The Opinionated Orator

When I think of an excellent public speaker, I think of a person who informs, persuades, and entertains others with their speeches. Only one person came to mind, though I was very hesitant to write at first. This was due to their seemingly never ending controversies, along with their questionable political views. If you have not guessed already, this person is none other than Donald J. Trump.

In this post, I will be excluding anything to do with the politics and controversies of Trump. Instead, I will focus solely on his ability to deliver speeches, and why I believe Trump is an exceptional orator. 

To begin, what speech comes to mind when you hear the name Trump? For most, it would have to be the "Make America Great Again" inauguration speech, or the "Build a Wall" presidential campaign speech. Looking back at the three characteristics that I mentioned above, are his speeches informative, persuasive, and entertaining?

For many people, the content of most of Trump's speeches are usually forgotten within days. This is largely because of their sporadic nature and the lack of an overarching focal point. Trump does not like to stay on one topic, does not attach anecdotes or meaningful stories, and does not personalize his speeches to grab the attention of the audience. Then how can Trump be exceptional at delivering speeches when he neglects most of the fundamentals? For me, it is his deviation from what is expected that makes him memorable. It is his unique ability to entertain and persuade others that makes me truly appreciate his skills as an orator.

Most people will have watched compilations of Trump speaking publicly in some way, whether he is talking about his business, politics, or personal life. Trumps body language, as well as his choice of words, makes it entertaining and memorable for the viewer. Each unique hand gesture is subconsciously conveying meaning to the audience, making his speech more engaging. His simple, yet stark, word choice paved the way for memorable phrases such as "Build the wall" and "Believe Me". Trump is an interesting politician because ironically, he does not speak like one.

Most importantly however, is his ability to persuade an audience by verbalizing what they already believe. No speech is more memorable to me than when Trump spoke in my home country of Poland. He praised the Polish people for their tenacity in fighting for their freedom. For having courage and fortitude to fight for what is theirs, even after multiple partitions had erased them from the world map. With this in mind, he stated that Poland looks after its people first, and that is what America has strayed away from.

Trump knew about Poland's troubled past, and used this knowledge, alongside his speaking skills to form a relationship with the Polish community. He went from an unrecognized face to being praised as highly as St. John Paul II. Many Polish citizens were putting Trump on the highest of pedestals, praising him for verbalizing what they already knew. He set out to Poland with one goal in mind: to persuade the people, and he did exactly that.

To conclude, while Trump is often not the most informative speaker, his skills in entertaining, as well as persuading is unlike any other public speaker I have seen before. From being a public laughing stock when he decided to run for office, to proving everyone wrong and becoming the President of the U.S.A., Trump was able to achieve what so many thought was impossible. Why? I only see one reason, his public speaking skills.

Why do you guys think about this opinionated orator? Do you believe Trump is an exceptional public speaker? Let me know in the comments below. That's it for me today, I will see you all in a couple of weeks, Bye-Bye!