Well-timed breaks in the right places
On the occasion of the eagerly expected debate of the Democratic presidential candidates in the USA, I'll jump over the pond here in the blog ... I always find it very informative and worth observing how Americans campaign and, above all, shape their public appearances. The debate took place on October 13 and, in my opinion, had a clear winner: Hillary Clinton. She clearly presented herself stronger than her Democratic competitor Bernie Sanders. The three other rivals, Lincoln Chafee, Martin O'Malley and Jim Webb, did not fall rhetorical nor elsewhere ...
I'm closing in the opinion of the daily newspaper STANDARD (Frank Herrmann from Washington), which writes: "At the moment there is no one who could hold a candle to Hillary Clinton in this format."!
Particularly noteworthy I found how spontaneous, relaxed and smiling Mrs. Clinton sometimes acted. A clear positive change to previous appearances or even to her rather unemotional election campaign videos. With a very firm stance (she was in front of a lectern, but I could tell from her strong posture and presence that she was well "rooted" in the ground) and a clear and straight look into the cameras, she seemed very convincing.
Her speaking pace was perfect, not too fast and not too slow, with well-timed pauses in the right places. Compared to the other candidates, she already seemed like an "Acting Commander in Chief". This is one of the most important components that should stick with the audience as a result of such a debate. Do you trust this person to do the job, yes or no. In my opinion, definitely yes, she seemed powerful, completely at home and completely concentrated.
I particularly liked her closing words: "Please join me in this campaign – let us make it clear that America's best days are still ahead." A strong moment, which would have had even more effect with a longer pause between the last word and the following "Thank you" ... Yes, the power of the break. It is almost as important as the power of the voice itself.
I'm going to do this Pre-election eliminations and then of course the election campaign next year and share my impressions and insights with you here in the blog!
You
Arno Fischbacher
The author:
Arno Fischbacher is a business voice coach and rhetoric expert, speaker and author. He prepares executives and employees of the top companies in Germany and Austria for negotiations, presentations and media appearances. Fischbacher is the author of several books, past president of the German Speakers Association (GSA) Austria, chairman of the European Network of Voice Experts, stimme.at.
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