Fast Company says there are three techniques Clinton uses to make his speeches memorable. They don't advocate aping his style, but there are some instructive elements here.
1. He knows when to stop and go.
Clinton uses hard-stop pacing to add emphasis to lines like: "We're going to keep President Obama on. the. job." and "President Obama started with a much. worse. economy." In those moments, he squeezes every word for maximum impact.
And Clinton has no fear of dead air, using frequent pauses to garner attention and gain drama: "Listen to me now. [pause] No president, [pause] not me, [pause] not any of my predecessors, [pause] no one could have fully repaired all the damage…"
2. His gestures sync with his words.
Clinton's best visual aids are his hands. His arm movements are open and wide, relaying an image of accessibility and authenticity.
To guide the audience's emotion and attention, he often extends his hands with palms facing up or out: "Let me ask you something [palms up]…" or "Folks, this is serious [palms out]…"
3. It's how he says it, as much as what he says.
If you subscribe to Mehrabian's formula of communications as 7% verbal, 38% vocal and 55% visual, then you'll appreciate how Clinton uses facial expressions to put his words on display.
He offers a small, knowing smile when saying, "and that brings me to health care…"
He raises his chin in defiance when saying, "let's take a look at what's actually happened so far…"
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