Wellspoken Index breakdowns
Famous speakers, scored.
What does it sound like when someone scores in the top decile of the Wellspoken Index? These pages run the same six-dimension breakdown on speeches you've probably already heard, with transcript-level annotations so the patterns are visible.
WSI 887 / 1000
Steve Jobs
Co-founder and CEO of Apple, 1955-2011
Steve Jobs built his speaking style on three habits that hold up under scrutiny: lead with one clear line, prepare every transition, and stop talking when the point lands. The Wellspoken Index reading below uses a 30-second excerpt from his 2005 Stanford commencement address.
WSI 912 / 1000
Barack Obama
44th President of the United States, b. 1961
Barack Obama's speaking style is built on rhythm. He uses repeated sentence openers, paired clauses, and long pauses that the audience reads as gravity rather than hesitation. The Wellspoken Index reading uses a 45-second excerpt from his 2008 Iowa caucus victory speech.
WSI 938 / 1000
Martin Luther King Jr.
American civil rights leader, 1929-1968
Martin Luther King Jr.'s speaking style fuses the cadence of Black Baptist preaching with classical rhetorical structures. The Wellspoken Index reading uses a 30-second excerpt from the closing of the 'I Have a Dream' speech (August 28, 1963).