The speech of Joe Biden, in which he communicated the situation regarding COVID-19 and measures intended to combat the threat, is one of the most controversial messages from the president. On the one hand, he talks about the ways to address the emerging risks for people’s health. Biden also discusses the eligibility of American adults for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1 and the American Rescue Plan (ARP), providing economic relief to families and businesses (CNBC Television, 2021). On the other hand, most information presented by the president is the repetition of previous successes and the appeal to the citizens’ emotions, which do not add to the credibility of his message (CNBC Television, 2021). Therefore, the speech under consideration can be viewed as an example of inefficient communication between Joe Biden and the audience.
The dubious nature of Biden’s claims is complemented by the relatively calm and even voice tone. When talking about the critical issues, which led to the tremendous losses in the country, he barely changes it (CNBC Television, 2021). This fact allows considering him emotionally unaffected by the worsening situation and the insufficient measures for adequately addressing the pandemic. The same applies to Biden’s body language, which is quite unexpressive, and scarce gesticulation throughout the speech adds to this impression (CNBC Television, 2021). As for facial expression, it is also emotionless, both at the beginning and the end of the address.
While watching the speech, I was having a feeling of distrust and suspicion because of Joe Biden’s inability to efficiently deliver his thoughts. It was connected to the fact that he continuously repeated the same phrases combining them with emotional appeals (CNBC Television, 2021). This manner of speaking created an impression of a person who does not truly believe in what he is saying. Consequently, the respective reaction was demonstrated by the audience since the lack of confidence of the president in the efficiency of his decisions was clearly seen by everyone (CNBC Television, 2021). As a result, the video received more negative responses rather than positive feedback, and this outcome does not contribute to Biden’s popularity.
Considering all the circumstances described above, the message was not received properly. The objective of the speech was to present the benefits of Biden’s presidency in terms of combatting the pandemic and eliminating its consequences (CNBC Television, 2021). Nevertheless, the key idea was not efficiently transmitted because of the use of improper voice tone, body language, and facial expression. Moreover, the particular attention to the emotional aspect of the matter, in combination with the failure to provide comprehensive information regarding the effectiveness of measures implemented to solve the current problems, contributed to this result (CNBC Television, 2021). For example, Biden spent more time talking about finding “light in the darkness” instead of focusing on practical solutions (CNBC Television, 2021). Therefore, the speech can be deemed inappropriate for the initial goal.
In conclusion, the inefficiency of communication between Joe Biden and American citizens is conditional upon a variety of factors. They include the lack of emotions in the president, an improper voice tone, scarce gestures, and continuous repetitions of information complemented by the emphasis on the emotional appeal instead of practicality. These factors evoke feelings of distrust and suspicion among the audience and lead to the failure to deliver the message. Thus, this speech has an adverse impact on peoples’ perceptions instead of demonstrating the productiveness of the work of Biden’s administration.
Reference
CNBC Television. (2021). WATCH LIVE: Biden addresses nation on one-year anniversary of Covid-19 shutdowns — 3/11/2021 [Video]. YouTube.