fbpx

Obama’s Speechwriter Shares 5 Storytelling Tips

Jon Favreau Obama

There is a great story behind Obama’s excellence in his speeches.  Jon Favreau was the director of speechwriting for Obama for 8 years until 2014.  Jon shared five golden tips of storytelling that certainly do not only apply in politics, but in business presentations and every speech you need to make.

1. The story is more important than the words

“In my experience communications too often focuses on finding the right words. Of course words are important at some point in the process. But the first question you have to ask yourself is: what is the story I’m trying to sell? That is essential, and should be the starting point.”

Before Favreau started writing a speech, he would always start with simply talking to Obama. “He would give me a few random thoughts off the top of his head of what he wanted to say. The interesting thing about the President is that he always instantly gave the most logical outline of a speech I had ever heard. I was always impressed by his ability to start with clear rhetoric and add arguments and anecdotes later.”

2. Keep it simple

“Long speeches are the easiest to write. They are also the most forgettable”, Favreau explained. “Audiences today can only handle so much information before they start losing focus. You should aim at twenty minutes max. That requires tremendous discipline, especially if you’re in an organisation with a lot of people in the mix. But remember that a speech about everything is a speech about nothing. Narrow your story down to the essential point.”

3. Always address the arguments against your position during your presentation, not after.

Especially in politics it is important to think about the objections you will encounter. “You should find them and address them during your speech. When Obama was trying to deliver his Health Care Reform Plan in 2009, the most important part of his speech was to find the arguments that the Republicans would think of and contradict them.”

4. Empathy is key

Just knowing your audience is not enough, Favreau said. “You have to know what the world looks like when you are in their shoes. One of the reasons why Obama’s speeches are so successful is because they are written in the language that his audience understands, addressing the issues they are facing.”

5. There is no persuasion without inspiration

Emotion is the most important element of motivating an audience, according to Favreau: “The best way to connect with people is through stories that are important to people’s lives. In the victory speech in 2008 we had a clear message: sometimes change can come slow, but change is always possible and history has proved that.”

Favreau and Obama decided to use a special story about a woman named Ann Nixon Cooper:

She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the colour of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes, we can.

Favreau decided to give Ann Nixon Cooper a call before using her story in the speech: “I told her that man who was about to become President wanted to name her in his victory speech. She paused for a while and asked: ‘Will it be on television?’ I said ‘yes’. She waited a little longer. ‘Which channel will it be on?’, she asked, so I told her. That was when she said ‘I’m so proud of him, I’m so proud of us’. She started crying and so did I and at exactly that moment the results from Ohio came in. That was when I realised that it would always be difficult to bring about change but that it can happen if we believe.”

It is clear that we as humans love stories and the connection it brings to our lives.  Learn to tell stories and cement them with facts, anecdotes and logic.

