Use of Animals in Scientific Research (Mikhail Znamenskiy)
Here is a successful informative speech that I think is worthy to evaluate. Given speech is a good example of well prepared and well organized speech. Speaker begins his speech without rushing that set well balanced temp of the entire speech. Attention gain technique is used at the very beginning of the introduction what makes it interesting and effective. Philosophical question makes audience to think about the topic. Therefore, topic was clearly introduced. Even though credibility is not clearly established speaker clearly states main purpose of the speech: “Too many animals are used in scientific experiments”. Topic isn’t strongly related to a student auditorium. Body structure was very well presented at the end of the introduction. He clearly stated major ideas that are discussed in the body of the speech.
Speaker begins the body of the speech with a statistical data that attracts attention right away. Also, historical facts and other supportive information help audience to follow the main idea and purpose of the speech. Main points are well presented and effectively supported during the speech. Speaker follows rules of the successful informative speech. Speech is very well structured and well prepared. His language is accurate and clear to the audience. In spite of complex terminology he is able to explain the subject well and possible to understand. Vivid examples benefit his speech. Also, background information helps him to deliver major message of the speech. Statistics he represents prove us that speaker used effective sources of information. He is able to pull historical events and names involved what adds credibility to speaker. Familiar to audience words are used, therefore it’s easy to follow his speech. Words are articulated clearly with a good rhythm that benefits his speech overall. He uses manuscript. However, most of the time recites from memory. What amazes is his ability to use appropriate laws and statistics to support his main ideas. Even though he spends most of the time standing behind the desk, his body language is visible. Districting manners are under control. He delivers topic with a great enthusiasm what makes his speech interesting and entertaining. The primary rule is followed: “Whatever gestures you make should not draw attention to themselves and distract from your message”. (The Art of Public Speech, Lucas, p.308) Speaker gesticulates using his hands once in a while but that doesn’t distract the audience.
Conclusion was done effectively. Auditorium was prepared for the end of the speech. Main thesis statement is reinforced by additional use of statistic data and vivid quotes. We can see how effective the conclusion he makes is. Listeners amazed by his ability to accomplish the speech.
Anton Domansky midterm blog.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/anand_agarawala_demos_his_bumptop_desktop.html
You are looking at a video of Anand Agarawala who is a creator of BumpTop, a new desktop interface software that is very innovative and fun to interact with. Anand is showing of all its cool features that will make the experience of using computers much more interesting and engaging. The location of the place the speech is given at is in Monterey, California. The speech was delivered sometime in March of 2007. Judging from the video the audience seems to be a younger generation who is interested in the latest computer software. The people in the audience also seem to be having a lot of fun listening to the speaker. Environment is very friendly, relaxed and not that formal.
I had been trying to find a video that would be fun for me to write about for a couple of days and finally found this one on Ted.com. It was not as easy as I thought it would be because there are thousands of videos on the Web, both good and bad so after viewing over 40 different videos I decided to critique this particular one. The reason I chose it was because I like people’s creative approach for doing things differently, people that think outside the box. I currently own a Mac computer that is known for its user-friendly and innovative interface so it was interesting to see what is being done to push the desktop user’s experience even further.
Anand Agarawala’s speech is an informative speech with some elements of persuasion in it. He talks about his new desktop interface called BumpTop. Anand’s purpose is to inform the audience about his software and to showcase its completely new approach to user interface experience. The speaker does an excellent job tailoring the speech to the specific audience in the room. His language is appropriate, easy to digest and is not confusing to follow. Anand’s sense of humor enhances his delivery as it creates a lot of positive energy in the room. I think his style of delivery is very important. He presents the information in a very simple way by just playing around with the software and showing some very cool things people can do with it and that makes the speech flow very smoothly.
The speaker connects to the audience from the very beginning and holds its attention throughout the entire speech. While watching the video I can feel the energy and the enthusiasm the speaker has for the product he is talking about and I that makes me want to use the software myself. The speech is well organized. Anand starts of by telling the audience how the available desktop interfaces are extremely boring and not engaging for the users and then he goes on to say that now is the time for that to be changed. Then he shows all the cool differences between the “old” way of interacting with a computer and a totally new approach that his BumpTop software offers. The speaker has obviously done a very detailed research while developing his product and he uses his own experience and knowledge to provide credibility during the presentation.
