Unit 1: Oral Communication and Media Studies

Lesson 3: Speaking and Speeches Delivery Analysis - Assignment 3

Barack Obama "Yes We Can" – Speech analysis

The ex-President Barack Obama has been renowned with his powerful public speech. His

"Yes We Can" speech delivered in 2008 during his New Hampshire campaign was one of his

most outstanding public speech in recent history.

Mr Obama engages in impressive physical interaction with the audience, which remained as

his characteristic. He looked towards the audience with sincerity, moving his glance from one

group to another like there is a dialogue between the speaker and the audience despite the

impossibility, but this is how he made the audience feel engaged. His stare exults

attentiveness, and one will feel that he is speaking from his heart. His use of language is

simple and would be easy for the listener to register. He is consciously involving and

addressing the audiences with consistent use of "we" and "our" to enhance inclusiveness

while there was only a handful of "I" throughout the whole speech. He also allows pauses at

his speech so the audience can respond, and we can see that they do by cheering or

responding loudly to President Obama.

Another great leader who conquered the world with his speech and his words was the late

English Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He adopted a precise use of anaphora's rhetorical

(TURNER) device by repeating keywords frequently within a short speech span. Mr

Obama's speech utilized similar techniques. For example: "you came out and spoke up for

change. And with your voices and your votes, you made it clear that at this moment - in this

election - there is something happening in America." Another example: There is something

happening when men and women in Des Moines and Davenport…There is something

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happening when Americans who are young in age and in spirit…There is something

happening when people vote not just for the party, they belong to but the hopes they hold in

common". The power the speech exerted is undeniable.

"Yes we can" remained the main message throughout the powerful speech that Mr Obama

repeated with assertion, especially towards the end of the speech. Together with the

frequently surfacing campaign title, "change" throughout his delivery, Obama's public speech

skill should be considered textbook representation.

"And so tomorrow … we will remember that there is something happening in America; that

we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and

together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will

ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can."----Barack Obama

Last but not least, he ended the speech with a clear "Call to action" by inviting his audience to

witness the change he promised to bring to America. Obama's speech is such a pleasure to

watch.

Speech to Inform by Scott L. Tauber

Tauber has done very well in terms of including previews at the beginning of his speech,

informing the audience what his speech is about. As titled, this speech targets to "inform" so

it will not be fair to expect the speaker Scott Tauber to engage his audience as that would not

be his purpose.

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Despite his tone's flatness, as the audience for this speech seems to be students in a lecture

room, the speaker's tone seems appropriate.

However, during his speech delivery, Tauber's evident lack of excitement is exceptionally

unconvincing toward the Rhapsody platform's attractiveness. Such lack of passion is a

demotion of any public speaking intent. The use of the straight-forward, matter-of-fact

dictation approach to explaining the Rhapsody's role made one question the necessity of this

delivery. Technically, anyone can go to rhapsody.com and receive precisely the same

information instead of listening to Tauber's speech.

The materials used as a visual aid to his speech is, unfortunately, visually unattractive. For a

speech delivered in 2009, paper printed poster with black and white drawing taped to the

whiteboard with scotch tape seems like methods from the stone age. So, thank you, but no

thank you, Mr Tauber. You have successfully made Rhapsody sound like the most charmless

music platform through your speech.

Speech to Inform "Alopecia"

The speaker adopted a good practice of providing a preview and engaged her audience by

introducing what she will be talking about. She has successfully seized the audience's

attention initially by the shocking revelation of her baldness related to the topic of her speech

"alopecia". On the other hand, the use of professional and medical terms in her speech did

not help send the speech message across to the audience. Furthermore, such choice of

language demise her opportunity to emotionally engage her audience.

On the other hand, the speaker uses cue cards and frequently referring to them has

undermined her persuasiveness since it appeared that she is 1. Not familiar to the issue she is

talking about, 2. She lacks confidence, and 3. She does not communicate enough with her

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audience. Another weakness during the speech delivery was her lack of clarity in

pronunciation when she utters individual English wordings. She tends to slur through some of

the longer and technical words during her speech.

The speaker did adopt a fair amount of humour by teasing her nose hair or comparing herself

with her friend's dog, which also suffered from alopecia. Then she engaged her audience by

pointing out the probability and lack of proven cause for this disease which means that

everyone could have a chance to suffer from this condition.

All-in-all, the speaker has tried to include useful visual aides such as relevant pictures into

her presentation. The content of her presentation seemed to cover all the critical aspects of

alopecia. Nevertheless, her casual and relaxed tone, the occasional "slurring" of words, and

her frequent references to her cue cards have weakened her presentation's advantages and

have made her speech not as attractive as it could be.

TURNER, Sarah. "https://www.turnerink.co.uk/word-stuff/rhetorical-techniques-winton-

churchill/." 15 October 2015. Turnerink.co.uk. 10 January 2021.