It’s interesting to me that the soundbite emerging from the Democratic National Convention comes from a former First Lady instead of one of the elected officials or the candidates themselves. Michelle Obama delivered an address that should be used in speech classes for years to come — demonstrating how to craft a message that resonates not only at the moment but provides a soundbite that takes on a life of its own.
The final moments of her 20-minute speech provided a call to action that harkened back to words from the candidate’s history: “It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: “Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something.” Obama continued: “So if they lie about her, and they will, we’ve got to do something. If we see a bad poll, and we will, we’ve got to put down that phone and do something. If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in, we’ve got to pick ourselves up, throw water on our face, and what?” And of course, the crowd chanted the catchphrase right back.
Now it’s emblazoned on t-shirts, stickers, and countless other promotional products as a way to generate sales, as well as enthusiasm — and action. Obama was clear about the purpose of her talk — not just to praise the candidates, but to send the arena full of delegates back out into their communities to get the job done.
Too often, our messages obfuscate the real point of the communication. We use too many words, flaunt big words, or bury the key point in paragraphs of explanation. Before you deliver that next big address, “do something” by spending 20 minutes watching how a master did it brilliantly.