Anand Agarawala’s main points are quite clear. He walks the audience through them one by one. What I like is that every main point he makes the audience can instantly see how it works in reality and it is a powerful tool. In my opinion the “It can do all this cool things and here is how” approach of his speech is very effective because there is a great combination of verbal and extremely powerful visual elements put together. Given the amount of time Anand had for his speech he overall accomplishes his goal and the reason I can say that is that I personally am very much looking forward to using BumpTop software once it hits the stores. I hope it does soon, because there are plenty of consumers that are ready for this kind of innovative product.
The speaker maintains great eye contact with the audience throughout his delivery. Anand seems very relaxed and is at ease while on stage. There is definitely a dialog between him and the audience members and he keeps them very engaged all the way till the end. I did not notice any distracting gestures done by Anand. He speaks at an audible volume. He also varies the rate and the pitch of his voice and that makes it even more interesting to listen to him.
I think his introduction was very good and the audience did appreciate it. Anand gains people’s attention in his intro and does it with humor. It is clear from the start what he is going to talk about. He relates the topic to the audience members by saying that his software was inspired by his ordinary desk at home and that we need a new and creative user’s interface because the ones we use now are too plain and boring. I definitely learned a lot of interesting things about BumpTop and the fact that it even exists.
Overall I think Anand delivers his speech very well although I want to mention a few things that I would have done a bit differently. First of all throughout the whole speech Anand uses way to many “I means”, “Likes”, “Kind of”, “Ums” and “You knows” and it is taking points away from his performance. Here is a good example of it from his speech: “So, one thing we have for that is KIND OF like a grid, KIND OF- so you get that more traditional desktop. Things are KIND OF grid aligned.” Or here is one more example: “I THINK beyond the icons, I THINK another really cool domain for this software- I THINK it applies to more than just icons…” If those words “parasites” would have not been used so much the speech would have been a lot better. I can tell that Anand is not a professional speaker so his delivery was not as polished at times. Also what I found was missing is the information about when BumpTop would be available for people to buy or its progress state. I think it would have been an important point to make.
Anand did not have a conclusion where he could have re-stated in at least brief summary all the cool things his software can do and how innovative it is. Instead he just said: “And that is BumpTop. Thanks.”, and left the stage right after he said that. I guess maybe he thought that the product spoke for itself and his speech didn’t need a conclusion. Since he did not have a conclusion the end of the speech came out of the blue. He basically cut off his delivery all of a sudden and that left me a bit hungry to hear more
Midterm Blog Post- Jennifer Lopez Speech @ The Women’s Conference by Caroline Camilo
Caroline Camilo
Com. 1010
Professor Miller
Midterm Blog
Jennifer Lopez Speech at the Women’s Conference on October 22, 2008.
“Good morning strong, powerful, and inspiring sisters. Good morning my fellow architects of change.” This was the line Jennifer Lopez used to approach her female audience at the Women’s Conference on October 22, 2008. The Women’s Conference is located in California and it is a nonprofit and non partisan organization that has been led by Maria Shriver and California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Conference has formed partnerships with organizations all around the world and holds events that brings up to 14,000 women in one arena. It is the largest and most vigorous gathering of women in the nation.
I have chosen this particular speech to write about because not only do I consider myself to be a big fan of Jennifer Lopez, but I also consider myself a feminist. I find it very inspiring that women from all over the world unite to try to inspire other females to be “architects of change.” It is amazing and very moving to see females be so independent and hold so much power within thy self. I like to see progress and change in women because a female is an important soul in the world.
Jennifer Lopez’s purpose in speaking to about 14,000 women in the Women’s Conference was not only to inspire change and progress in each other, but also to make sure females listen to their inner voice. When watching the video I can clearly understand that the speech was specifically tailored to all types of women; not only to minorities, teenagers, mothers, single ladies, and married women, but to all women out there.
It was important for Jennifer to communicate her message in a special format and I think the type of form she used was the best fit one which was organized in a spatial order. It was important for her to have an appropriate style and delivery for her speech because she is trying to inspire women to change for the better. She was a minority and managed to make it to the top, so it was crucial for her to state how she managed to do it and what obstacles she faced.
She made sure to state her main points followed by a directional pattern. Jennifer talked about her childhood years; going to catholic school and being a minority in the Bronx, New York. As well as her teenage years and her early adult life. She also mentions how people told her not to become an actress or dancer but she listened to her inner voice and that is why she is where she is at today. Ms. Lopez communicated how easy it has been for her to manage her career but how difficult it has been for her when it came to her relationships with men.
When Jennifer began to talk about her love life, she mentions how females begin to doubt themselves when their relationships go wrong and don’t work out. She states this by saying, “There’s something about them that makes you doubt what you deserve.” She uses this part of the speech to back up what one of her main points seem to be, which is for females to listen to their inner voice. I heard Jennifer’s organizational pattern throughout the speech. At first she was kind of going with the chronological order of her life story and how she made it to the top but then she kind of went from the people that changed her life to how a female should face a difficulty when she gets to that point.
