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Democratic
Presidential hopeful John Kerry is a better speaker than
President George Bush according to a narrow majority of
respondents to a poll taken over the last month at the
Speechworks website.
Out of 77
votes cast, 42 picked Kerry as the better speaker with 35
picking Bush. Some of the votes appeared to be based on
partisanship rather than an objective assessment of the
candidates’ speaking skills. However, some voters gave
well-considered reasons for their choice.
One Bush
voter wrote: “Kerry has no emotion in his voice (mono-toned)
and seems to drone on and on. I don’t get an emotional
response when listening to him. Bush, while he rambles at
times, his unpolished style comes across as genuine and more
like the everyday kind of guy.”
One Kerry
voter wrote that the Democratic candidate was “more polished and can think on his
feet.” Several Kerry supporters also criticized Bush for
“mangling the English language.”
Speechworks’
Perspective on the Candidates
From our
perspective, neither candidate is particularly good when
compared with great political speakers like Bill Clinton or
Ronald Reagan. Those Presidents spoke in a very personal,
conversational style. They gave “chats” more than speeches,
though Clinton would often speak too long.
On the other
hand, neither Kerry nor Bush speaks with much spontaneity.
Both sound as if they’re hewing very close to prepared
scripts. They are clearly speaking to create “sound bites”
for the news programs. And while that “sound bite” approach
may serve their larger political strategies, it makes for flat
and stilted sounding presentations.
If you’re
interested in following Bush and Kerry’s oratorical
mediocrity, check out the on-line magazine
Slate, which features daily faux pas by both candidates.
At
Speechworks we help our clients learn how to give
presentations that connect with the audience. If you’re
interested in becoming a great communicator give us a call at
404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
