By Steve Adubato, PhD

The presidential campaign may be in a state of flux after New Hampshire, but one thing is clear. Presidential candidate Barack Obama is by any standard an exceptional communicator. This column is not about politics or about handicapping the current campaign. Rather, it is an effort to better understand the rhetorical and communication tools and techniques being used by Obama that are helping him connect on a powerful, personal and emotional level. It is about leadership and the need for any great leader to be an exceptional public communicator. Leadership requires the ability to move and motivate people and at least for right now, that appears to be what is happening in the case of this 46-year-old United States Senator.

Specifically, Barack Obama is using the following communication and presentation tools to communicate so effectively:

• Obama’s passion is palpable. He doesn’t read his speeches; rather, he works off bulleted outlines that are both on paper and in his head. He is keenly focused on his audience and reads their non-verbal cues to determine whether he is connecting. If he is falling flat, he picks up his pace and slightly raises his voice.

• He also uses energy and enthusiasm. Obama’s acceptance speech in Iowa is being called by many communication experts one of the greatest public speeches in recent history. While it was intensely passionate and energetic, he at no time yelled or screamed at the top of his voice as former presidential candidate Howard Dean did four years ago in Iowa, and we all know how that turned out.

• Obama also speaks with a rhythm and cadence that is easy to follow. It is similar to what one might hear from a preacher in a Baptist Church, but slightly less intense. Instead of filling his speeches with facts, figures and statistics, he uses repetition and pausing like this excerpt from his Iowa victory speech; “They said this day would never come…They said this country was too divided…At this defining moment in history you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do…” The repetitive use of the expression “they said” reminds one of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in which that phrase was used over and over as a tool to paint a vivid picture for the audience of what King saw as possible.

• Obama also uses what is called “rule of three” in which he talks about ideas or actions in threes. This is an especially effective communication technique because both extensive research and anecdotal experience tells us that audiences are most receptive to hearing and internalizing information in groups of three.

• Obama’s physical appearance and the way he comports himself are significant. His posture is firm, his gestures are precise, but his body movements are fluid. His hand gestures are matched with his words and his body is simply in sync with what he is saying because he trusts himself. His eye contact is consistent and comfortable. This degree of self awareness and comfort in one’s own skin often projects confidence when communicating in public.

• Finally, many media and communication observers have talked about the “feel good factor” that Obama’s public communication exudes. It is what Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton had. It is what Franklin D. Roosevelt had over the radio as president. Simply put, when a speaker actually makes you feel better about yourself, we in turn project that positive feeling back on to the speaker. Again, this analysis has nothing to do with whether Barack Obama would be a good president if he were elected; rather, it is an effort to better understand what makes him stand out as one of the more dynamic and public communicators in recent history.