communication

FDR spoke in simple, easy understand terms because he wanted to reassure people from varying levels of education and socioeconomic backgrounds. He used analogies to explain his claims:

FDR compared the threat of Nazi U-boats to rattlesnakes. He said "But when you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck before you crush him. These Nazi submarines and raiders are the rattlesnakes of the Atlantic. They are a menace to the free pathways of the high seas. They are a challenge to our own sovereignty. They hammer at our most precious rights when they attack ships of the American flag -- symbols of our independence, our freedom, our very life."

Statue by George Segal of a Citizen Listening to One of President Roosevelt's ‘Fireside Chats’

During his chat, "On Progress of the War," FDR asked listeners to take out a map and follow along with him explaining the magnitude of World War II.

FDR stated: "This war is a new kind of war... It is warfare in terms of every continent, every island, every sea, every air-lane in the world. That is the reason why I have asked you to take out and spread before you (the) a map of the whole earth, and to follow with me in the references which I shall make to the world-encircling battle lines of this war."

President Roosevelt, in the Oval Room of the White House, Refers to His Own Map as He Emphasizes a Point in His Address to the People, 1942.

President Roosevelt's choice of words was personable with phrases like "my friends" and "I assure you" He addressed the American people as "you" like he was speaking directly to them.

FDR spoke very slowly compared to most radio announcers at the time, at an average of sixty-five fewer words per minute. Additionally, 75% of the Fireside Chats' words were among the five hundred most commonly-occurring terms in the English language.

This was to appeal to the everyday Americans, who did not previously feel connected to politics as they were not included.

J. F. Bando Letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt in Reaction to First Fireside Chat, 1933

Letters to Franklin Delano Roosevelt

What the American public thought of the Fireside Chats:

FDR got lots of positive feedback for his Fireside Chats. He received an average of 8000 letters a day, compared to the 800 letters a day his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, received. One Fireside Chat could amass up to 450,000 letters.

One reader wrote: "It made me feel as though you were really one of us."

Presidential approval ratings were created while FDR was in office in order to gauge support for reelection. FDR had an approval rating of 70% when he left office, the highest approval rating to date. To compare, his successor, Harry S. Truman, left office with an approval rating of 28%.

FDR's presidential approval rating truly shows the effectiveness of the Fireside Chats. The Fireside Chats helped FDR's approval ratings since he was able to explain to the people exactly what he is doing to help the current state of the economy. Since the public was aware of his programs and initiatives, they could give FDR credit for his economic policies, which ultimately improved his ratings.

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