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Public Communication

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Public Communication

Credibility refers to the quality of being honest and, therefore, trustworthy. Credibility

has a lot to do with trust. If a speaker does not win the trust of their audience, it is challenging to

establish credibility. An audience examines a speaker's credibility based on many factors,

including the speaker's character, reputation, and competence. The table below ranks some of the

most outstanding American politicians, public speakers, and philanthropist based on their

credibility from the most credible to the least credible.

MEN WOMEN
1. Barack Obama Oprah Winfrey
2. Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton
3. Jon Stewart Elizabeth Warren
4. Jimmy Fallon Sarah Palin
5. Colin Powell Nikki Haley
6. Henry McMaster Ellen DeGeneres
7. Tim Scott Tina Fey
8. George W. Bush Robin Roberts
9. Dalai Lama Nancy Pelosi
10. Donald Trump Ann Coulter
11. Lindsey Graham Katie Couric

Barack Obama is one of America's most credible speakers. Obama is very effective in

using creative language, and all his speeches usually have a purpose. While speaking, he always

knows what to say and how to say it. Obama always tries to show the contrast between

challenges and solutions. He is also a master of the rule of three, which makes most of his

speeches memorable (Ginger Public Speaking, 2016). While speaking, Obama is usually

confident, rigorous, and disciplined. He has also established a fantastic character for himself as a

politician, a lawyer, a father, and a husband. All these things add to his credibility as a speaker.

Bill Clinton is also one of the most credible speakers in the US political sphere. He is

exceptional when it comes to improvisation. During his first SOTU address, for instance, Clinton
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improvised a significant part of his speech when explaining his plan for healthcare. He has a

history of going over his prepared speech to give the finest details. Also, Clinton enjoys

maintaining eye contact with his audience, showing that he is interested and accessible. He

develops a connection with his audience, often picking one of them and having a candid

conversation (Mainwaring, 2016).

Although Jon Stewart somewhat lost public support for his show, he stands out as one of

the most credible voices to ever hit on American TV. Most Americans admired Jon Stewart for

his honesty and brevity. He manned The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for nearly a decade and a

half, during which time he revolutionized political satire. As a speaker, Stewart makes comedy

of everything, yet he passes his massage. He is also good with words, always choosing them

carefully to drive his message home.

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most eloquent female speakers of all time. She is skillful

when using rhetoric strategies to communicate and win her audience over. For example, Winfrey

often draws from her personal experiences, which are touchy and swaying. She has also

established herself as a global brand. Her network enjoys international recognition, and this adds

to her sense of credibility. Most of her speeches are not atypical because they are "talks," which

allow her to have candid conversations with her audience. She is a seasoned philanthropist, and

her reputation in this respect speaks for itself (Author, 2018).

Clinton is one of the most knowledgeable, seasoned, and credible speakers in the world.

She is articulate when speaking about issues, always trying to find contrasts between her view

and that of other people. Clinton also likes to identify and challenge falsehood, something that

makes her credible. She is also knowledgeable about most of the things she comments, thereby

giving expert opinions and views. Elizabeth Warren is yet another gifted speaker. She is good at
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using the rhetorical style. In most of her speeches, Warren enjoys going back and forth between

abstract and concrete ideas, thereby allowing her audience to indulge in her messages from both

angles. She has also established herself as a trustworthy political figure because she maintains

her stances on essential things.

In the list of men, Lindsey Graham stands out as the least credible. One of the reasons

why Graham cannot be credible is that he does not stand his ground. He was once a Trump critic,

but now he is one of the biggest fans. The audience trusts speakers to hold their grounds. Also,

he seems to enjoy speaking about controversial topics without proof. One of the surest ways of

losing credibility is to comment on controversial issues without following it through. Katie

Couric ranks as the least credible in the women’s list following recent controversies surrounding

her documentary dubbed Under the Gun. Many people have since described her as deceptive and

appalling (Flood, 2016).

One person that I would certainly add to the list is Bernie Sanders. He has a unique way

of connecting with his audience. He is one of the few politicians who never ingratiate with his

audience. He always speaks things as they are, accurately and confidently (Healy, 2015). For me,

one of the most crucial things I look for in a speaker is the naked truth. I trust speakers who say

things plainly. He often addresses some of the most controversial topics with crusty, and he finds

a way of connecting with the masses by doing so. He also has strong values as a person, and this

adds to his credibility.

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References

Author, T. G. (2018, January 10). Why Oprah’s talk works: Insight from a TED speaker coach.

Retrieved February 12, 2020, from https://blog.ted.com/why-oprahs-talk-works-insight-

from-a-ted-speaker-coach/
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Flood, B. (2016, May 27). National Review, NY Post Columnist Demand Yahoo Fire Katie

Couric: ‘She Has Lost Her Credibility’ Retrieved February 12, 2020, from

https://www.thewrap.com/katie-couric-yahoo-gun-documentary-fire-her-new-york-post/

Ginger Public Speaking. (2016, January 13). Why Barack Obama will be remembered as one of

the greatest speakers of. Retrieved February 12, 2020, from

https://www.gingerpublicspeaking.com/article/why-barack-obama-will-be-remembered-

as-one-of-the-greatest-speakers-of-all-time

Healy, P. (2015, October 12). How Bernie Sanders Connects With His Audience. Retrieved

February 12, 2020, from

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/12/us/politics/bernie-sanders-campaign-

video-analysis.html

Mainwaring, S. (2016, March 15). The Magic of President Clinton And How You Get It.

Retrieved February 12, 2020, from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmainwaring/2012/11/09/the-magic-of-president-

clinton-and-how-you-get-it/#42fdc0c826a1