No, I didn’t “LikeSo” the Presidential debates. Honestly, I was too busy hiding my eyes behind my hands, gulping my wine, and following the Twitter feeds that somehow managed to make the consequential spectacle bearable.
With the speech app, LikeSo, in your back pocket, you can capture and analyze any speech. This thought has been top of mind, and tip-of-the-tongue, as the debates rolled out like sludge from an industrial plant, mud slinging across the airwaves and awaiting capture by the media’s – and our own – critical refining process.
Quite frankly, the voice recognition technology available today would not have been up to the job. Updated diagnostic software – and an R-rated version of LikeSo – would have been necessary to capture all of those insults, indignities, “believe me’s,” personality tics, unique fillers (“Huge!”), and sniffs. (Don’t worry. I’m keeping a list.)
The good news is that this election has brought forth some incredibly well-crafted and well-delivered content, including epic SNL comedic sketches, brilliant editorials, outrageous and clever tweets, cartoons and caricatures, and some of the most soaring, goosebump-rendering oratory.
Speaking of goosebump-rendering oratory, I did “LikeSo” two of Michelle Obama’s campaign speeches. I chose the already historic New Hampshire speech (October 13) and the epic speech from Phoenix, NV (October 21) that according to Jena McGregor of the Washington Post, “… should be required viewing for every leader.”
Sitting at my laptop with my iPhone resting at my speakers, I selected LikeSo’s FreeStyle mode, chose “30 minutes,” “Listen for All Words,” and hit “Start.” No surprise, Michelle Obama was “Utterly Incredible!” Her pace was deliberate, just a bit slower than the optimal 150 wpm. And she only used a smattering of filler words, her favorites being “sos,”and “justs.”
But, here’s the thing… Michelle Obama gives new meaning to fillers (i.e. fill-hers). She knows how to fill her words so our eyes and hearts come out full too. She hits all of the P’s – powerful, persuasive, passionate. And, she knows how to brave the pause (one of my 10 Tips to Say it LikeSo!). Listening to and learning from an eloquent speaker can help us all learn to be better speakers (another tip!) – and Michelle Obama is an eloquent example.
I invite you all to try LikeSo (Only 99 cents in the App Store) – and to “LikeSo” your favorite speakers. It’s both illuminating and instructive. Like, ya know?
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