Presidential Sound Bites: The Commander in Chief and Critical ...

For our elected leaders, communicating a clear message is everything ? especially for the Commander in Chief. The ability to effectively communicate affects if people vote for them, if their bill gets passed in Congress, and how foreign leaders view them, and the country. The importance of a President?s communications skills cannot be overstated.

As we head into President?s Day weekend, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some past Presidential communications style ? particularly focusing on communication length. In today?s information age, leaders have embraced the ?sound bite,? short, memorable statements, to grab an ever distracted audience.

But just how did Presidents get their message across to constituents before the advent of the internet, Instagram ? or even the radio? And what are some of our most memorable Presidents most memorable bites?

• George Washington ? When our nation?s first President was elected, most Americans had never seen him speak or even seen a picture of him. They simply had his speeches printed in the newspaper to rely on, if they could read. Conveying key messages in a way that would resonate with the public was not so important back then, as there was a large disconnect between the President and the people.

?The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.? ? Washington?s Farewell Address, 1976 ? This speech is a whopping 6,000+ words!

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt ? While our nation?s 32nd President is known for many things, he really heralded the use of radio as a form of mass communication with the public through his ?Fireside Chats?. By establishing a dedicated program to connect with millions of Americans on a regular basis, he was able to deliver messages into American homes, exactly as he wanted them.? And because radio was one of the only major forms of national media, FDR had the luxury of being able to speech at length about topics of interest to him, aided by the fact that he was a confident and effective public speaker.

?The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.? ? FDR?s First Inaugural Address, 1933 ? Just under 2,000 words

• John F. Kennedy Jr. ? While Eisenhower was the first President to let cameras into the White House in 1955, Kennedy, the son of a former movie producer, was the President to know how to effectively control the medium, and how to communicate with it. Setting a precedent for all future communication styles to follow, Kennedy showed the importance of being concise, but also effortless. He showed that substance will have no impact without style. He was the first one to really show that sound bites matter ? with newspaper, radio and TV listening in.

?Ask not what your country can do for you.? Ask what you can do for your country.? ? JFK?s Inaugural Address, 1961 ? Roughly 1,300 words

• Ronald Reagan ? Before he moved into the Oval Office, ?The Great Communicator? was a radio personality and film star, so it is not surprising that he was flawlessly comfortable communicating with the American public. Reagan knew what needed to be said, and how to say it in a comfortable, human way ? while evoking the exact tone he wanted, while always including a morale element. He tended towards longer speeches, filled with many sound bites.

?Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!? ? Regan?s speech at the Brandenburg Gate, 1987 ? This is one of Reagan?s longer speeches, at 2,700 words

• Barack Obama ? In today?s never ending news cycle, managing communications and messaging is an essential priority. As both a pro and con, there are more channels for communication than ever before. The President posts short videos on YouTube, pictures on Instagram and Twitter layered with key sound bites, and posts to Facebook. Good sound bites are shorter than ever ? around 7 seconds or so, making the need for impactful, effective communications stronger than ever before.

?Yes we can!? ? Obama?s Speech on Primary night in New Hampshire, 2008 ? 1,240 words

As public consciousness around technology and communications has grown, so has the need for Presidents to communicate well and communicate quickly using powerful emotive statements that summarize pages of text and policy information. This is also true for organizations as well. With so much distraction and so many demands for attention, choosing the messages you communicate is critically important, as is communicating them in a stylish, impactful way.

For more information:

http://www.museum.tv/debateweb/html/equalizer/essay_usprestv.htm

http://www.whha.org/whha_classroom/classroom_4-8-presidentspeak.html

Image via www.twitter.com/barackobama

Source: http://www.douglasgould.com/blog/?p=743

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