Professional and Influential Speakers

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Speaker Analysis Paper
Public speaking is an art that one develops out of learning from other speakers and practicing the same traits. It entails understanding yourself in terms of your strengths and weaknesses, and molding them towards becoming a great communicator. Therefore, excellent public speaking is all about proper communication. One has to ensure that the audience have understood the point that they are trying to communicate. Some influential speakers, including politicians, such as the former United States President Barrack Obama, professional experts, such as Alana M. Hill and Jeffrey Hayzlett, provide significant insights towards learning proper communication skills. An assessment of the way these speakers connect to their audience and effectively deliver their speeches presents one with impeccable insights on how to transform themselves into also becoming effective speakers.
One important thing I learned from watching the former U.S. president Barrack Obama do is the role of non-verbal communication. This type of communication occurs when the speaker uses their body, hands, and in the different ways they stand, sit, or move. It even includes the tone of their voice, and other minute cues that make the audience judge the person speaking to them. The body language can make one to appear confident about their topic, or seem to not understand what they are discussing. For example, when Obama addresses the public, his actively uses hand gestures, which is a sign of confidence and truthful in what he is communicating. He also occasionally smiles at the audience, which presents him as being friendly. However, the smiles are moderated because smiling too much before your audience could be a sign of submissiveness, which can make one to loose command of the audience.
I also learned from his speak about the way one should use the space. When delivering a speech, the way you move, such as up and down the stage, shows your state of mind. It makes the audience to know whether you are relaxed or in a hurry. Looking at Obama’s speeches, he mainly stands behind a podium and only uses his hands to engage the audience. Based on his actions, I realize that I should move only occasionally depending on the topic I am discussing and if I am not pacing up, I should freely use my hands to engage the audience. Alana M. Hill uses the same technique when speaking to her audience, where she uses hand gestures, paces up and down, and also occasionally smiles. Her demeanor makes her seem friendly and confident in what she is talking about. Use of gestures also helps the speaker get the attention of the audience and keep them concentrating. Therefore, when speaking to the audience, I learned that I should avoid standing still as the audience may lose concentration and wander off.
I also learned the importance of adaptability with the audience. Adaptability involves knowing your audience and embracing a character that resonates with them. It is important to identify the interests of your audience and shape the speech in a manner that resonates with them. For example, when Obama speaks to the 200,000 people before him in Grant Park, he would be tempted to focu...