Other related articles.
Trevors Tips n Tricks
we will email you free tips in the future
Trevor Ambrose
5.0
Based on 224 reviews
powered by Google
Roy Walley
Roy Walley
20:56 21 Nov 23
Boyd S
Boyd S
12:05 21 Nov 23
Best sales psychologist in the World!
Alex Portelli
Alex Portelli
03:26 17 Nov 23
Tony Ewing
Tony Ewing
21:00 15 Nov 23
Great Telesales training from Trevor!! Thank you!
Mohammad Burhan Al Rashid
Mohammad Burhan Al Rashid
05:29 01 Nov 23
Trevor is an exceptional public speaking trainer, and I can't recommend him enough. I have had the opportunity to attend his training and his expertise, guidance and practical techniques were invaluable in helping me overcome my fear of public speaking and significantly improving my communication skills.
Shaun Manne
Shaun Manne
04:41 27 Sep 23
Trevor, your Psychology of Sales online training was fantastic! Id give 10 stars if i could. You definetly did your homework on everyone that was involved and included everybody and their business on a personal level throughout the 4 hours. I would 100% recommend everyone do this course if you'd like an edge over the competition. Thanks for a great day. PS I forgot to ask how much the microphone was! 😉
The Butels
The Butels
22:30 11 Sep 23
I attended Trevor's Telesales training yesterday and was Very happy with the course. Trevor was very knowledgeable, extremely well spoken, did not lose the group for a minute and went out of his way to help everyone on the course. I would not hesitate to recommend Trevor to anyone.#epicpublicspeaker
Bendpro
Bendpro
05:17 17 Aug 23
Trevor Ambrose was the keynote speaker for our 2023 Bendpro Team Day. His insights on teamwork and adopting a “green mindset” & staying “above the line” were eye-opening. This has transformed the team’s perspective for the better. Trevor’s presentation was thought-provoking and relevant to our needs. His stories are relatable, meaningful, and really show you that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. He kept our team engaged both in the presentation and in the activities. His training is priceless and as a company we would use his services again. Thank you for inspiring us to become a stronger unit. We look forward to applying what we learned in our daily work.
Nadine Freitag
Nadine Freitag
23:45 30 May 23
BGL has worked with Trevor a few times over the years and we highly recommend his workshop and online training for groups or individuals.The feedback was very positive and he has helped our employees feel more confident with public speaking and presentations.Thanks Trevor!
Fergus Pocock
Fergus Pocock
22:43 10 Mar 23
It was great to have the opportunity to join Trevor for one of his training courses in Belfast today 2023/03/10, I can fully recommend his training programs.Many thanks Trevor, regards Fergus.
Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor
16:28 10 Mar 23
Great content. Really practical advice and content that we can bring directly into our business. Trevor delivers a fun and practical classroom. Highly recommended
Gillies
Gillies
11:35 22 Feb 23
Trevor, thanks so much for yesterday's session, I must admit I am always a little skeptical of training in sales, there are so many different opinions about various methods and theories but your content was different, it was a real breath of fresh air. Thanks again.
Antonio Alegre
Antonio Alegre
04:00 07 Feb 23
Thank you Trevor Ambrose for such a great session last week at Hidrive. We thoroughly enjoyed your Sales Psychology training. Fantastic tips and lots of fun...We all got a lot out of it. Thoroughly Recomended your work. Cheers Antonio
Paul Lombard
Paul Lombard
18:34 15 Oct 22
I thoroughly enjoyed the session and can see how relevant the skills Trevor explains are for business, as well as everyday life. There are some simple changes to implement immediately, but otherwise a concerted effort is necessary, with much to work on. Working on these skills will improve oneself immensely. Trevor is truly a master and has a very relatable demeanor. I definitely recommend Trevor's course for marketing and sales, and will jump at another opportunity to learn more from him!
W H
W H
10:30 16 Sep 22
Completed Psychology of Sales course with Trevor yesterday, still processing the volume of great content. Excellent presenter, very engaging and informative, highly recommend to anyone looking to enhance their business and/or personal development. Thank you Trevor!
Janelle Doberstein
Janelle Doberstein
21:22 11 Aug 22
Super training. Trevor you were so captivating and have so much knowledge. I loved every second and look forward to what your training will bring to our companies in the future, once we put in place what we have learnt.
Tyler Barnes
Tyler Barnes
12:16 10 Aug 22
Cracking sales coach! Worked with Trevor for four hours and he has hugely helped build up the confidence of the sales team at our business. Working on soft skills and the psychology of selling has been massively helpful for us as a company, I can see us coming back for more.
Joel
Joel
21:28 14 Jul 22
Trevor was a fantastic speaker and teacher. I learned more in 4 hours with him then I have in hours and days of training with others.He is very positive and interacts with the people listening by getting them to answer questions , or get them to actually to the activity , not just have everyone watch. Highly recommend. Would love to do more courses with Trevor.
Ken Fooks
Ken Fooks
09:14 12 Jun 22
The Psychology of Sales Course was very instructive, enlightening, I found it confirmed what I am experiencing in a Sales role ,Dealing with customers on a daily basis.I will certainly look forward to more excellent content from Trevor.Trevor is an inspiration to all ,understanding the needs and feelings of a Person in a Sales role.Many Thanks Trevor and Team.Ken - SCVA.
Oz Donk
Oz Donk
07:26 05 Apr 22
Trevor is a very inspirational trainer in sales, and well worth attending any of his classes, or getting him into your business if you can. It's certainly not just "head knowledge" with Trevor.
Cameron Cavey
Cameron Cavey
00:45 25 Mar 22
Trevor's course was well presented and taught me alot about structure and presentation.Well worth doing his courses
Victoria Houen
Victoria Houen
05:47 08 Mar 22
Excellent, simple and clear information.Loved it. Learned so much.So many spice jars in my rack now 😉☺️
Jethro Buchner
Jethro Buchner
14:25 23 Sep 21
Very engaging and so many golden nuggets to take away and implement.
Jennae Evans
Jennae Evans
22:04 04 Aug 21
absolutely amazing coaching! super motivational and interesting to hear some new tactics... thanks trevor!
See All Reviews
js_loader

Share This

Select your desired option below to share a direct link to this page.
Your friends or family will thank you later.