Kennedy was a solid public speaker. His strength was that he was very quick on his feet. Impromptu was his strength, it was when he came across as most personable. His more formal speeches were also delivered very well. Kennedy got a lot of help from his very talented speechwriter Ted Sorenson who coined many of the broad challenges that he issued to America at the time. Substantively, Kennedy didn't do much as President, but he did succeed in helping America set goals for itself. He had a good sense of timing and it helped catch the mood of the country, which is why he's so highly rated.
