President Obama's Speech

As I was watching the Presidents back to school speech a few things were running through my head. First of all, I noticed he was speaking directly to the students, his audience was very clear throughout the entire speech. His tone had a shift part way through. He went from being excited to be there to very serious, this was very effective to getting his point across. With me personally, I began to listen closer and really take in what he was saying. It added to his credibility and authority, even though he doesn't really need to emphasize that, being the President of the United States and all.

President Obama used lists frequently to get his point across. He listed the types of professions people could be, the types of things teachers do for their students, the things students have to deal with outside of school, etc. These helped establish his point, this was a spoken address so lists are extremely affective at sticking an idea into peoples minds. His diction was also very good throughout the speech. He did not talk down to the audience yet he kept his words simple, clear, and concise. It made his speech much easier to understand and it also made it easier to relate to as a student.

He paused frequently, usually when there was applause, but also a few times for dramatic effect. He would say something then pause shortly to let the audience process what he just said. This was very helpful throughout the speech to ensure the audience understood each point he made. Overall, I thought he had a very solid stage presence and he was very easy to listen to. He has a very strong voice with a very soft tone which made it very easy to listen to as a student. Everything he discussed was worthy of listening to.