Public Communicator

Barack Obama is an individual who delivers his speech well to the public. He is a good public communicator as he can target the emotions of the listener as he speaks with persuasion. He delivers his speeches in a manner to persuade the listeners’ attitudes, their beliefs and behaviors; he also aims at changing or motivating public, so as to make some action. Overall, his persuasive goals are to influence attitudes, to change practices, and alter beliefs (Wood, 2011).

A good communication strategy is to keep the listeners be interested on what is being talked about. This pertains to a better understanding in communicating between the factors, they should express the message effectively. When we speak of effective communication, we pertain to the understanding of messages by the individual, group or society, to whom the message is addressed. In order to communicate effectively, one should be a good listener and a good speaker. To be able to convey what is needed to express, an individual should see to it that he can speak of his message well or act accordingly to what he wants to say. It is also essential that the listener should know how to understand the message well to communicate effectively.

There are barriers for effective communications; one is the choice of words. If the speaker does not know how choose the right words, he cannot convey what is the real meaning of his message. This may cause misunderstanding for both parties. Misunderstanding may also occur if the speaker will not be choosy on his words. The attitude of the parties is also a barrier of communicating effectively, as this may cause certain attitudes that can ignite in the middle of communicating and cause misunderstanding among them.

President Obama is effective as a speaker as he is not a speaker alone, but because he is also a leader, as well. A good character of a leader is important to make others follow his lead. Barke (2005) states that good character traits of a leader embraces the principle and values of humility, the willingness to give up power, integrity, love and passion for the people, values and mission of the organization. A good leader should be a role model to his members, as well as be effective in making sure that objectives are met accordingly to the project plan created for the organization. Thus, leadership involves different styles and approaches which makes leader more effective and efficient for their group. Following the democratic style of leadership wherein the presidents always try to hear the needs of their people and their side of the issue is crucial at every meeting. Thus, using this approach can motivate the members to do their best as they are part of an organization that is dependent on the abilities and best intention of each associate. This style is usually used as it increases motivation and better performance of people within the government.

The guidelines given in the book, which are to understand and manage communication apprehension, adapt speeches to the listener and listen critically to public speeches by others, were followed by President Obama, in his speeches. Barack Obama, as a public communicator, tries to appeal to different strata of society, from the youth, the old ones, from the unemployed to the working people.