One thing I noticed though about the speech was that Lopez only cited two quotes throughout the entire speech. The first quote that she cited was from the book of James in the Catholic Bible. But I realized that everything Jennifer talked about was from personal experience and the only research she used was from her own life story and experiences. I strongly believe Jennifer did manage to achieve her goal in her speech. I, as a young, Hispanic, college woman have been inspired and motivated by Jennifer Lopez’s words. She spoke from the heart, from her own experiences and how she was able to get through all life’s hardships by listening to her inner voice. She also mentioned how if it wasn’t for listening to her inner voice, she would have not been where she is at today and to me that is inspiring.
All throughout her speech, Jennifer Lopez had many positive aspects and a few negative ones. Some of her strongest aspects were first of all her introduction. Using her strong, enthusiastic, and loud voice, Jennifer was able to grab the audience’s attention quickly and I found that amazing due to the fact that there were 14,000 women in an arena, capturing their attention might have been a difficult task, but Jennifer managed to do it pretty well. Another one of her strongest aspects was her enthusiasm and charisma towards speaking about the topic. She had a great amount of charisma when talking. She did not stay in one tone all throughout her speech. Her voice varied a lot from high pitches to low pitches. Jennifer maintained her eye contact with the audience pretty good as well.
Ms. Lopez did not have so much negative aspects. One negative aspect I can say is that she should have used more quotes, for example, maybe if she used a quote from important historical women of the world like Mother Theresa. Using more quotes would have helped her make her speech more motivational. Another negative aspect I can say she had was that she should have used some visual aids. Maybe she did before her speech but using it while she was speaking could have been helpful. Having pictures of when she was a child, teenager and to where she stands now presenting on a power point would have been an excellent idea.
There were many lessons we as students from public speaking learn from watching the video. I can personally say I learned how important it is to show enthusiasm towards what I am talking about as well as how important it us for my voice to vary throughout the speech and not stay in one tone. It can be kind of boring and showing enthusiasm really makes a difference in your presentation. Another lesson learned is that it is good to quote well known people that have made important statements regarding your topic.
MIDTERM BLOG POST- Pattie Mae’s & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the “Sixth Sense,” game-changing wearable tech – Critique by BILAL SHAH
As a frequent viewer of “TED Talks”, I can conclude that generally all of the speakers demonstrate excellent speech skills and procedures for presenting themselves and their topics. At this year’s TED Conference, MIT’s (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Pattie Mae and Pranav Mistry introduce a new ground-breaking invention that will reshape technology. Before even introducing the device, Pattie Mae’s did a wonderful job beginning her speech presentation by catching the audience’s attention and relating to them by using phrases such as the “sixth sense.” The reason as to why I selected this video, is for one, I have read through all the postings on the blog so far, and while the many speeches were motivating and great to listen to for about the fifth time, I decided to choose innovation over inspiration. We live in an era where technology surrounds us and is rapidly developing. After viewing this video, one is informed more in where on point we are in our level of sciences, so when I had viewed this video on the “Sixth Sense,” it appleaded to me greatly. It is something that really opened my mind to look at the different perspectives of technology, and how art and science combined can form extraordinary devices.
The “Sixth Sense”, the current name of the device, is a prototype comprised of a pocket projector, a mirror and a camera, and the hardware components are coupled in a pendant like mobile wearable device. The projector and the camera are connected to the mobile computing device in the user’s pocket. Generally when we come across something, someone or some place, we use our five natural senses to identify information about it and that information helps us make decisions and perceive the right actions to take. Although, arguably the most useful information that can help us make the right decision is not naturally perceivable with our five senses, mainly the data, information and knowledge that mankind has accumulated about everything and which is gradually more all available online. While the miniaturization of computing devices allows us to carry computers in our pockets and keeping us continually connected to the digital world, still there is no link between our digital devices and our interactions with the physical world. Information is restricted to be traditionally on paper or digitally on a screen, but “Sixth Sense” bridges this gap. By bringing elusive digital information out into the physical world, and allowing us to interact with this information, by the use of natural hand gestures. The “Sixth Sense” frees information from its boundaries by flawlessly integrating it with reality, and with this, making the entire world your computer. The projector and the camera are connected to the mobile computing device or cell phone in the user’s pocket.
