A GREAT SPEECH IS ONE THAT GRABS YOUR ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY AND DOESN'T LET IT GO. STARTING OFF STRONG IS SURE TO AT LEAST GET ATTENTION, BUT THE AUDIENCE MIGHT BE DISTURBED IF EVERYTHING IS YELLED. So maybe yelling everything isn't the best answer to a great speech.
I know one way for sure not to give a great speech, which is to forget your introduction and stare blankly at your audience (shoutout to myself!).
So what actually makes a speech good? Of course, we all know the content of the speech is integral to its success. A speech with definitive logos and clear organization will be far more persuasive than one of stretched reasoning and muddled expression. But what clinches a speech, what truly moves the speech to the next level, is the speaker himself. The speaker might have the most well constructed ideas that would resonate with the audience, but if he cannot connect to the audience then everything is in vain. A speaker who captivates the audience with varied inflection, appropriate gestures, and genuine interest in his speech is what separates a "good" speech from a "great" speech. Both content and delivery have the same points in our rubric and they're both hefty. We can reach the content achievement by continuously editing and receiving others' input, but the delivery is something that is harder to predict and control. Sometimes it seems we reach a plateau in our delivery potential, so when we see a speaker who has incredible delivery we can appreciate it all the more because we know firsthand how difficult it is. I think the most significant point of delivery is to create a voice for yourself that engage the audience and makes them genuinely interested in what you're saying. When you are passionate, it is easy for others to share it.
Al Pacino delivers an impeccable speech in the movie The Scent of Woman that perfectly captures a speaker who controls his audience because of his delivery, specifically his voice. In this speech, he defends a student he befriended from getting expelled from a prestigious school. He balances intense passion with calming reflection to create an argument that never loses the attention of the audience. Although he is blind and thus cannot rely on eye contact to connect, he more than makes up for it with his delivery. He truly understands the meaning of the words he is speaking and is thus able to determine what tone every single word should manifest. Because he knows how to use each word, our commitment to the speech never wavers. But it's more than that; he doesn't just keep our attention, he makes sure we want to hear the rest of what he has to say. Only by having the passion in the voice is it possible to inject such a devoted interest into the audience. The speech is also effective because he doesn't diminish his ethos despite the formality of the situation. By being brutally honest and integrating uncouth language, Pacino actually commands the attention because his audacity demands it.
Of course, this is example is a movie. This means that the directors has the capability to choose the response to the speech. So although the response was in favor of the speaker's intention, it might seemingly lessen the impact of the speech's power. So, we'll look at an illustration of speech in real life that has an impact. After the AP exam, by biology teacher showed us several science related TED talks. But one day, instead of showing us a regular science one, she showed us something entirely different. She prefaced the talk by stating it was her favorite talk of all time and we would not be discussing this one like we had with the previous ones because it meant so much to her. The speaker has a poetic flow to her speech, which is typically something that creates an immediate disconnect, since it is not appropriate and difficult to listen to in most contexts. But by connecting this rhythm to the theme of children and parenting, a simple but touching tone is present throughout the speech.
I highly recommend watching this captivating speech. This speech works again because of its delivery. It is not a seminal theme. In fact, the idea of motivating children has been thoroughly exhausted to the point you might roll your eyes at the sheer mention of it. But Sarah creates a unique voice that truly pulls you in and forces you to listen because you haven't hear anything quite like it. You just don't have a choice. And this is what makes a powerful speech. When a speaker has the power to entrance you for nearly 20 minutes with her voice and clear passion, you know the speech has succeeded. So although the flow of this speech would not be appropriate for this class since it would fall under that categorization of having a rhythm to it, we can see that it might be effective in different situations. We should realize that there are so many forms of communication and delivery, each with a benefit and a defect to them.
These speeches lead me to the inescapable conclusion that delivery of the words is the key to a successful speech. Or, at least it is something that elevates the speech to glory and can be lauded for its persuasiveness. It's not just the all encapsulating idea of delivery such as eye contact, audience engagement, etc. I think the delivery of the words is what makes the speech enthralling. When each word hits the right tone and forces reflection and forces you to feel emotion is when you the speech is at the zenith of its potential. So we should forth and find our voice! We should find what works for us and use it to our advantage to create a piece people want to hear.
I know one way for sure not to give a great speech, which is to forget your introduction and stare blankly at your audience (shoutout to myself!).
