'Ask what you can do for your country'

It was just around noon on Jan. 20, 1961, when president John Kennedy stood in front of a crowd and demonstrated the power of rhetoric. Decades after the words, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" were first spoken, they remain an epic piece of Americana. His inagural address that afternoon was a collaboration of confidence, a poetic usage of words and an overflow of dutiful patriotism. The power of his words transcended to the hearts of people standing before him and even reached living rooms where families watched their new president on black and white TVs.

There's a sense of pride, duty and relief that comes from spirited speeches in history. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is one of the most powerful this nation has ever heard. At the 1963 March on Washington, King also touched people's hearts as he shared his dream of equality and raised conciousness about what skin color really means.

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today," said King, who has also been dubbed the prince of rhetoric for his sermon-like speeches and ability to intertwine the Bible and the Constitution.

Even in two minutes while standing on a battle site in Pennsylvania, Abraham Lincoln delivered the 10-sentence Gettysburg address.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal," he announced in his thick Kentucky accent.

And while it was thought that innovations like Utube and podcasts would drive oratory out of the political and public-speaking sphere and into the grave, the spoken, face-to-face word is still the most powerful tool we have. A unique art form, oratory has survived radio, TV and is thriving with the Internet. Not only is it not dying, the spoken word is reaching more people of all backgrounds and ages with the help of these technologies.

Even in the current presidential race, and in local politics, oratory and public speaking is essential.

"Personal contact with anyone is very, very important," said Lodi Mayor JoAnne Mounce. "It's a paramount in trying to get your point across."

Professor of communications studies at San Joaquin Delta College, Vicki Marie says that Borack Obama is one example that oratory really is surviving. His popular speech at the Democratic National Convention helped catapult him to the campaign trail.

John F. Kennedy

"Up until that time, no one had ever heard of him," Marie said. "After that, he became a household name."

She notes that if you watch Obama closely, you can see how sensitive he is with his audience. It's a trait that each of the candidates have had to learn to make it as far as they have.

Adapting to you audience is even true in local politics.

Mounce and former mayors Larry Hansen and Bob Johnson prepare differently for speeches, but they agree knowing your audience is just as important as knowing what you're going to say.

"You've got to cater your speech to your audience," Johnson said, noting that you won't give the same speech at a high school that you would to a boardroom full of businessmen.

Different audiences — whether set apart by age, career, beliefs — is an issues that has allowed oraters to get away with being more casual in recent years.

Lodi High School speech and debate teacher Jennifer Tillett says today there is a combination of casual and professional in public speaking. But she also believes that appearance says a lot about a speaker.

"The power of public speaking is there and candidates still believe in it. It is important that candidates speak and look well because they are out there in front of everyone." Tillett said.

Joe Price, one of 50 speech and debate students at Lodi High, isn't swayed by the candidates' appearances or presentation skills. Even though he is expected to wear slacks and a tie to his own speeches, he cares more about what the candidates have to say. He wants to feel moved like the first time he heard Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" — his favorite speech.

"The moving speeches really make people feel something — whether it's good or bad," said Price, 18, whose own speaking style is passionate and emotional.

At both Lodi High and Delta College, speech and debate classes are popular, teaching young people how to communicate one-on-one and in front of people. Despite the bad rap young people sometimes get, Tillett says there are still many intelligent, motivated, politically minded students in her speech classes.

Johnson, who has been in the public eye as mayor and councilman, believes that the key to getting ahead is having the skills to commicate effectively.

"If you can't communicate, you are dead. You are really behind the eight-ball," he said.

With teenagers like Price in love with the spoken word, with UTube allowing Internet users to compare speeches from anywhere and with speakers that use technology the way Reagan used the TV to his advantage, it is not likely that oratory can possibly die.

As Abraham Lincoln said at Gettysburg, "This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the eath," neither shall the art of oratory.

Public-speaking secrets of Lodi politicians

JoAnne Mounce

JoAnne Mounce, always make sure to smile

Since getting involved in small-town politics, Mayor JoAnne Mounce and councilmen Larry Hansen and Bob Johnson have had opportunities to hone their public-speaking skills. But when it comes to stepping in front of an audience, they each prepare differently.

Aside from first-hand experience, JoAnne Mounce learned public speaking basic from a class at San Joaquin Delta College. Her professor taught her to look at the top of peoples' heads, but now that she is more comfortable, Mounce says eye contact is key.

Mounce doesn't write entire speeches before she gives them. Instead, she prepares a thorough outline of all of the important things she wants to mention.

Tips from Mounce

1. Make an outline to keep you on track.

2. Move around.

3. Always make sure to smile.

Larry Hansen

Larry Hansen, be familiar with your topic

Larry Hansen says his speeches are usually done on the spot, and from the heart.

"I try to speak to people in a way they can relate to," he said. "I give real-life examples and relate it to the topic."

Having knowledge about a speech topic is the most important. If you aren't passionate about what you are talking about, or if you don't know what you are talking about, your audience will know.

The only time he says he gets nervous is when he wants to represent the city well. That's when he looks for the key people who are really focused on his words.