The “Sixth Sense” prototype implements numerous applications that demonstrate the usefulness, practicability and flexibility of the system. The map application lets the user navigate a map displayed on a nearby surface using hand gestures, similar to gestures supported by “Multi-Touch” based systems, letting the user zoom in or out using intuitive hand movements. “Sixth Sense” also recognizes user’s freehand gestures and/or postures. For example, the “Sixth Sense” system implements a gestural camera that takes photos of the scene the user is looking at by detecting the ‘framing’ gesture and then the user can stop by any surface or wall and flick through the photos he/she has taken, which first startled the audience and allowed them to begin to see the potential in the device that Pattie Mae was presenting to them. “Sixth Sense” also lets the user draw symbols or icons in the air using the movement of the index finger and recognizes those symbols as interaction instructions. By drawing a magnifying glass symbol, it takes the user to the map application or drawing a ‘@’ symbol lets the user check his mail. The “Sixth Sense” system also augments physical objects the user is interacting with by projecting more information about these objects projected on them, such as a newspaper can show live video news or live information can be provided on a regular piece of paper. As Pranav Mistry demonstrates in one of the videos, the gesture of drawing a circle on the user’s wrist projects an analog watch. One of the most overwhelming points Pattie Mae mentions is that the current prototype for this amazing device costs only about $350 to build.
When first viewing this remarkable video, it struck me that we are advancing in technology more rapidly than ever. Not even ten years ago, we were astonished by the introduction of mobile cell phones and notebook computers. Now, we are at the brink of revolutionizing a whole new world of technological advances that we believed that we would only see in movies. Thinking of these notions allows us to question where we might be in the next ten years and helpful it can all be to human life. However, there already has been uproar about the downfall of this device and how many people believe that with advancing this device, humans will be “mind-less controlled robots,” and that privacy rights will be completely vanquished. Many controversies will surround this device, and the words “brain implant” spoken by Pattie Mae at the end of the presentation, is proof that ethics and other humanistic codes will be argued when this device is on the peak of being mass produced.
Pattie Mae’s propose in this speech is entirely to promote and introduce this mind-boggling device. It was proposed for the select number in the audience who would further help Pattie Mae’s research by being beneficiaries and to excite the audience by showing them something they have not yet seen. This speech was very well presented in my opinion, because while Pattie Mae’s uses informative tactics in her presentation, she at the same time is actually persuading the audience in actually purchasing the device when it is released. Since the “Sixth Sense” is a revolutionary idea, what place better to present it than at TED conventions, where world famous leaders and brilliant minds attend every conference. The speech is almost entirely visual aids, the videos, presented along with Pattie Mae explaining what it is about. She uses hand gestures and never rushes during the presentation. Dr. Mae did a great job using analogies, like the “Tom Cruise Minority Report”, because it gives a audience a mental image of how the future will be further advanced and that this product can be a bridge to that future. Also, her transitioning was excellent because after each video demonstration, she explains thoroughly about the video and tries to keep her timing perfect. We can assume that she really did an excellent job in organizing the speech in the correct manner, which seemed to be topical order.
Although most of her speech was well established, in my opinion, the credibility was not fully established. While Pattie Mae does have excellent reasoning and reliability simply from being a renowned researcher from one of the top universities in the world, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she was weak in the area of showing the audience that everything that was presented was flawless. These days, technological inventions need to be presented in a way that the audience has no doubts, and as advanced as the “Sixth Sense” may look, it is sure to have many downfalls. The clarity of her voice could also have been better, but all in all, the speech staging was very well presented, and based on the response of the audience and the number of “Wow’s”, Pattie Mae accomplished what her initial purpose was to do.
Stephen Colbert Roasts President Bush
This is one of my favorite speeches of all time. This is a speech by Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner On Saturday, April 29th, 2006.
It is more then just a comedy jab or roast towards politics, Colbert’s satire, portrayed in his unique professional ability to speak whatever is on his mind, surpasses all boundaries regarding censorship. He is talking towards the white house and specifically towards the president of the United States George W. Bush.
Normally if someone ever had the opportunity to be able to speak in front of if not directly to the president of the United States, he or she would politely bring up small issues if none at all assuming bi-partisanship or unilateral agreement. Who would ever dare to criticize Mr. Bush in front of his peers and associates, especially at the White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner?
Mr. Colbert we salute your bravery and ability to pull off the greatest roast in not just comedy but politics as well. Now as we all know, those two professions are polar opposites and few next to Colbert possess the ability to fuse the two so seamlessly together with such little effort.
