Best Public Speakers: Studying Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is an attorney and author who was the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She is married to the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. She was the first African-American first lady.

by Stephanie Bickel

What we reviewed: DNC 2020 speech

Strengths:

1. Strong eye contact: Michelle looks directly at the camera and maintains it for empathetic connection. (:28)

2. Vocal variety: She uses stress, pausing, and pacing to create connection and show impact. (1:00, 2:00)

3. Visual leadership: Michelle has impactful facial expressions and maintains a still, confident body posture. (2:20)

4. Storytelling: She skillfully incorporates stories of relevant current events. (4:00, 4:50)

5. Strong language and use of gestures: Michelle showcases both of these when she says, “I know”. (8:00)

6. Strong close: She creates a sense of urgency with her call to action, “You must do something”. (17:30)

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