Politicians, diplomats and experts alike all described Obama’s inaugural speech as touching, impressive, candid and down-to-earth. One thing is sure: Obama is a rhetorical godsend. Whenever he speaks, people hang on his every word. The sentences penned by his speech writer give millions of people goose pimples, but only if spoken by Obama himself. The same words spoken by another politician would sound unimpressive and bland. That is what makes a speech writer good: being at one with the speaker. They must be able to read their thoughts and put the right words into their mouth. If you are writing a speech for yourself, however, you should heed the following rules:

1. Have you concentrated on the subject matter and not crammed too much in? Good! A speech is not a hawker’s tray. Limit yourself to a single topic and divide it into a maximum of five logical points, otherwise you will confuse your listeners. The speaker’s greatest art is that of omission.
   
   
2. Does your speech have a ’story-telling quality’ about it? Good! Get your message across using anecdotes; there is no better way of keeping the audience awake and entertained!!
   
   
3. Do you want to make your audience laugh or smile? Good! But be careful: nothing is more embarrassing than a speaker who laughs alone at a joke. Limit yourself to jokes or anecdotes that really are funny.
   
   
4. Have you included quotations? Good! But likewise choose carefully: they should be witty and pithy, short, from smart, well-respected people, not too numerous and not too long. Always select only the best bits.
   
   
5. Do you argue using numbers? Good! Nothing is more convincing than tangible, verifiable figures. It is better to say "83 %" than "most" or "the majority".
   
   
6. Are you spicing it up with rhetorical questions? Very good! This will arouse curiosity and keep people interested. You can litter whole passages of your talk with cleverly placed rhetorical questions. In essence: a speech without questions is like a room without sufficient ventilation.
   
   
7. Do your sentences differ in length? Excellent! Sentences of equal length are monotonous, tiresome and very good at gradually building up aggression.

Author
Gerhard Reichel,
Institut für Rhetorik,
Goethestraße 1,
91301 Forchheim,
Phone: 09191/89501,
Fax: 09191/2801, 
E-Mail reichel.seminare@t-online.de 
http://www.gerhardreichel.de