One of the reasons Barack Hussein Obama won his presidential election of the United States of America is that he knows how to deliver a powerful speech. In 2004, when a little-known senator from Illinois gave the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention he started it all. That senator was Obama. It was a remarkable speech - poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
This paper attempts to analyze the significant roles that ethical appeal, language appeal and gestural appeal play in English speeches. These three appeals serve to achieve the ultimate goal of strengthening the persuasive force of the speakers who aim to inform and persuade. The sample data has been collected from some keynote speeches of President Barack Obama and some personal experience that the author has had by taking part in some competitions and public presentations.
The sample analyses testify to the conclusion that ethical appeal, language appeal, and gestural appeal are very important parts for a successful public speaking; if used probably and creatively they can help establish the credibility of the speaker, arouse the desired emotions in the audience and get them around to accepting the speaker’s way of reasoning and eventually resonate the speaker with the audience. This paper has the practical purpose of offering some guidance in theory and practice to students interested in public speaking, an important skill in modern society.
Key words: Obama, appeal, speech, public speaking, body languge
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT I
摘 要 II
Introduction 1
1 The Power of English Public Speaking 2
2 Biography of President Barack Obama 4
2.1 The Educational Experience That Led to Obama’s Success 4
2.2 The Life Experience That Established Obama’s Personal Appeal 5
3 Keynote Address at the 2004 Domecratic National Convention 7
4 Obama’s Speech Making Strategies 9
4.1 Verbal Strategies 9
4.1.1 The Words That Matter 9
4.1.2 The Power of Rhetorical Linguistics in Speaking 10
4.2 Non-Verbal Strategies 11
4.2.1 Obama’s Ways of Delivering 11
4.2.2 Gestures That Go with the Meaning of the Words 13
4.1.3 Voice and Intonation 15
5 Difficulties That Chinese Students Are Facing 16
6 Remedies for Poor Presentation 18
6.1 Choosing a Topic 18
6.2 Writing the speech 19
6.3 Controlling Nervousness 20
6.4 Presenting the speech 21
Conclusion 22
Bibliography 23
Acknowledgments 24
