In a Tizzie Over Teleprompters

President Obama has taken a lot of flack for using a teleprompter when he speaks, but I suspect there are many good reasons that he relies on them. For one thing, he is keenly aware that every word he utters will be analyzed, repeated and re-broadcast dozens, perhaps hundreds of times. He wants to choose his words carefully and stay on message, and a teleprompter helps him achieve that goal.

Teleprompters are also effective when addressing large audiences, as the President does almost every time he speaks. With rare exceptions, his speeches are broadcast on television and beamed across the country and often across the globe. Teleprompters are made for such large audiences because the viewers/listeners can’t really see the prompter itself. Likewise, they are a distraction to smaller audiences and people in the same room with the speaker.

One thing that many may not realize about these speech tools – also known as autocues -- is that they are difficult to use. It takes a tremendous amount of practice – both as a speaker and with the prompter – to deliver a speech effectively while looking at rolling text.

Speakers who use this equipment need to know their speech very well, rehearse it often and use short sentences, since only a few lines of a speech appear on the prompter.

Obama isn’t the only President to earn notoriety for his use of a teleprompter. Bill Clinton had a heart-stopping experience with one during a 1993 address to a joint session of Congress. He was to unveil his plan for health care reform, and he had revised and rewritten the speech until the moment he left for the capitol. In fact, he continued revising it on the ride down Pennsylvania Avenue. He arrived late for his speech and in the ensuing confusion the wrong version began rolling on the glass plates.

Before he began speaking and while members of the House and Senate were giving him a long ovation, he told Al Gore, who was sitting behind him on the dais, that the wrong speech was on the prompter. Luckily, Clinton knew essentially what he wanted to say and was able to speak extemporaneously for seven minutes before the correct speech began rolling.

The Next Great Communicator in Chief

There’s no doubt about it. President-elect Barack Obama is a gifted speaker. In fact, he’s one of the best I’ve ever heard, and I study speakers with great regularity.

Much has been said and written about his speeches and their impact on his audiences, the electorate and the recent election. In fact, it was his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 that launched him on the national stage.
That event, in itself, is testimony to his talent at the lectern. Nobody comments about bad speakers very often. But when they hear a really good speech, people are riveted.

As Ronald Reagan proved so well, people are drawn to strong communicators. As Barack Obama prepares to become the next Great Communicator in Chief, it is appropriate to consider what makes him so good. I think there are three things:

First, he has a well-defined message. His points are clear and his themes are easy to digest. Audiences don’t have to work very hard to grasp his meaning. And he’s speaking about themes that resonate with a large portion of the American people. So, not only is he good at delivering his ideas, his ideas are pressing the right buttons.

Second, he knows how to use words, phrases and vocal tone and volume to build excitement. Have you ever noticed how Obama starts a sentence and then gives it five or six different endings? And with each ending, his voice rises as he drives home his point. It is based on the call and response communication technique that is common in African American religious and political discourse.

Obama used this rhetorical technique when he claimed victory after the presidential election Nov. 4. In his acceptance speech, notice how, in telling the story of the 106-year-old voter named Ann Nixon Cooper, he issues the call and the audience responds.

And finally, Barack Obama is a good speaker because of the personality and demeanor he exhibits. He is apparently a very calm, unflappable person. They don’t call him “No-Drama Obama” for nothing. He is self-assured and firmly believes what he is saying.

All told, it’s a winning combination. Whether you agree with his politics or not, any speaker can learn a great deal about effective communication by watching Barack Obama.