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jsr

(7,712 posts)
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 11:57 AM Sep 2012

Mitt Romney '47 Percent' Speech Was Him At His 'Most Comfortable': Public Speaking Expert

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/mitt-romney-47-percent-speech_n_1896285.html

Mitt Romney '47 Percent' Speech Was Him At His 'Most Comfortable': Public Speaking Expert

Plenty of experts have weighed in on Mitt Romney's now infamous speech to attendees at a private fundraiser earlier this year, but only one, the prolific public speaking coach Matt Eventoff, chose to draw attention to how "comfortable" he seemed while delivering it.

Eventoff has worked with a variety of politicians, TV pundits, executives, athletes and others on their public-speaking skills, and has been following the presidential campaign closely. He pointed out that there was a noticeable difference between the "confident, conversational" Romney present at the fundraiser speech, recently leaked by Mother Jones, versus the one we've seen on the campaign trail this past year...

In the video, Eventoff noted, you can see how conversational and approachable Romney seems, how it feels like the people in the audiences are ones "he knows very well."


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Mitt Romney '47 Percent' Speech Was Him At His 'Most Comfortable': Public Speaking Expert (Original Post) jsr Sep 2012 OP
astute observation Schema Thing Sep 2012 #1
Remember Bush's "I call you my base" speech? Starry Messenger Sep 2012 #2
Comfortable with people who throw sex parties! L0oniX Sep 2012 #3
Now that you mention it nichomachus Sep 2012 #4
Absolutely true. MANative Sep 2012 #5
Holy wow, I said almost the same thing yesterday CoffeeCat Sep 2012 #6

nichomachus

(12,754 posts)
4. Now that you mention it
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:23 PM
Sep 2012

Yes, he was. He's a lot like George Bush in that regard.

Someone once pointed out that when Bush was talking mean, when he was acting tough, putting people down, talking about hurting people, etc., he was really quite eloquent and smooth.

It was when he was trying to project compassion or that he cared about people or that he wanted to help people that he couldn't string five words together into a coherent sentence.

MANative

(4,105 posts)
5. Absolutely true.
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:36 PM
Sep 2012

My undergrad degree is in Speech Communication and I've been saying the same thing to my friends and family since I saw the video. Told my hubby, "This is the first time I've heard Romney tell the whole truth since he started campaigning."

The voice and body have "tells" that make it clear when a speaker is comfortable, truthful, and sincere. One of the key things to look for when you have both video and audio of a speech is a mismatch between body language and words or tone. Always believe body language and inflection over words. Romney is consistently stiff, physically closed, and "warbles" when he says things that are outside his core beliefs and comforts. He was none of those in the "47" video. Not sure that I'd go so far as to call myself an "expert" in public speaking and body-language, but having incorporated both disciplines in my work for over thirty years, I'd say I have at least a fair degree of competence. In my assessment, he, for once, was being completely genuine in that presentation. That's the scariest conclusion of all.

CoffeeCat

(24,411 posts)
6. Holy wow, I said almost the same thing yesterday
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:49 PM
Sep 2012

This is what I posted on DU yesterday--very similar word choices as well! Cool!

"Setting aside for a moment the comments, I was struck by Romney's demeanor when he said those words to donors--who happily forked over a minimum of $50,000 to attend this event in a Boca Raton mansion.

Romney was articulate, smooth and incredibly clear in Boca. He didn't stumble, he didn't stammer. He wasn't reading from a script or a teleprompter. He was speaking off the cuff and he was actually quite eloquent and conversational. He came off as a very sharp, intelligent politician.

His polished performance for the elite contrasts sharply with the bungling, discombobulated and inarticulate Mitt Romney that we're used to seeing on the campaign trail. His facial expressions--even his smiles--look forced. His speech doesn't flow. He stammers and sounds robotic. Half of the time he looks cartoonish--like he's been gobsmacked.

I think it's evident that Romney does not feel comfortable with the general public--the people you'd find in coffee shops, diners or in rope lines. He is bungling on the campaign trail--and a relaxed, humorous, wonderful guy behind gilded doors--because he doesn't connect or feel at ease with Americans who are outside the realm of $50,000-per-person fundraisers."

I listened to Romney's "47 percent" comments and I thought......How in the world can Romney be an effective President of the United States when he clearly does not feel comfortable with--and cannot address coherently-- the ninety-nine percent of the people who live in this country?


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