However this speech seems to solidify the whole idea that Stephen was somewhat attempting to portray. The question of what has happened to American politics under the Bush administration and how is the media allowing such a hoax to exist in the first place? Colbert not only points out through false admiration the faults of Mr. Bush and his administration, but how the media has gone right along with it. I’m sure in reality, Mr. Colbert feels that he next to maybe John Stewart are sadly the only sources in media to tell it how it is. Or at least make fun of how it is.
Within this speech, not many stones go unturned, or should I say boulders. Whether it be how polls show the unpopularity of Mr. Bush, or the photo-ops of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the sign labeled “Victory”, or simply Bush’s persona as a man who wouldn’t understand the term “glass half full”, Mr. Colbert brings the point across. At times maybe a little too far, but no one seems to really mind. Remember, he does have his own television show and that’s exactly how the audience was reacting. Colbert even pointed out jokingly that President Bush had agreed to be on his show.
Speech Pros:
This speech was well written, thought out and full of surprises no one was expecting. His body language, eye contact, pace and delivery, were representative of a man who has his own television show, and not just any television show, but one based around satirical analysis.
Satire may I say, happens to be one of the most difficult types of public speaking and not many possess the ability to keep a straight face and believe what they themselves are saying. Especially when talking to an audience who you yourself are attempting poke fun of and make fun of at the same time.
Colbert is also able to exude confidence in his ability to speak. For those who may not agree on what is being said, no matter how satirical the subject matter is, it remains very believable. In other words only after you understood the joke did you realize it was a joke.
Speech Cons:
With regards to speech outline, it was very miscellaneous and random with jokes littered throughout. Although it had somewhat of a purpose and main idea, the bottom line is that Colbert was looking to neither inform or persuade. Maybe on a small scale, but once again on the surface the purpose seemed to mostly jest and poke fun, only it was at his audience and host’s expense.
It is hard to critique too critically considering it was a satirical speech. You can’t expect him to be accurate or state his sources or convince one way or another. What you can expect is simply based on circumstance. What I mean is Colbert is an intelligent man and although he may not express the facts on the outside, you can assume they are right there sitting on the inside. It is up to us to have the knowledge and understanding of what he is referring to underneath the surface. It is intended for people like me to soak up and enjoy and understand exactly what he’s poking fun at. At least a little more so than half the morons present in the public press or white house at the time this speech was made.
“The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch (critiqued by Tyler Schnell)
Inspirational speeches are not exactly hard to come by, but I believe there are far fewer speeches that one can actually consider credible. Some people may wonder how can an inspirational speech be credible or even if there is a level of importance for the speaker to have credibility as long as they present well placed emotional situations. Randy Pausch is someone who I believe has this credibility for giving a well-known speech titled “The Last Lecture,” which was originally presented to a class at Carnegie Mellon University in September 2007, however my post consists of a shorter version of the same speech while he was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Randolph Frederick Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who specializes in computer science and human-computer interaction and design. He is known for working with Disney as what they call an “Imagineer” and created the idea of virtual worlds within the computer and gaming industry. What makes him a credible inspirational speaker is that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2006 with death known to him within is near future. At the point when he gave this speech on the Oprah Winfrey Show he tried surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation, and the cancer returned and moved to his liver with approximately a dozen tumors, with the doctors saying that there is nothing left to do. Randolph Frederick Pausch later passed away July 25, 2008.
I have several contradicting remarks to make about this particular speech; in many ways there are countless great attributes of the speaker and the overall presentation, and I could only wish to be as good as Randy Pausch at some point in my career. I suppose the only real objection I have about the presentation is that for the most part it’s all about his life and how we can only hope to follow him by example. The whole idea behind it is that we’re suppose to look at him with guilt, but also as some kind of hero; because his death is predetermined Randy tries to prove how optimistic he is and decides not to live the rest of his short life in anger and turmoil, but to live it out to the fullest. Before the speech even starts, the inspiration is already there due to his story, so he has little convincing to achieve towards his audience at this point.
I chose this particular speech initially because someone had recommended it to me, but as I listened to the speech I then realized many aspects we have covered in class have been presented within the “The Last Lecture.” Everything from credibility, specific purpose statement, introduction, various visual aids, emotions, relativity to audience, strong closing, and much more that can be noticed. Again the introduction to myself, was controversial in the fact that it was really made strong by proving his credibility almost immediately, but also seemed a little weak because at that moment it just seemed like a story about Randy Pausch and his autobiography. Right away he mentioned when the original speech took place and about his failing health condition, which some might say that he’s simply playing the sympathy card (which I feel he is), but more importantly he’s creating that credibility right of the bat. While doing this he is making for a much stronger speech by playing with the audience’s emotions, and this works well for this situation without it being considered overkill.
