Nonverbal Gestures in United States Presidential Inaugural Addresses Nonverbal behavior has become one of the newest and most popular concentrations of study within the field of communication. Nonverbal gestures are one of the most important aspects of public speaking, and can emphasize many different arguments of a speech. They can be used to not only emphasize messages, but also to relay implications of characteristics such as power and dominance. This essay will discuss the role of nonverbal gestures in public speaking, and more specifically, in the case of presidential inaugural addresses. This research will be separated into three sections and will focus on the inaugural addresses of Bill Clinton (1993), George W. Bush (2001), and Barack Obama (2009). Each section will provide the following: first, each section will provide a background of the state of the nation when the presidents came into their presidencies. Second, it will discuss the use of nonverbal gestures found in the inaugural speeches of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Next, this essay will examine and analyze how these inaugural addresses were affected by nonverbal gestures. Finally, each section will address what these nonverbal cues may have foretold about their presidencies.
1. President Bill Clinton’s 1993 Inaugural Address
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Burgoon, Thomas Birk, and Michael Pfau, “that sets of nonverbal, vocal, kinesic, and proxemic behaviors have substantial impact on source credibility and speaker persuasiveness” (161). More specifically, Burgoon, Birk and Pfau, report that in their research, “nonverbal behaviors posited to create percepts fitting an evaluative dimension (i.e., pleasantness and immediacy behaviors) contributed significantly to credibility judgments of competence, composure, sociability, and character” (162). The research presented by Burgoon, Birk, and Pfau has an obvious correlation to the nonverbal behaviors exhibited by Bill Clinton in his 1993
Politicians today use these speech gestures in every important election because of how powerful the hand motions are, and these can be tied back to Jimmy Carter’s Malaise
This is another example of him giving a definite piece of advice to the American people All in all, President Clinton comforted the people of America and provided advice to settle the worried American hearts. He was able to use parallelism and diction to create a sense of security for Americans. He also showed the victims and their families that the American people are supporting them and have their backs. Clinton also used his status as a parent and a husband to create a more emotional connection with his audience making this speech 100%
In Franklin Delano Roosevelts first inaugural speech in 1933, he was confronted with a huge test of the Great Depression. In his speech, what was most important to note was the main reason he spoke was to inform the people on what he going to do to bring back the nation back to its best shape. Giving the American people courage, and stirring new assurance as the new leader. Examining the ways he builds the pillars of public speaking. Throughout his speech he uses Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to get his point across, in establishing that he will be leading the country in a new and exciting way.
He glanced down at his papers, but made good eye contact and talked directly to the people when he looked up. His tone changed with the importance of the words and phrases he was saying and the points he was trying to make. He also used well placed pauses that emphasize and add importance to what he is saying. He made hand gestures which are mostly hidden by the podium until the end of his
(Source C) in comparison to Kennedy’s. Even though television may seem unfair to give an advantage to those who look better, seeing the candidates’ body language is very important. This relates back to Source B in the fact that the people learn who the candidates are as people-- whether they seem trustworthy, their confidence, their charisma. It is also important because who we vote on will be representing the country, and if the body language of our president is weak, then it is a sign to other countries that not only our leader is weak, but our country
Sign language is a course that many schools do not offer as an elective or a foreign language credit. The assistant principal of Seton High School, Susan Hollenbach, explained that many smaller and private schools are not able to offer Sign Language as a course because they are unable to find the staffing and resources for the class. School size and student interest is a big factor in deciding what courses will be created because all the electives and languages are student-driven. This means that if more students show interest in taking ASL courses, it is more possible for it to become a class. Also, the administration has to decide whether or not the certain course will take away from other classes and possibly diminish the class size of another class which
Intro Growing up, we have all heard the many stories of George Washington. While many recognize him as one of the most important figures in U.S history, others only recognize him by one of his multiple accomplishments; he was the 1st president of the United States. With presidency comes the variety of duties and responsibilities, the main being a president 's inaugural adress. In George Washington 's very 1st inaugural, he uses three rhetorical strategies: personification, amplification, and last but not least, repitition to convey what he truly wants for the States and why a successful Constitution should be in order.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address in the year 1942 opened with a powerful start. He remained good in posture, strong verbal skills, gestures and strong eye contact with his audience which goes to show confidence and being in control of your speech (Stephen D. Boyd, 2017). He addressed the Americans, the citizens of the United States before he mentioned anything. He went to show that the President, himself found faith in their spirits and how he was merely proud of his citizens. He presented a powerful statement to his audience by acknowledging them and according to Matt Eventoff, “a statement or phrase can catch the audience’s attention by keeping them guessing as to what you’re about to say next.
