Although it is important to speak even slower than normal when using a public address system, he never makes you feel he is speaking too slowly
The vocal style of Barack obama by laura spicer
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hen Barack obama gave his Victory Speech he conveyed hope, trustworthiness, and that he is the right man to run the USa. as he spoke, his command and presence were palpable. So what is it about the way he spoke that inspired and filled people with hope and trust for him? Firstly, his pace is very measured. although it is important to speak even slower than normal when using a public address system, he never makes you feel he is speaking too slowly. every word is well enunciated so you hear each word clearly. even if your first language were not english, you could probably find him easy to follow. and, his pauses are plentiful with every pause adding weight to his words. Many speakers find pausing scary and worry about pausing at the 'right' moment. But if you listen to him, you will notice that some pauses are in places that are not obvious. any time you pause, as
long as you hold your attention on your audience, it just feels as if what is being said is more important than it would without the pause. another notable point is that he uses, almost without exception, 'falling inflections'. That means that at the end of his phrases, the tonal note of his voice drops. This speech pattern is sometimes called the 'command tone' and conveys certainty. Upward inflections always feel as if they are questions. obama uses pauses and falling inflections for emphasizing particular words not the usual change of volume and energy. and he does not use a massive pitch range - his voice does not go up and down that much. He just repeats the same pattern - a few words all within a few notes and drops the pitch at the end of each short phrase. and that little vocal trick is so powerful that it is a major factor in conveying hope, and trust and to engage the audience for a full 20 minute talk. b W W W.tHebestyOu.cO 61