Analysis of Obama's President Speech

An analysis of Obama’s president speech.
This essay will scrutinize the articulation of Barack Obama’s speech and will study his use of verbal and non-verbal communication. It will examine whether or not he has used the appropriate tone, language and the correct techniques for speaking as a president. By the time this essay comes to an end one should be able to recognize how befitting his speech was for his audience and the formal nature of it. Obama spoke in a formal manner which showed America his professionalism. When making his speech, Obama gave careful consideration to assure that he directed it to the whole American nation and that he did not sound inconsiderate to anyone. He used a range of language techniques and the correct body language to provide a good impression of himself and to captivate his audience. Obama did not want to appear greater or superior then his fellow citizens. He wished for himself to sound as part of the nation. One can tell this as he continuously use words such as "we" and "our". This can also give the audience confidence in him as well as to remind them of the importance of unity in America. Obama thanks the former president George Bush to seem selfless and appreciative for "his service to his nation". He also briefly mentions the previous presidents to show he has good knowledge about these matters. He mentions the current condition of the country, "our health care is too costly, and our schools fail too many”. He indirectly indicates how much America is in need of a reformation. He tells the audience how he wants to change America for the better. As was mentioned above Obama was very formal in his speech. This of course was a necessity due to the fact that he is the president. One of Obama’s techniques that were used by him to sound formal was good structure. He started very clearly with an introduction of whom he was and why he was there “today”. Near the middle he talked about the country and both their good and bad conditions. At the end he finished the speech by showing his determination of the changes that ‘will’ be made. “We will transform our schools and colleges in to...”. This technique is a skill that makes up formal speech, good structure. Obama has also used a decent amount of eye contact and body language. He points his fingers and makes hand movements which reveal his expressions. His body language and hand gestures also prove his dedication and how much he is committed to making a difference. Obama’s tone was very affirmative. He spoke with expression and included pauses which gave the speech a dramatic effect. Overall by analyzing Obama’s speech one can notice that his standard of English was very sophisticated and his manner of speaking was appropriate for all the people he was speaking to. His speech has been noticed as one of the best speech due to the things that have been mentioned above.