Speak Like Obama – Communicating Confidence

By Lilian Wamaitha
“My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack…. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a mill worker’s son who dares to defy the odds…the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.”
This is just a snippet of the speech that is considered to have made Barack Obama president.
In all his speeches, Barack Obama has fired up millions of supporters with his rhetoric, inspiring vision and charisma and it is through these outstanding communication skills that fueled a movement that saw him become America’s first African American president.
However, being able to inspire millions of supporters is not such an easy task. Barack Obama has through the years honed skills that have made him an effective public speaker, speaking eloquently to audiences numbering as low as thirty to millions.
These techniques and skills are not just vital for politicians but career people as well.
This article is about the subtle art of persuasion; presentation and being in a position to communicate effectively and efficiently in such a way that you win audiences. From building strong arguments to inspiring teams to achieve a common goal, these skills are important at every stage of your career and if you don’t have them, you must start cultivating them today.
Here are ways to say it like Obama while communicating confidence.
1. Make a strong first impression
Think you have fifteen seconds to make a great first impression? Think again.
If past studies are anything to go by, you only have about seven seconds to make an impression in which case the other person will have already began forming an opinion or opinions about you.
A smile is the one best thing you have to make a great first impression. The handshake, eye contact, how you introduce yourself and the way you speak at first all matter in determining how other people perceive you.
If you have watched Barack Obama’s speeches, he wins over the crowd the moment he steps on the podium. He doesn’t even have to say a single word. People are already bewildered.
That is the kind of charisma you need if you are to communicate with confidence.
Must Read >>> How I FINALLY overcame my fear of public speaking
2. Use body language and voice
One of the most interesting things in psychology is the mirroring effect.
Think about how you end up yawning when someone close to you does it.
If you are speaking in public, think about the other person. Your body language will determine how they perceive you not to mention the right body language can make you look confident even when you are not.
When someone sees you smile, chances are that they will smile back. Without you speaking you end up sending positive nonverbal signals that determine how the rest of your presentation will go.
4. Gain trust and confidence
If you want to be a great public speaker, people must fully trust in what you say and have confidence in your leadership skills.
Your first task therefore becomes to establish a common ground and this means earning the trust and confidence of those you are speaking to.
Obama has done this successfully, gaining the trust of almost all people to even become the most powerful man on earth.
5. Win hearts and minds
The mistake that most people make when speaking in public is concentrate on delivering a speech or presentation without caring about the impact the presentation will have.
Preparing what to say will not only mean winning minds but hearts as well which is the great secret to becoming an excellent public speaker like Obama.
6. Pretend to be confident
In 2004, nobody knew who Obama was. He had to make himself know and that meant mastering the art of persuasion.
How them does this man, who no one knew or believed in his dreams of becoming a president of the most powerful nation on earth  end up winning the admiration of millions of Americans to vote for him?
If you don’t consider yourself confident, you will realize that pretending to be is just the same as being confident. It’s the art of faking it till you make it.
The thing is, confidence is a choice and making people believe that you are confident will lead them to see you as nothing less.
Very soon enough you will find yourself cultivating confidence easily without having to pretend.
7. Look the part
If you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin, chances are that you will not feel confident.
Investing in how you look is the first step to becoming confident.
Dressing well is very important when attending interview or presentations. If you are not confortable in what you are wearing, you will most likely keep on fidgeting which will be interpreted as you being restless or displaying a lack of interest.
8. Communicate clearly
Most of us think that being confident depends on what we say. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
It entirely depends on what the other person hears.
So communicating clearly is very important. Be steady and speak in a comprehensible pace and practice breathing rhythmically also during your presentation.
And most importantly, please don’t undersell what you are saying by using words such as, ‘just’, ‘perhaps’, ‘maybe’ or ‘like’.
And last but not least, remember you are talking to people so maintain eye contact and smile appropriately.
FREE Public Speaking Training Just For You…
Say it like Obama. Corporate Staffing Services invites you for the Public Speaking Training this coming Friday (9^th) March from 5:30 p.m.
The guest trainer will be CEO, Human Resource expert and media mogul – Perminus Wainaina.
I would encourage you attend by registering on this link.
Come ready to network and learn!
Say it like Obama. Communicate confidence by attending a free public speaking training. It begins with you. You can become a confident speaker if you choose to!
Lilian is a Communication Officer at Career Point Kenya. Get in touch through lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke. Follow us also on Twitter @CareerPointKe and Facebook for daily job updates, career and CV writing tips.