Throughout the main body of the presentation he started relating to the audience by “playing” on their lives and stating what they can do to lead the so-called “right way” or the “right life.” He starts talking about his childhood dreams and compared it to the audience by talking about achieving their childhood dreams. In this shorten version of the speech I felt there was just too much emphasis on his life, his childhood and his career. Now don’t get me wrong these things were not the only things mentioned, but seemed to be the primary focus, however maybe this is not true for the full length speech actually given during the lecture to his students.
I feel I may be deceiving about how I’ve written about this speech as of so far; although I believe there are areas of improvement, there are also many areas of perfection in my eyes. First thing I have to mention is how much enthusiasm he exhibits throughout the entire speech, trying to make himself and his audience think as positive as possible without any of that pity he mentions. His voice is all over the place in a positive strong way, with much strength and appropriate variations of pitch depending on the emotion of the situation. Randy presents many visual aids, mainly in the form the slides containing pictures and words (usually one or the other per slide). The pictures depicting family photos, brain scans, and even an athletic hero and friendly popular cartoon characters to make better comparisons in a negative, yet also a positive way. Text slides usually consisted of a list of ideas he wanted to cover and for the audience to think about as a way of improvement in their lives. I should also mention he did push-ups as a strong visual aid, which I would think is initially an annoyance, but actually proved to be a good way to show how strong he really is. Pausch’s hand mannerisms worked well with his attitude without it becoming overwhelming; he also displayed great positive body language throughout the entire speech.
Overall I thought this was a great speech given by Randy Pausch and was well fitted for a critique for obvious reasons. I thought the most impressive areas of the “The Last Lecture” was the introduction with stated credibility right at the start and the conclusion. In his conclusion, he made sure that the audience was walking away with the proper message that he wanted to send. I thought, what a simple and an extremely strong statement to leave the audience with to close out the speech. “The talk isn’t just about how to achieve your childhood dreams…it’s about how to live your life!”
J CEDENO- SWINE FLU
SWINE FLU SPEECH
On April 29th Andersen Cooper of CNN reported that The World Health Organization had increased the alert level of Swine Flu to a level 6, which means the spread of Swine Flu is imminent. Swine Flu which apparently started out in Mexico has spread to the U.S. is the current topic of news reports. It has impacted New York more than any other state thus far. People are wondering what is the Swine Flu?
I chose Dr. Joseph Bresee’s speech because it delivers credible answers to the question cited above. Dr. Bresee is Chief, Epiddemology & Prevention Branch, Center for Disease Control [CDC] Influenza Division.
Dr. Bresee delivers an informative speech about Swine Flu. If we were writing a topic and specific purpose statement in class it may look like this:
Topic: Swine Flu
SPS: To inform my audience about the symptoms, avoiding contagion, and treatment of Swine Flu.
Dr. Bressee immediately dives into the symptoms of swine flu. His introductory comments are limited to stating his name, his post at The CDC, and stating his topic. Understanding that his audience’s attention time is limited, the information is reduced to a 3minutes and 25 seconds video summary. The introduction does not need any attention grabbing techniques or background info or elaborate credibility establishments as these are pre-established. The audience is already interested in Swine Flu, that’s why they are watching the film. Credibility is immediately established by the facts that the 1) CDC is publishing the video 2)Mr. Bressee is an M.D. 3) CDC has a dedicated Division for Influenza. I was impressed with the fact that there is such a thing as a special division for Influenza at the CDC. It gave me comfort that this agency is on the case, is on top this pandemic virus. In addition, Dr Breseee wears a military suit with plenty of medal decorations adorning his chest, which adds to the visualization of someone who is in charge, an authority figure.
As Dr. Bressee previews that He will address the descriptive symptoms of Swine Flu in his short but effective introduction, He establishes knowledge of the topic by stating that this is something that has been experienced before and in effect the CDC knows what to look for. He also delivers immediate knowledge to his audience early on by stating that Swine Flu symptoms are similar to that of regular Flu. Dr. Bressee is now 1 minute into his speech and he has twice delivered the message that if one is experiencing these symptoms one should seek the attention of one’s health care provider.
The body of the speech breaks down the symptoms of Swine Flu into two categories, symptoms for children, symptoms for adults, and avoiding contagion. He does this effectively by listing those symptoms and strategies one may employ in order to avoid infection.
