a foundation of understanding
and empathy had been built.

To establish common ground for a global and diverse audience, Obama
set a tone of common interest: “That is what I will try to do today
- to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us,
and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings
are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.”

During the rest of the speech, he repeatedly referred to “human
beings,” “human rights,” and “humanity.” Throughout, “being human”
was the overriding theme.

He offered a balanced view:

Obama offered the perspectives of both sides, but he didn’t mince
words: “It’s easy to point fingers – for Palestinians to point to
the displacement brought about by Israel’s founding, and for
Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout
its history from within its borders as well as beyond. But if we
see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be
blind to the truth.”

He also created balance by prefacing the viewpoints of Israelis and
Palestinians by with phrases conveying a contrary yet equal
contention: “On the other hand …” and “At the same time …”

He knew his audience:

Even if your audience doesn’t agree with you, they will respect you
for learning as much about them as you can. Throughout the speech,
it was clear that Obama understood his audience and what was
important to them.

He had done his homework and recognized their concerns. When you
can demonstrate to your audience that you can relate to them and
have taken the time to learn their priorities, any lingering
animosity will begin to shrink.

He managed expectations:

Rather than acting as though his talk would make a dramatic and
immediate difference in American and Muslim relations, Obama
adopted a tone of realistic expectations for the impact of his
address, saying: “I know there’s been a lot of publicity about this
speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor
can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex
questions that brought us to this point.”

Generally, the “I wish I had more time” tactic doesn’t play well,
but it worked in this context. By saying he could only accomplish
so much in such a short period of time, Obama didn’t come off as
Super American trying to save the world.

Of course, Obama didn’t – nor couldn’t — win over every audience
member.  The world at large will dissect and voice misgivings or
cite flaws in the rhetoric. Based on the response during and after
the speech, however, Obama clearly grounded this challenging speech
in fundamentally sound, and successful, oratorical techniques.

Tagged as: Cairo, Difficult Speech, Muslims, Political Speeches, President Barack Obama, Rhetorical Devices, Speech Writing