How he looked: Dark grey suit, white shirt, medium blue tie. Facially open, friendly. Smiled occasionally. Laughed a few times, especially when he mentioned that there are two agencies that deal with salmon (one fresh water, the other, salt water) and that it gets more complicated when the salmon are smoked.
The only distraction was that he folded his hands on top of the lectern. It would have been better to have put them down to his sides when not gesturing.

How he sounded: Excellent use of inflection (raising and lowering of tones), range (raising and lowering of volume, often to a whisper) and pace (speeding up, slowing down, pausing) to emphasize key points. He misspoke only once when he said that Brandon Fisher, who aided in the rescue of the Chilean coal miners, worked 3 – 4 hours a day, but corrected to
say 3 – 4 days in a row.

What he said: Obama gave a lesson in storytelling as he illustrated every major point with a current story. Many of the central figures in his stories were in the chamber. He began his speech by reminding us that the world as we knew it has changed. The days of working for one company for your entire life are over.

He began his speech by stating what a great country the United States is by having given opportunities to him, Vice-President Joe Biden and the new House Speaker, John Boehner, all of whom came from modest means.

President Obama then went on to point out the challenge we face from foreign competition. He said that these challenges are bigger than the parties.  He cautioned Congress that it will be measured by “the progress of our people.” “Let’s fix what needs to be fixed and move forward.”

To win in the future, we need to “out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of world”. He then used the Rule of Three to prescribe three strategies to accomplish this goal:

1. Encourage American innovation. He said that although we have provided cutting edge innovation, we are slipping. Comparing our current situation to the space race in the late 1950s, Obama said that this is our nation’s “Sputnik moment.”
2. Focus on education. We have fallen behind. We need to teach kids that it’s not just about the winner of super bowl but the winner of the science fair.
3. Rebuild America.  From high speed rail to high speed internet, we said we need to redouble our efforts to rebuild country.

President Obama concluded his speech by mentioning that one of Brandon Fisher’s employees said after the Chilean miners were rescued, “we are little company, but we do big things”. He said that together we can do big things. And in an urge to move Congress to work together, concluded with “Our destiny remains our choice.”

Based on the criteria of how you look, how you sound and what you say, Obama has mastered the art of public speaking.

Keeping in mind that this is not a political discussion, what is your opinion of his speech? About how he looked? How he sounded? What he said? Send me your comments and I’ll publish them.

Have You Made Any of These Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions?
The Secret to Achieving Your Goals
Gary’s 3-Step Marketing Strategy for Guaranteed Success in 2010
How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking

Click here to download 

Widely recognized as a top communication expert, Gary founded Pygmalion, Inc. 20 years ago to help individuals and organizations differentiate themselves from the competition and secure new customers. He is the author of The Power of the Pitch: Transform Yourself into a Persuasive Presenter and Win More Business.

Established in 1920, Marshall School is considered a top 20 business school by both U.S. News & World Report and Business Week.

Do You Judge People by Their Looks?
Discover the Hidden Talents in Your Team with Leadership Analytics
Twitter Tip
Gary’s Favorite Quotes

Click here to download

Download People Smart e-book here

Download GOALS! e-book here

Download Eat That Frog! e-book here

From the Army’s Press Release:

“U. S. Army Major General Michael D. Barbero is proud to announce that Gary Hankins was inducted into the U. S. Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) Hall of Fame, the highest honor for an OCS graduate. Hankins, who attained the rank of First Lieutenant during his three and one-half years of service, participated in the induction ceremony on March 27, 2009 at Ft. Benning, GA along with four Generals, 32 Colonels, two Lieutenant Colonels and one Captain.

The OCS Hall of Fame honors those graduates of all active Army Officer Candidate Schools who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. Hankins and his fellow members of the Class of 2009 join such notable OCS graduates as former Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger, former Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr., retired Generals Frederick J. Kroesen, Jr., James J. Lindsay, William F. Garrison and former Senator Robert Dole.

One of the courses Hankins took during the six month Engineer Officer Candidate School at Ft. Belvoir, VA was the Instructor Training Course. Upon graduating from OCS in 1969, Hankins was selected to serve as an instructor in the Instructor Training School, where he taught officer candidates, officers and non-commissioned officers how to be dynamic, confident presenters. He completed his military service as an Executive Officer and Company Commander of the U.S. Army Support Command in DaNang, Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service.

Upon being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1972, Hankins entered the financial services industry in Los Angeles, CA. He quickly became a top producer primarily by using the communication skills he learned at the Instructor Training School. During his 16 years as a financial advisor, he gave hundreds of investment seminars while hosting his own radio and television shows.

Then in 1988, Hankins realized that his passion wasn’t investing money, but public speaking. He founded his communications skills firm Pygmalion, Inc. in the second bedroom of his Beverly Hills home and set about to help people become the best communicators they can be.

Today, Hankins is recognized as one of the top communication experts in the United States. His speeches, training programs and coaching have improved the way Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, entrepreneurs and sports personalities present themselves.
His book, The Power of the Pitch: Transform Yourself into a Persuasive Presenter and Win More Business, has received positive reviews for its easy to read, stet-by-step guidance based on Pygmalion, Inc’s trademarked process. It is used by the undergraduate and graduate business schools of a number of universities, including Columbia University, New York University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Southern California.

Hankins received a B. A. Degree in English from the University of North Carolina. He is active in the Rotary Club of Los Angeles and the Jonathan Club and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Southern California Leadership Network. He resides in Manhattan Beach, CA where he enjoys jogging on the beach and boogie boarding.”