Dr. Bressee transitions to treatment of Swine Flu with antiviral medicine, citing Tamaflu and Relenza as available choices. In his concluding remarks, Dr. Bresee points out again how to avoid contamination and states that you can obtain more information at WWW.CDC.GOV
I thought Dr. Bressee accomplished his goal of distributing valuable information to the interested public at large about the warning symptoms of the Swine Flu, how to treat it, how to avoid infection.
I also appreciated his use of language, Dr. Bressee kept it simple, He used layman terms in dealing with an issue that can be the source of rapid panic.
Teresa Cen – Steve Job’s Commencement Speech at Stanford
As most of you know, Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios but he is also very good at giving speeches. As a user of Apple’s products, I am very interested in what the successful Steve Jobs has to say. In Steve Jobs’ commencement address to the graduating class of 2005 in Stanford University, he urges the graduates to pursue their dreams and seek out the opportunities in life as should all of us. I felt that his speech really hit home to the Stanford graduates and me.
In Steve Jobs’ speech he uses the topical order of his speech effectively. It has an opening, a body that contains his three stories, and a conclusion. Through out the fourteen minute long speech he also uses simple sentences to garner the audience’s attention.
Steve Jobs opens up with a compliment for the Stanford graduates and openly admitting that he had never graduate college. “I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.” In just a few sentences he made the audience feel good about themselves. For the graduating class, June 15, 2005 was the day which most of them have been looking forward to all their lives – it’s part of the steppingstones in life. And what Steve Jobs just said made the students happy for making it this far in their lives. In his introduction, Steve Jobs did a wonderful job at previewing his main points. “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.” It helps give the audience and idea of what he is trying to convey to them.
His first story is about “connecting the dots”. Steve Jobs gives an anecdotal story about how he dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months and ends up designing the first Macintosh computer. His parents were poor and he was spending all the money his parents had saved their entire life to pay for his tuition. Instead he decided to drop out of the required classes and took classes that interested him. And that is where he found calligraphy class which helped him design the Mac. Steve Jobs is trying to compare each decision he made in his life is connected by dots that will somehow connect in your future. When I heard Steve Job’s story it gave me hope because it is a story that I and the audience can probably relate to. His story is quite similar to the “American Dream” in the way that he started out poor and ended up being the CEO of Apple, one of the richest men in the world. None of us knows what is going to happen in the future and it is up to us to decide where we want to go.
Going on to the second story, Steve Jobs did a wonderful job at transitioning. He paused effectively before starting his second story. As a result, he gave the audience time to digest the information. “My second story is about love and loss.” Steve Jobs made his point short and sweet. He got directly at the main point on what his story is about instead of beating around the bush. He talks about the different stages of life he went through from losing his job at Apple to meeting his wife Lauren to creating companies NeXT and Pixar. There were many turning points in his life and it was to his realization that getting fired from Apple was one of the best things that happened to his life because if that hadn’t have happened he wouldn’t have met his wife nor created two strong companies like NeXT and Pixar. Nor would he have ended up back at Apple again when Apple bought NeXT from him. His message was “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love,” and I thought it was a very strong line. Sometimes when things go wrong in life you can look up Steve Jobs’ quotes and find meaning in your life. I also thought Steve Jobs used repetition very well in getting his message across. “If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” He mentions “Don’t settle,” twice and it had a strong impact as his voice was motivational and inspirational.
The third story is about death and it was an emotional topic but Steve Jobs was able to lighten the topic with a bit of humor. “About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was.” He made fun of himself at not knowing what a pancreas was and stirred laughter within the audience. It was emotional when you hear that the doctors tell Steve Jobs that the tumor in the pancreas is almost incurable and you are expected to live no longer than three to six months. He had to live with the fact that he was going to die for the whole day until doctors found out that he had special type of cancer that was curable with surgery. After Steve Job mentions “I had the surgery and I’m fine now,” I heard him clearing his throat and sniffing. It is tough to talk about an experience so close to death and I think it was brave of him to share this story with the audience. Everyone was clapping for him after that as I assume all of them were just as touched as I was. By approaching the death topic he brings across the point that, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” When he said that, I felt like it was meant for me and that I should wake up and start spending my time wisely instead of wasting it away.
When Steve Jobs’ reaches the conclusion, his last words to the graduates were “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” The last words were strong and impacting. At first I was confused at its meaning but it meant to always have curiosity for knowledge and don’t be afraid to take risks.
Overall I think his speech is very inspirational and motivational. He had a clear voice, strong opening, and he spoke without of rushing. One thing bad about Steve Jobs’ speech is that he kept on looking down on his papers constantly when presenting. His eye contact with the audience wasn’t that great since he kept on reading it off from his papers but he did look up once in a while. Another point, I want to make is that, his Steve Jobs’ attire. He was wearing a graduation gown which I thought he looked ridiculous in. He should have worn a suit or something. But I guess wearing the graduation gown makes him feel like he is one of them (Stanford graduates or faculty) so that he can relate with them and talk to them like a friend.
