by Kat Evans
We included Ada Limon on our "Best Public Speakers" list because of her ability to connect the arts and the everyday. She is an artist leader-- teaching, guiding, and inspiring, helping her audiences learn and expand their minds.
Ada Limón is the author of six books of poetry, including The Carrying, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. Her most recent book of poetry, The Hurting Kind, was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. She is the 24th Poet Laureate of The United States, the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, and a TIME magazine Woman of the Year. As the Poet Laureate, her signature project is called You Are Here and focuses on how poetry can help connect us to the natural world. Her first books for children include In Praise of Mystery and And, Too, The Fox.
We reviewed Limon's video essay "Radical Hope" as part of the PBS News Hour series In My Humble Opinion from 2018.
What are the main communication takeaways?
Excellent Pacing: Limon has an energized, but measured rhythm. She is always easy to understand and follow.
Emotional Intelligence: She validates the experiences of so many people online, as she reacts to and lives in the world. She empathizes with the feelings of many people and encourages everyone to go deeper. Her encouragement is gentle and positive, but feels grounded and realistic.
Appeals to All Listeners: Many people are not familiar or experienced with poetry. She appeals to all of humanity in her content, offering value whether the audience understands poetry or not. For those who are curious, Limon makes the tenets of her art clear and accessible to a wider audience as she describes poetry's potential for connection and self-expression.
How could she improve?
Have a More Relaxed Presence: Limon seems a bit physically stiff, in the body and the face, as she reads the teleprompter. She is stronger when she uses her gestures and allows her face to move more.
Add More Variety: Limon could also benefit from strategic shifts in tone, harvesting more emphasis and appearing more energized and natural.
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