So what actually makes a speech good? Of course, we all know the content of the speech is integral to its success. A speech with definitive logos and clear organization will be far more persuasive than one of stretched reasoning and muddled expression. But what clinches a speech, what truly moves the speech to the next level, is the speaker himself. The speaker might have the most well constructed ideas that would resonate with the audience, but if he cannot connect to the audience then everything is in vain. A speaker who captivates the audience with varied inflection, appropriate gestures, and genuine interest in his speech is what separates a "good" speech from a "great" speech. Both content and delivery have the same points in our rubric and they're both hefty. We can reach the content achievement by continuously editing and receiving others' input, but the delivery is something that is harder to predict and control. Sometimes it seems we reach a plateau in our delivery potential, so when we see a speaker who has incredible delivery we can appreciate it all the more because we know firsthand how difficult it is. I think the most significant point of delivery is to create a voice for yourself that engage the audience and makes them genuinely interested in what you're saying. When you are passionate, it is easy for others to share it.
Al Pacino delivers an impeccable speech in the movie The Scent of Woman that perfectly captures a speaker who controls his audience because of his delivery, specifically his voice. In this speech, he defends a student he befriended from getting expelled from a prestigious school. He balances intense passion with calming reflection to create an argument that never loses the attention of the audience. Although he is blind and thus cannot rely on eye contact to connect, he more than makes up for it with his delivery. He truly understands the meaning of the words he is speaking and is thus able to determine what tone every single word should manifest. Because he knows how to use each word, our commitment to the speech never wavers. But it's more than that; he doesn't just keep our attention, he makes sure we want to hear the rest of what he has to say. Only by having the passion in the voice is it possible to inject such a devoted interest into the audience. The speech is also effective because he doesn't diminish his ethos despite the formality of the situation. By being brutally honest and integrating uncouth language, Pacino actually commands the attention because his audacity demands it.
Of course, this is example is a movie. This means that the directors has the capability to choose the response to the speech. So although the response was in favor of the speaker's intention, it might seemingly lessen the impact of the speech's power. So, we'll look at an illustration of speech in real life that has an impact. After the AP exam, by biology teacher showed us several science related TED talks. But one day, instead of showing us a regular science one, she showed us something entirely different. She prefaced the talk by stating it was her favorite talk of all time and we would not be discussing this one like we had with the previous ones because it meant so much to her. The speaker has a poetic flow to her speech, which is typically something that creates an immediate disconnect, since it is not appropriate and difficult to listen to in most contexts. But by connecting this rhythm to the theme of children and parenting, a simple but touching tone is present throughout the speech.
I highly recommend watching this captivating speech. This speech works again because of its delivery. It is not a seminal theme. In fact, the idea of motivating children has been thoroughly exhausted to the point you might roll your eyes at the sheer mention of it. But Sarah creates a unique voice that truly pulls you in and forces you to listen because you haven't hear anything quite like it. You just don't have a choice. And this is what makes a powerful speech. When a speaker has the power to entrance you for nearly 20 minutes with her voice and clear passion, you know the speech has succeeded. So although the flow of this speech would not be appropriate for this class since it would fall under that categorization of having a rhythm to it, we can see that it might be effective in different situations. We should realize that there are so many forms of communication and delivery, each with a benefit and a defect to them.
These speeches lead me to the inescapable conclusion that delivery of the words is the key to a successful speech. Or, at least it is something that elevates the speech to glory and can be lauded for its persuasiveness. It's not just the all encapsulating idea of delivery such as eye contact, audience engagement, etc. I think the delivery of the words is what makes the speech enthralling. When each word hits the right tone and forces reflection and forces you to feel emotion is when you the speech is at the zenith of its potential. So we should forth and find our voice! We should find what works for us and use it to our advantage to create a piece people want to hear.
Matt, first of all, your title and hook IMMEDIATELY drew me in. Your use of personal experiences (shoutout to yourself) and the stylistic choices of yelling are interesting and honestly pretty funny. Also, delivery is huge. As a developing speaker I always seem to focus on the words, but you know what, your word choice makes up 7% of what the audience remembers, while tone makes up 38% and body language makes up a whopping 55%. I think delivery is what makes speeches interesting. When speakers use body language, funny voices, or even just other noises to compliment what they're saying -- those are the speeches I remember.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your hook. I think the humor, some of it self deprecating, drew me in. I agree that delivery is one of the essential elements that determines if a speech is good or terrible. One suggestion for the format, the paragraphs were a little long and this made them harder to read.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I find it absolutely hilarious that we both chose the same video for our blog posts! What I loved about your Sarah Kay video is the extension that I have never seen until today. While I knew and am an enormous fan of Kay's poem, "Point B," this was the first time I heard her give the speech following the poem, and she really is capable of capturing her audience with her voice and her gestures and everything in between. It is obvious that Kay does not simply want to survive her speeches - she is passionate about every single word she breathes to her viewers; she means, understands, and fully believes in the words she utters. Though she may say that her self-confidence can be measured out in teaspoons mixed with her poetry and still taste funny, she definitely does not make it evident when she speaks.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this blog. Immediately you drew me in and kept me interested in what you were saying. Good job!
ReplyDelete