The Secret Behind Every Great Speech, According to Obama’s Speechwriter? The 50/25/25 Rule

Every generation has its great political communicators. There was Winston Churchill in the 40s, JFK and MLK in the 60s, and Reagan in the 80s. My generation had Barack Obama.

Whatever you think about his accomplishments, just about everyone can agree that as president, Obama was a mesmerizing speaker. But he wasn’t always able to hold a room spellbound. In fact, working as a community organizer early in his career, he bombed as hard as any of the rest of us.

What changed? According to his former speechwriter, he learned one profound truth about public speaking that can be summed up with just three numbers — 50/25/25.

Obama wasn’t always an amazing speaker.

In his new book Say It Well, Obama’s former speechwriter Terry Szuplat — currently a speaking coach to high-profile CEOs — related a story Obama told him about pitching a group of philanthropists at the tender age of 24.

“I had not written down my remarks. I felt like I could go into any room and just sort of wing it, which was a bad mistake,” Obama recalled to Szuplat. “There are a bunch of people in suits. I’m looking a little raggedy and a little out of place. About four or five minutes into my presentation, I…