by Katie Lee

Created on: November 17, 2008   Last Updated: December 16, 2008

Of all the things that Sarah Palin has been called, "gifted communicator" should not be one of them. Much has been said about how she can connect with audiences and how, until her lack of depth and knowledge caught up with her, she managed to energize not only the McCain campaign, but the Republican base.

While it could be said that she's a talented politician, knowing how to play to crowds and how to bring up issues that can get people's pulses soaring, to be a great communicator, one must actually be able to well, communicate. One of the definition of "communicate" is "to express thoughts, information and feelings easily or effectively." (Dictionary.com Unabridged). To that end, Sarah Palin fails completely.

Ms. Palin is able to read a script, or teleprompter exceedingly well. But that should be no surprise, given her sportscasting background. But once she's "off-script" things get incomprehensible. She's unable to express her thoughts in a clear manner, to say anything that goes beyond talking points. That was her major problem with the Charles Gibson and Katie Couric interviews. Her initial answer passed muster, but when asked a follow-up question that required her to go off-script and bolster the talking point, she stumbled badly. It's clear then that her ability to express her thoughts, feelings or information is not being done easily or effectively.

Ms. Palin also has a rather. .. unique speaking style. If people lamented President Bush's "talent" at butchering the English language, they surely must be horrified by Ms. Palin's ability to slaughter all things grammatically-correct. Witness an excerpt from one of the many interviews she has done since losing the 2008 election. Asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer about her comments regarding President-Elect Obama's "questionable" associations, Ms. Palin responded,

"And I think it's still fair to talk about it. However the campaign is over. That chapter is closed. Now is the time to move on and to, again, make sure that all of us are doing all that we can to progress this nation." (TalkingPointsMemo.com, 11/12/2008)

Then a little later in the same interview, she tried to use the word "progress" again, and came up with this response,

"Now is the time to move forward together, start progressing America."

That would be two swings and two misses. Her speaking style reminds one of a person learning a "word of the day" and trying to use that word in everyday conversation. The result is often jarring and unintentionally funny.

So Sarah Palin may be the rising star of the Republican Party. She may prove to be a good politician. But for now, all evidence points to the fact that she's an eternal gaffer whenever she speaks. Definitely not the mark of a great communicator.

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