He says some objectives he has when he becomes president and his intentions. He makes his audience listen to his ideas, meanwhile giving a sense of hope as he speaks. As a result, his audience stays intrigue, wanting his soothing words to convert to come at them. Next he starts to speak about all the accomplishment that the United States as a country has made and what is more to come. For the most part the audience 's starts to envision the United States in a brighter light, corresponding to the first revolution.
In his inaugural speech given on January 20, 2001, George W. Bush address the country for the first time after being sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States. Millions of people from around the world tuned in to watch the president give his address. The people who voted for and against him are both wanting to hear what the president has to say. George W. Bush gives an effective inaugural address by using biblical allusions, collaborative language, and an anaphora in order to unite the country after a contentious election. Bush used biblical allusions to appeal mostly to the evangelicals who were listening to his speech.
Her Thesis statement is “How your body language shapes who you are”. Cuddy’s talk is wonderfully funny and lighthearted throughout, which is effective in tearing down the wall between speaker and audience. She shows humorous photos and videos of politicians caught in awkward non-verbal expressions, and she solicits smiles by showing cute photos of furry animals posed in high power and low power positions. 24) How did the speaker gain our Attention?
Former President Barack Obama was known for being a good speaker, but was he actually a good speaker or did was he just a very intelligent man? Public speaking is one of the hardest things to do and Barack Obama does a great job of it. He does have a few tendencies that I picked up on such as hand motion and pauses. Barack Obama gives his speech in Washington D.C. in front of thousands of eager people waiting to hear what the president had planned for the country. Obama was clearly using a teleprompter to help recite his speech, which can be very dangerous as far as communication goes.
Barack Obama’s win for President in 2009 was a historical moment for the United States. His inaugural speech was much anticipated, because this was going to set the tone for his presidency. His speech told the American people that improving the economy is one of his priorities, but there were also other areas he would like to improve like healthcare and the education system. This was a speech that was meant to persuade the American public to take action for them to rise as a nation again, and for them to put their trust into him. His message addressed a couple of specific points like his gratefulness to the American people, the different crises America is facing, how America will overcome these crises, replying to his cynics, addressing the world, and then he reminded America again to be brave like they’ve always been to overcome the hard times (5 Speechwriting Lessons from Obama's Inaugural Speech, (n.d.).
The rhetoric style of this can be compare to a preacher where it begins slowly and gradually acknowledging the audiences to whom he or she was speaking to. This is basically what the President did at the beginning of the speech where he starts slowly and gradually acknowledging the audiences which consists of vice president, chief justice, members of the congress and lastly the fellow citizens. Through this, Barack Obama demonstrated that he fully respect the political administration offices and at the same time make it crystal clear that he is part of the citizen as well. The rhetorical presidency has embedded itself in American politics and does not seem to be going anywhere soon. Thus it is crucial to understand the influence of presidential rhetoric.
Q.no.4 Justification for ASL chosen? Two-way transmission of American Sign Language (ASL) video can give normal communication for the deaf. American American Sign Language (ASL) was developed in the 1800s. Sign Language (ASL) is a language that employs signs made by moving the hands combined with facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the primary language of many deaf people who are deaf and is one of several communication options used by people who are deaf or partially deaf.