In his inaugural address, Obama was expert at using eye contact to draw in millions and tone of

voice to drive home points (to say something in a very strong or forceful way : to make a point very
forcefully)
His intelligent use of eye contact, constantly spanning the entire crowd rather than looking just
in one particular place or speaking mostly to those nearest him, made him appear entirely aware of the
enormity of the crowd that was intently listening to his words and vision.
The words he used were essential to his message. But his nonverbal behaviors were just as
important, if not more so, in getting his message across. Research shows nonverbal communication
conveys as much as 93% of the emotional meaning behind what is said. People respond strongly to what
they see, or to the tone of voice that is used to speak the words they hear. Everything from dress, the
amount of physical space between the speaker and audience, hand gestures, posture, facial expression,
and tone of voice can make or break a leader's message.
As he began to speak, Obama nodded repeatedly, acknowledging the crowd and building
agreement with them. The President also had great stillness in his body; this signals confidence, because
it’s at once poised and yet relaxed enough
I noticed Obama's use of hand gestures. Research has shown that hand gestures are used more
than smiles to address a large crowd because they are more visible. Normally, hand gestures are used to
convey power and dominance. Obama used his hand gestures infrequently, mainly keeping them inside
his body line, to emphasize points or key words.
Instead of relying on hand gestures, Obama chose tone of voice as his most evocative and
powerful nonverbal behavior. He altered it frequently to match his message.
So, President Obama is an extraordinarily polished, powerful, and persuasive speaker. His
posture, confident voice, and command of pacing result in a highly accomplished delivery. Overall, he
radiates confidence and dignity.
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The President repeated this pattern throughout the speech. His non-verbal conversation was careful and
half-closed even when his words were open. Later, when he spoke of the “interests we all share as
human beings” being “far more powerful than those that drive us apart,” he gestured as if he was
holding something about the size of a loaf of bread in his hands. Apparently, those shared interests are
not very big.

Similarly, when he talked about “equal justice” for everyone, his hands came back to the ‘parade rest’
folded position on the podium. The hand gesture spoke of a very carefully parsed justice rather than a
broad vision. And at the close of the speech, when Obama said that “America respects all voices,” he
used again the admonishing forefinger, suggesting that he was looking for a quid pro quo of respect in
return.