AL Pacino speech critique – Yuriy Uvaydov
This example of public speaking underlines the human ability to rile and motivate with words. Al Pacino, who is playing the role of an NFL coach delivers a fiery speech in an effort to uplift the team’s spirits and to bring them back into a game they are loosing. The speech takes place during half-time in the locker room. The image of a coach speaking to his team seems to have become a timeless classic in cinematography. With the team behind on the scoreboard going into the second half of the game the coach knows he has only one chance to motivate his players.
The audience is the entire team, but one cannot forget that the speech is part of a movie which was intended for the entire public. The battered and bruised players huddled around the locker giving their coach a forum. One must take note of the gloom filled atmosphere in the room in the assessment of this speech. The significance of this speech is in most part attributed to its delivery. I chose this speech because of the message which it sent. It hit a note with me because it spoke of not only football but of a struggle. The struggle is one of a universal nature, which each one of us must face at different times. We are all confronted with obstacles and issues but the outcome is often within our control as the speaker makes clear. His energy filled the room and his words were able to touch upon the core of what it is to be not only a football player but as a citizen of mankind.
He begins his speech with a promise. The promise was that the team will fall and crumble unless they all dug deep to win. He claims that they can all fight their way back from hell into the light. Pacino uses his life as an example. He stops for a moment to frankly address the fact that he has made all the mistakes a middle aged man can make, going as far to say that he cannot stand the face that looks at him in the mirror. Not only does this tactic help him relate to his audience but it also impresses upon them that he has made all of the mistakes which he hopes they will avoid.
The entirety of the speech stands on a metaphor about inches. Pacino says that the margin of error in life is so small that every single inch counts. Inches here and there eventually drag the team or individual towards victory of any kind. “The inches we need are everywhere around us”, says Pacino. He claims that in any fight the winner is the one who is willing to die for that extra inch. Not only did he emphasize a personal fight for that inch here and there, Pacino made sure to tie it all into teamwork. It was said that although we fight individually for that inch the efforts of the entire team are what will drive them forward into victory. The culmination of all the inches is what will ultimately affect the outcome. This metaphor for life struck a chord with the audience. The speech lit a flame beneath the players because it empowered them with the outcome of their efforts.
It is crucial for each individual to believe that they are the masters of their fate. It is that type of thinking which empowers most to strive harder and to dig deeper. The mindset of each individual player as well as the entire team’s must be on the same wavelength. Pacino places an enormous stress on the fact that he cannot do anything about the situation they are in; dispersing the burden amongst the players in the locker-room.
This speech was meant to rile and inspire. Pacino masterfully employs the use of vivid language and imagery throughout his dialogue. The speech utilizes concrete words, which call up mental impressions of sight, sounds, touch, smell, and taste. With phrases such as “we must claw with our fingernails”, Pacino once again is able to capture the imagination of his audience. He did so by relying on a unique delivery and by stressing the simple facts of the matter. In such an instance, there is a stress on not only what is said by how it is said. Only the right choice of words combined with an emotional delivery will uplift the hearts and minds of players.
As mentioned the delivery of the speech was masterful. The inspirational nature of this speech was perfectly complimented by its heartfelt impromptu delivery. This type of speech is marked by little or no immediate preparation. Such a delivery is quite important in terms of an inspirational speech, whose appeal lies within its sincerity. The way he spoke and addressed his audience was also appropriate. It was evident that his expectations were high for each individual on the team. Pacino says, “when all the inches are added up” it will be the difference between not only winning and losing, but living and dying. With his grand metaphor for life in terms of inches Pacino is able to break down the many components of life into a relatable form. It is within our power to decide whether we give up or continue fighting.
In terms of diversity, Pacino exhibits a good deal of vocal variety. By doing so he was able to convey his emotions onto his audience. It is important to avoid sounding monotonous because your audience will simply not be as genuinely interested in what you are saying. When one stresses syllables or words he instantly highlights an action, phrase, or word which is naturally noted by the audience.
It is a bit challenging to analyze the negatives of this particular speech because it is part of a movie. This fact stands to show that there were probably many takes to this one scene and the best of them was chosen. There are no noticeable negatives in this speech because it was acted out masterfully by Al Pacino and altered perfectly to his audience, the players. The manner in which this speech was given addressed the issues at hand and strove to convey a need for immediate action.