Ted Sorensen, President Kennedy's speechwriter, thought that presidential speeches should employ elevated, not grandiose language. In Barack Obama's Inauguration speech today, he not only avoided grandiose language, but he rarely sounded elevated.
“I doubt Obama's speech will go down in the history books as one of the more moving, memorable speeches in terms of content or oratory,” said Chris Witt, executive speech coach with more than 25 years experience. “It will be remembered, I think, more for the symbolism: a) Our first African-American president, and b) a man promising hope and change in a time of doubt and discontent.”
While Witt watched Obama's speech today along with millions of other people, he observed with an appreciative, yet critical eye.
“I was struck by how few times he used the word 'I' and how often he used 'we',” said Witt, author of “Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint.” Here is a breakdown:
• “I” - 3 times
• “My” - once
• “Me” and “My” - zero
• “We” - 62 times
• “Our” - 68 times
•“Us” - 23 times
“This has two effects,” Witt continued. “1) It turns the spotlight from him back onto us, which is a smart move, considering how much has been made about him. 2) It speaks about unity - Obama did this not so much by telling us who we are, but by setting out the task before us, the work we have to do.”
Witt also noted Obama's use of “re- “ words, such as remain, remember, reaffirm, restore, remake, reform, remind, recall and return.
“I think Obama did this in an effort to show that he was going to change how things have been done, without condemning or pointing fingers at his predecessor,” said Witt.
Witt is founder of the San Diego-based Witt Communications. He helps CEOs gain board approval and company-wide support for initiatives, empowers newly promoted managers, helps technical experts simplify their presentations to win multi-million dollar contracts, and enables entrepreneurs to grow their businesses through the power of effective speaking and presenting. He is the author of “Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint” (Crown Publishing, Feb. 2009).
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Ted Sorensen, President Kennedy's speechwriter, thought that presidential speeches should employ elevated, not grandiose language. In Barack Obama's Inauguration speech today, he not only avoided grandiose language, but he rarely sounded elevated.
“I doubt Obama's speech will go down in the history books as one of the more moving, memorable speeches in terms of content or oratory,” said Chris Witt, executive speech coach with more than 25 years experience. “It will be remembered, I think, more for the symbolism: a) Our first African-American president, and b) a man promising hope and change in a time of doubt and discontent.”
While Witt watched Obama's speech today along with millions of other people, he observed with an appreciative, yet critical eye.
“I was struck by how few times he used the word 'I' and how often he used 'we',” said Witt, author of “Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint.” Here is a breakdown:
• “I” - 3 times
• “My” - once
• “Me” and “My” - zero
• “We” - 62 times
• “Our” - 68 times
•“Us” - 23 times
“This has two effects,” Witt continued. “1) It turns the spotlight from him back onto us, which is a smart move, considering how much has been made about him. 2) It speaks about unity - Obama did this not so much by telling us who we are, but by setting out the task before us, the work we have to do.”
Witt also noted Obama's use of “re- “ words, such as remain, remember, reaffirm, restore, remake, reform, remind, recall and return.
“I think Obama did this in an effort to show that he was going to change how things have been done, without condemning or pointing fingers at his predecessor,” said Witt.
Witt is founder of the San Diego-based Witt Communications. He helps CEOs gain board approval and company-wide support for initiatives, empowers newly promoted managers, helps technical experts simplify their presentations to win multi-million dollar contracts, and enables entrepreneurs to grow their businesses through the power of effective speaking and presenting. He is the author of “Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint” (Crown Publishing, Feb. 2009).
