Speaking Like Barack Obama

So we all agree -- Barack Obama can deliver the rhetorical goods like few other politicians.

Would you like to be able to command a room and deliver a presentation as well as the presidential candidate? What role does charisma play?

In a Harvard Online post about Obama's charismatic speaking style, leadership coach John Baldoni offers three tips for charging up your own charisma quotient:

1. Know yourself. Confidence emerges from your own sense of self.
2. Practice. Hone your skills and speak with knowledge.
3. Be humble. "Leaders who soar on stage but are grounded when speaking or listening one-on-one are those that inspire loyalty," says Baldoni.

By the way, Baldoni points out (and Hillary Clinton would agree) that charisma only gets listeners ready to believe -- it doesn't seal the deal with voters. "The substance comes from the leader. In sales terms, charisma opens the door, but the leader must close the sale. "

So if charisma only goes so far, what in total makes a great speech? I agree with Ronald Reagan's speechwriter Peggy Noonan:

A great speech from a leader to the people eases our isolation, breaks down the walls, includes people: It takes them inside a spinning thing and makes them part of the gravity.

Here's my list:

Business: Steve Jobs He really does create a reality distortion field (Noonan's "gravity") inside which any Apple product is a life-altering and cutting-edge cool tool to change the world. I bought my first computer (the Apple //c) shortly after seeing the Mac intro in 1984 featuring Jobs and John Sculley. I didn't have $2,000, but I bought it anyway.

Politics: Ronald Reagan Lincoln, Churchill, JFK and MLK were great speakers, but I never saw them in person. I did see Ronald Reagan, however, and even though he and I weren't politically aligned, I admired the man's ability to deliver an uplifting message that brought people toward a shared vision.

Culture: Chris Rock A comedy show may not be a speech but it is a presentation, and Rock is the master of owning the room the second he walks on stage. He certainly has charisma -- you can't take your eyes off him. And like all great comedians, he understands timing and how to use the space between the end of the setup line and the start of the punch line.

Recommended reading: Making the Perfect Pitch
(Steve Jobs image by acaben, CC 2.0)