State of the Union 2011

     On January 25, 2011, I turned on my computer to watch President Obama deliver the State of the Union Address. It did not take long to realize that the President successfully applied rhetoric to ensure that his speech was engaging and meaningful.

     Perhaps the most apparent and successful aspect of the delivery was President Obama’s use of tone. He used his voice to emphasize particular words and phrases. By doing so, he could convey feelings and ideas. For example, the President stated that:
          The competition for jobs is real. But this shouldn’t discourage us. It should challenge us.               [...] America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world. [...] We’re home to           the world’s best colleges and universities, where more students come to study than any                 place on Earth.

While hearing the President speak this message, I was immediately inspired. His confidence alone made me believe that America is truthfully the best country, that Americans can compete in the job market, and that our country is doing well. While later reflecting on the President’s message, I realized that I would initially be inclined to believe anything that he says based on his optimistic, encouraging tone.

     Nonetheless, it was also noticeable that President Obama sometimes falls prey to a common pitfall. While listening to him speak, he occasionally allows his pitch to rise at the end of his sentences as if forming a question. While this was not an issue that occurred too often it was nonetheless noticeable when it did. This is a quality of the President’s speeches that has been spoken about often and has even been referred to humorously on Saturday Night Live skits. As a listener, it did prove to be noticeable, but I do not believe that it took away from the overall affect of the address.

     When I first accessed the live viewing stream through the White House website, I had the option to choose between the standard and enhanced versions. Though unclear of the differences, I chose the enhanced. This version allowed the viewer to see different graphs, statistics, and other visual aids to emphasize the President’s point. The President clearly did not see these visuals while delivering his speech so they did not affect him. As a viewer, I believe that they added greatly to the speech. Most importantly, they never became distracting because the visuals were only kept on the screen while they were relevant. As an individual that is always looking to better my own speeches and presentations, the successful use of visual aids gave another method to consider.

     Without a doubt, the 2011 State of the Union Address left me inspired by the successful use of rhetoric and how it was  used to enhance the President’s message.