Tips from Hansen:

1. Be familiar with your topic.

2. Remember your audience is just like you.

3. Focus on the audience members who are "dialed-up," focused on you.

Bob Johnson

Bob Johnson, cater your speech to your audience

When Bob Johnson gets called for a speech, he goes to the Internet, where information abounds. His speech-writing process involves writing the entire speech. He will re-write and fine-tune it until it is just how he wants it to be. Sometimes, he will even stand in the mirror and practice. Now, the only time he really gets nervous is when he has to use Power Point. His state of the city address was the first time he had to ever use Power Point. For three hours before the address, he sat in Carnegie Forum talking to himself, making sure the right pages appeared when he needed them to.

Tips from Johnson:

1. Be prepared

2. Rehearse.

3. Make sure you keep your speech catered to your audience.

Ronald Reagan

Quiz: How well do you know your speeches?

1. "Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941, — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

A. Dwight D. Eisenhower

B. General Douglas MacArthur

C. Franlin D. Roosevelt

2. "Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow — red, yellow, brown, black and white — and we're all precious in God's sight."

A. Martin Luther King, Jr.

B. Jesse Jackson

C. Stokely Jackson

Steven Spielberg

3. "We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing that. We've just grown to the idea of space, and, perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers."

A. Ronald Reagan

B. Steven Spielberg

C. John F. Kennedy

Answers: 1. C 2. B 3. A

Top 10 Famous Speeches

1. "I Have A Dream" by Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy

3. First Inaugural Address by Franklin D. Roosevelt

4. Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation by Franklin D. Roosevelt

5. 1976 DNC Keynote Address by Barbara Charline Jordan

6. "Checkers" by Richard Nixon

7. "The Ballot or the Bullet" by Malcolm X

8. Shuttle "Challenger" Disaster Address by Ronald Reagan

9. Houston Ministerial Association Speech by John F. Kennedy

10. "We Shall Overcome" by Lyndon Johnson

Source: http://www.AmericanRetoric.com

Movies that are famous for their good (and horrible) speeches

"Citizen Kane," 1941

Charles Foster Kane speaks to his executives on the Enquirer's success:

"Six years ago, I looked at a picture of the world's greatest newspaper men. I felt like a kid in front of a candy store. Well, tonight, six years later, I got my candy — all of it. Welcome, gentlemen, to the Enquirer.

"The Wizard of Oz," 1939

The cowardly lion on courage:

"Courage. What makes a King out of a slave? Courage.

What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage.

What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?

What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage.

What makes the Sphinx the 7th Wonder? Courage.

What makes the dawn come up like THUNDER?! Courage.

What makes the Hottentot so hot?

What puts the "ape" in ape-ricot?

Whatta they got that I ain't got?"

Richard M. Nixon

"Clueless," 1995

Cher debates "Whether all oppressed people should be allowed refuge in America:"

So, OK, like right now, for example, the Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, "What about the strain on our resources?"

But it's like when I had this garden party for my father's birthday, right? I said R.S.V.P. because it was a sit-down dinner. But people came that, like, did not R.S.V.P. So I was, like, totally buggin'.

And so, if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians.

Oops ... speeches that stumbled

"Checkers"

Richard Nixon's 1952 speech, "Checkers," was given after he was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions. He said the money was not given to him for personal use, and it did not count as income, but as reimbursement for expenses. He offered a complete financial history of his spending and even denied that his wife owned a mink coat.

George Bush

The one contribution he did admit to receiving was from a Texas salesman who gave the family an American Cocker Spaniel that his 6-year-old daughter, Tricia, named Checkers.

"And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog. And I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're going to keep the dog."

"Read my lips: No new taxes"

At the 1988 Republic National Convention, George H. W. Bush said the phrase, "Read my lips: No new taxes." It is one of the most heard-of soundbites from the speech, and some believe it is what helped Bush win the election.

However, once in the presidency, Bush was pushed to raise taxes as a way to reduce the national budget deficit. Though he refused several times, he eventually raised some taxes as part of the 1990 budget agreement. Some say Bush's untrustworthiness contributed to his loss during re-election.

Caitline Upton

"Like such as South Africa and, uh, the Iraq..."

When asked why so many Americans have trouble identifying the United States on a map, Miss South Carolina Teen USA, Caitline Upton, fumbled.

"I personally believe the U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, uh ... people out there in our nation don't have maps, and, uh, I believe that our education like such as South Africa and, uh, the Iraq everywhere like, such as and ... I believe...."

Upton's live answer made her a queen of U-Tube and sites that mock the blonde beauty queen.

Reader Feedback

JustTheFacts wrote on Feb 4, 2008 8:50 PM:

" Here's a tip for Councilmember Hansen... Stop digging in your ear and examining your pickins when you're sitting up on the Council dais. It's just GROSS!!! "

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Neo wrote on Feb 4, 2008 6:46 PM:

" Ask not what your country can do for you....except for free healthcare, free childcare, free medical leave, free social security for immigrants, free WIC, welfare, affirmative action... feel free to add to this list of things we should not ask for... "

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'Ask what you can do for your country'

History is built around inspirational speeches and powerful words. But in an age where YouTube and multimedia rule, is there art of oratory still a prominent tool in communication?

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