Share the Experience

Regardless of who you sided with this last election, one thing is clear: Barack Obama is a master public speaker. Many of my on-site communication training customers have asked me, “Can you help me talk more like Barack Obama?” and the answer is “YES.”

And I can help you too.

President Obama uses many strategies in his speeches to “hook” his listeners and to get them emotionally involved. One of his strategies is his use of repetition. When used correctly, repetition is one of the most powerful tools that keynote speakers, on-site trainers, and even preachers use to “hook” their audience. Obama used it in his famous, “Yes we can,” speech, and in practically every speech since.

Repetition creates a sense of urgency, repetition creates a sense of momentum, repetition creates a sense of familiarity, and repetition can even be hypnotic.

You see-wasn’t that moving?

In Obama’s October 29th address to the nation, you’ll notice that he used repetition like this:

“In six days, this country will…” then, “In six days we will…” then, “In six days you can…” then, “in six days the world will…” and finally, “And in six days, we will be…” eventually building to a crescendo that can only be reached through the use of repetition.

By the time he was finished, you could hardly hear Obama speaking over the din of the crowd.

To use repetition effectively in an address or speech, you need to use the same “lead-in line” or “closing line” at least three times (preferably four times or more) and pause between each use.

For example, if you were giving a presentation to the board about a new service initiative and you wanted to hook your listeners, you might say, “Our customers expect us to provide a higher level of service than the competition does, while delivering a superior product. The expectation is to be innovative, cost-effective, and customer-service oriented all at the same time. This revolutionary new product I’m proposing can help us do exactly that.”

Now–listen to how the message changes when it’s phrased: “Our customers are expecting a higher level of service. Our customers are expecting a superior product. Our customers are expecting us to be more innovative, and our customers are expecting us to be the most cost effective. Our customers are expecting a lot from us, and with this new product, we can and we will exceed those expectations.”

Can you feel the difference?

Suppose you were delivering a speech about your hero, your grandfather, and were thinking of saying something like this: “I admired my grandfather not because of how he treated my mother or how he treated me, or because of his accomplishments as a federal judge, but because of how he treated the waiter, the shoe-shine man, and the front-desk clerk. He was kind to everyone, and treated everyone as if they were the most important person in the world. That’s why I admired my grandfather. Young ladies here today should watch for this in their potential mates-how the potential mate treats people in general-because that is how they will eventually treat you.”

Watch how that message changes if you put it this way: “I admired my grandfather for many reasons. I admired how he treated my mother, I admired how he treated me, and I admired his accomplishments as a federal judge. But most of all, I admired the way he treated the waiter as though that waiter was the most important person in the world-how he treated the shoe-shine man as though that shoe-shine man was the most important person in the world-how he treated the front-desk clerk as though that front-desk clerk was the most important person in the world, and how he treated me is though I was the most important person in the world. What I noticed was not just how he treated somebody, but how he treated everybody. So to all of the young ladies out there who are evaluating potential boyfriends or husbands-notice not just how they treat you, or how they treat their mother, or how they treat a client, but instead look at how they treat the clerk at the convenience store, look at how they treat the service agent at the light company, look at how they treat the difficult coworker they struggle to communicate with, and look at how they treat the person who just needs a favor from them. In these moments, you will see the truth about his character. In these moments, you will see the truth about his commitment to greatness, and in these moments, you will see the truth about how that person will eventually treat you, because how you treat anyone is how you treat everyone.”

Did you feel that!? Quite a difference, wouldn’t you agree?

Repetition is just one of the many techniques used by Obama in nearly all of his public addresses. You too can use repetition and other techniques when speaking in public to create more of an emotional connection, and therefore impact with your audience. For more techniques and tactics to help you become a savvier communicator, register with us for updates and news.