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Despite an exciting campaign season, the candidates’ speeches have been mired in tired cliches.
If you were to ask Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump themselves, they’d likely tell you that their political platforms couldn’t be any more diametrically opposed.
Well, here’s one thing they have in common: They’re both in desperate need of some public speaking tips. The candidates have relied on the same tired set of cliches since their campaigns began over a year ago.
Even during this uniquely fascinating/horrifying election season, we’re still hearing the same hackneyed phrases of which politicians can’t seem to get enough.
Back in June, New York Times reporter Michael Barbaro called out the candidates for mirroring each other’s language. He found that they not only repeated lines in their own speeches, but they often said virtually the same thing as their opponent.
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The ‘it’s not me, it’s you’
In Clinton’s nomination speech, the former Secretary of State said, “Tonight’s victory is not about one person… tonight’s victory belongs to all of you.”
The Trump campaign roasted Clinton for her speech, saying it “was an insulting collection of cliches and recycled rhetoric.” But Trump’s own stump speech included virtually the same trope: “This is not a testament to me, but a testament to all of the people who believed in real change.”
The similarities don’t stop here. Between Trump’s insistence that “the beauty of America is that it brings us all together” and Clinton’s imperative that the “country needs to come together,” it’s clear that both candidates are in desperate need of fresh ways to express their emphases on community values.
Same speech, different day
Trump has made a show of his distaste for canned speeches, literally dismantling a teleprompter onstage at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Meanwhile, Hillary has continued to receive flack for her reliance on a set of stump speeches so generic that they could conceivably be delivered by a politician from either party.
Among them: “Our children deserve the chance to live up to their God-given potential,” and small towns are “the backbone of this country.”
Despite what appears to be a sharp divergence in political views, the three presidential debates proved that both candidates continue to lean on their respective oratory crutches.
In all three debates, Trump said that Democrats lure African-Americans to the polls with false promises and then say “see you in four years.” He repeatedly called Clinton’s email scandal “a disgrace.”
Clinton is just as guilty, continually leaning on phrases like “America is great because we’re good” and “stronger together,” which is incidentally the name of her latest book.
Why are cliches bad?
There’s nothing wrong with using the occasional cliche, but littering them throughout your speech is a surefire way to lose your audience.
Listeners have heard these phrases hundreds of times. Telling them “there’s no use crying over spilled milk” may get the point across, but it’s impersonal–and it’s highly unlikely to ignite an audience’s passion.
While many of the most popular speakers will use the occasional recycled phrase, they understand the value of engaging sincerely and personally with their specific audience.
By saying something is “old as dirt” or “every cloud has a silver lining,” speakers risk boring their audience with speeches as uninspired as the language they’re employing.
How can cliches be avoided?
Not every speech (political or otherwise) is full of platitudes. President Obama’s victory speech in 2008 is a good example. Even though he relied on some of the same basic concepts as this year’s candidates, telling the American people that “this is your victory,” his speech was poignant and monumental.
So what did he do differently?
Quite simply: He was sincere.
Although Obama might use the occasional recycled phrase, his average speech is less of a performance and more of a conversation.
He understands that tailoring his delivery to his audience’s energy is infinitely more effective than directly reciting whatever appears before him on the teleprompter.
In telling his audience that this was their victory, he was drew from the momentum of his memorable campaign slogan: “Yes We Can.”
There was nothing more powerful he could say to them in that moment than: “Yes, we did.”
Whether you’re running for president, giving a business presentation, or simply trying to invigorate and inspire your team at the office, there’s plenty to learn from Clinton and Trump’s foibles.
Ultimately, the issue with cliches boils down to one of sincerity: When reusing old phrases, it’s difficult to deliver a heartfelt address.
So the next time you’ve got a cliche on the tip of your tongue, stop and think: Is this the best way to say what I want to say, or just the easiest? If it’s the latter, a quick rewrite may result in a much more original–and resonant–speech.