Post by Gregg Caplitz on Mar 2, 2021 20:33:11 GMT
As a child who grew up in the early 60's and 70' I grew up in a house where President Kennedy was greatly admired. One of my earliest memories is sitting as a child of 4 with my entire family watching his funeral procession and seeing everyone in my family cry. I have listened many times to his famous inaugural speech and his West Berlin speech It is easy to believe that JFK was always the amazing communicator captured in those famous sound bites. In reality, as I researched JFK was once though of as a wooden speaker who created no enthusiasm in his audience. In fact he won his initial election to the 11th Congressional District in 1946 despite his poor communications and not because of his oratory skills. A blog from the University of Nevada IESE entitled Profile of an Orator: John F. Kennedy described how Kennedy worked with his sisters and father to practice his skills. Gradually over years he honed them to become the JFK remembered by history. the blog describes effective speakers as utilizing " Visionary rhetoric is built on the imagination and is partly utopian. It motivates audiences to think what may be possible. It raises people’s hearts to make efforts to achieve this end. It gives that security that their present efforts are not in vain." This skill is what, in my opinion made John F. Kennedy a remarkable communicator.