FYI: Why Is Bill Clinton So Good at Speaking to a Crowd?

Friday, September 7, 2012 - 10:00 in Mathematics & Economics

Bill Clinton Addresses the DNC REUTERS/Jim Young Communications expert Greta Stahl reveals the five keys to a great political speech There is a reason why so many of you were enthralled by former President Clinton the other night. It's the same reason why Barack Obama had a tough act to follow last night at his own convention. The art of speechwriting and speech-giving -- and it is an art, no doubt -- is also, in many ways, a science. A good speech flows sort of like a backward scientific method; it starts with a preconceived idea, and is supported by evidence reinforcing the idea. And politics aside, there may be no one better at doing this than William Jefferson Clinton. The best speeches, political or otherwise, follow a set of five basic guidelines, says Greta Stahl, content developer (read: speechwriter) at Duarte, a communications firm that advises TED talkers, CEOs...

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