

The concluding story taken from the Revolutionary war was a great metaphor, and a fine way to conclude. This is the call-to-action which I was particularly looking for, and he delivered beyond expectations. Drawing a parallel between the armed forces and normal citizens in terms of embodying a spirit of service was masterful. Obama transitions back to the American people with remarkable skill. The solution lies within the determination of the people.I expect that this part of the speech will be received quite favorably around the world. He charts a new foreign policy which is anchored on common, human ideals. In an attempt to persuade those who are skeptical of his plans, the key phrase here is “Their memories are short.” This brief interlude seems to be aimed at Congress and other political forces. He concludes this section by reminding everyone that the core American strength still persists. He cites scripture, refers to the Declaration of Independence, and then reminds his audience of the struggles of the past which were overcome. He is speaking directly to millions of Americans who feel the “ sapping of confidence across our land”. In this section of the speech, Obama stays consistent with his message of hope that won him the election. Americans have always faced crises and overcome them.Equally important, he showed great resolve and leadership with his powerful “ But know this, America - they will be met.“ As the economic issue is #1 in the minds of Americans, he was wise to address this first in his speech. He didn’t sugarcoat it, and I applaud him for that. They are serious and they are many.” He didn’t promise solutions in this year or the next. Obama was blunt and direct, using phrases like “ the challenges … are real. Honestly acknowledge the economic crisis.

To do otherwise would damage his credibility. Thus, it is important he follows his own advice. Obama is preaching respect for the individual regardless of whether you agree with them. Some will point to Obama’s mention of Bush as mere formality, but it’s more significant than that. I think Obama achieved all of these aims in his inauguration speech using a simple six-part structure: Make a call-to-action for personal contributions (along the lines of “Ask not what your country can do…”).Address the sagging morale and lack of confidence.Be frank and honest about the realities of the economy and wars.My own wishlist for his speech was that he would accomplish five tasks: So, it is worthwhile to study and analyze the speech outline of Obama’s inauguration speech, because all speechwriters can learn from the strong, simple structure which helped convey his message coherently. It is easy to forget that other words were used to stitch together those soundbites into (hopefully) a cohesive whole. Speech analysis by media pundits often focuses exclusively on the soundbites - a few phrases here and there hole-punched out of a 17-minute speech. Speechwriting Lesson #1: Start with a Strong, Simple Speech Outline ) refer to paragraph numbers in the speech text at the end of this article. Note that numbers in square brackets (e.g. Speech Analysis – Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address Share your thoughts on this presentation.Study the speech text in the complete transcript and.

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This article is the latest in a series of video speech critiques which help you analyze and learn from excellent speeches. Nonetheless, studying the speech provides five key speechwriting lessons that can help us all be better communicators. Some will argue that Barack Obama’s Inauguration speech was not his most electric speech, or that it failed to deliver on unreasonably high expectations.
