Caroline's Like, Um, No Word Whiz

Interview stumbles raise flags about Kennedy's political speaking skills
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 30, 2008 4:56 AM CST

Caroline Kennedy needs to, you know, work on her speaking skills if she is to have a future in politics, experts tell the New York Daily News. In a recent half-hour interview with the News, Kennedy said "you know" over 200 times. Other interviews also contained scores of "you knows" and a liberal sprinkling of "ums."

Voice coaches say the verbal tics don't necessarily indicate nervousness. "She's just inexperienced," one said. "It's a habit, the way young people all say 'like' every other word." Speech experts say the Senate hopeful would likely benefit from some voice coaching—and from listening to tapes of her famously eloquent pop.
(More Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg stories.)

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