by Gene Poschman

Created on: June 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 06, 2009

It seems obvious to me that a good orator does not necessarily make an effective president. Giving a good speech, that has a positive effect upon a crowd, has a specific set of criteria. The speaker must take into account his audience, the subject matter of the speech, and the content of the material, the delivery style, and the desired emotional response. While all of these are admirable traits in a president, there is a much larger skill set an individual needs to be an effective president.

To become the President of the United States, one must be an effective speaker. That is one quality that will get a candidate into the White house. A speech is a finite construct that serves a specific purpose. It is a skill that can be taught to just about anybody, and with an army of coaches, writers and media savvy professionals, anyone can appear presidential.

Once in the office of President, a greater number of abilities are needed to be truly effective. The President of the United States is an administrator, a diplomat, an arbitrator, and the executive of the government of the people who elected him to office. He is also the number one civil servant of the country.

The requirements to be an effective president far out number the requirements to be an effective speaker.

We have had many presidents who were incredible orators and who were effective presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and both Roosevelts, just to name a few. We have also had presidents who were excellent in front of an audience but who were not effective as president.

William H. Harrison, who gave us the first presidential battle cry "Tippecanoe and Tyler too", was an excellent orator and military man. His two distinctions in office were that he gave the longest inaugural address ever and he had the shortest recognized term as President to date. One might say that he did not have enough time to be an effective president. He was in office long enough to put the foundation for his presidency in place. However, it was so poorly developed that when Tyler, his Vice President, assumed the office, he found himself in a quagmire.

Ulysses S. Grant was also a brilliant military man and gifted speaker, yet his administration was full of corruption.

John Kennedy was truly a gifted speaker and legislator. His presidency was short lived, but how effective was he? It is true there were dreams and ideals aplenty, but he often had trouble getting his plans turned into reality. Yet, those who came after him built upon the foundation he had established. If we measure his effectiveness by those accomplishments, then he was a successful president.

One can argue that for a candidate to get to the White house, that person must be able to deliver remarkable oratory. Yet in this modern age of technology, that ability can be accomplished with a myriad of aids that give the illusion that a candidate is an incredible speaker.

While in the White house, the President must be able to successfully communicate his or her positions, dreams and programs for the country. Doing this in an effective speech is one way to accomplish the task, but it is not the only way. Great oratory is not a litmus test for the presidency, but rather it is a tool that can get a candidate into office. Once in office, there are too many other abilities and talents needed for an individual to be an effective president, and being a brilliant orator does not even make it in the "top ten list".

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