For my final post, the video I chose to relate to Marwell and Schmitt's taxonomy influence tactics was one of Ellen Degeneres speaking at a college graduation ceremony. I chose to watch Ellen because personally I think she is one of the most enjoyable people to watch on television because she is so positive and funny. If anyone can influence a large crowd of people, it's Ellen Degeneres.
The first tactic that I noticed was positive expertise. Ellen spoke about her life and her hard trials that she had to go through as if she were an expert on life lessons. Now most people speaking on this topic might come off rude or seem prideful, however, Ellen did so with humor so it was easier for her audience to relate to. Ellen did an amazing job at helping her audience feel uplifted and inspired. She told her audience that if they are true to themselves that everything will be okay.
The second tactic I noticed was positive self feeling. She shared her experience of coming out and sharing with the world that she was gay. She then shared how shut out she felt afterwards for three years. Ellen told her audience they will always feel better if they are open with themselves about who they are and who they want to be. It was a lesson she had to learn the hard way after trying to keep that she was gay a secret.
The process premises that were constructed throughout the speech were that of the audience's needs, emotions, attitudes, and consistency. Ellen was able to meet the needs of her audience by relating to them. She talked about how confused she was at a young age and how she had no idea what she wanted to do in life. She was speaking to a group of students who had just graduated college and hearing that a successful person had no idea what they wanted to do in life is always comforting. Ellen was able to keep the emotions and attitudes of her audience positive throughout the speech. She talked about how important it is to remain true to yourself and she shared her own experiences. It was inspiring to hear what she has gone through to become the person she is now.
Overall, Ellen delivered an amazing speech because of how she influenced the audience. I am really glad I chose this video because it was inspiring and uplifting to hear about her life.
My Topic:
For my out of class speech I chose the topic of the sleep aid vitamin, Melatonin. I understand this is something most people are probably familiar with, however, I have heard of very few people who actually use it. I delivered my speech to 12 women, mostly moms, at my sister's baby shower this past Saturday. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to inform a group of women who looked exhausted about how to sleep better.
I began the speech with my personal experience of sleeping or lack of sleeping for that matter. For these past few years I have had difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep but since I have started using Melatonin I have slept wonderful. I informed the women of what Melatonin was and the importance of sleep. I recognize how difficult that is to accomplish with babies and young children and that is why when you get the chance to sleep you should be getting the best sleep possible. I used google slides to integrate a presentation with my speech through my Ipad. I referenced a youtube video from TedTalks and the speech was from Jeff Illiff titled, "One more reason to get a good night's sleep".
My Critique:
My critique was based on twelve questions and each of the twelve questions had a one to five rating with five being the best possible. I used the rubric that was in the syllabus that we were graded on for our first hip pocket speech for the questions and I added one more of my own. The one I added had to do with using the word "um", since I tend to revert to this word when I get nervous. I scored well on my critiques that were passed out to everyone.
It was a comfortable setting for me since I knew all of the women and I found it much easier to remember the things I wanted to present. However I was still nervous, no surprise. This helped me to understand that I need to work on staying calm while in front of audiences I am not entirely comfortable around. Another thing I can improve is talking slower. I was informed that I start speaking rapidly when I have my train of thought, but as soon as it ends, I take too long of a pause. The recommendation was for me to slow down and let my train of thought continue and that way when a stop does occur it seems more natural instead of abrupt. Public speaking is not something I have ever had a desire to do, however, it is a skill that can be used throughout my entire life. Through the opportunity of presenting my speech I learned new things that I need to continue to practice.
Overall, I'm glad I had the experience to gain more practice with speaking in front of an audience. I'm extremely grateful for the people who were willing to listen to my presentation and help me improve in many ways.
The speech I chose to analyze is one that President Obama delivered in 2013. It was an inspirational speech that gave hope to anyone who took the time to listen to what was being said. It related to Reich's cultural parable of the triumphant individual.
The example of the triumphant individual was President Obama himself, but not in a boastful way. He used himself as an example to represent that any person can succeed and make a difference if they have the opportunity and the willingness to do so. In his speech he told of his rough childhood growing up without a father and living with grandparents. He also made light to the fact that he often got in trouble as a young adult as many of us do. As President Obama started college he was worried about typical things until he went to a speech that talked about justice or the lack thereof, and he claims this was his transformation point. He started out believing that he did not have a bright future and he beat the odds.
President Obama continues on with his speech to encourage everyone to use their talents and recognize the injustice in the world around them. He emphasizes that the world is waiting to be changed and that if we are willing to put in the work it can happen.
The speech that President Obama delivered had a basis of persuasion through the needs, emotions, and attitudes which are the process premises. He reached out to his audience through acknowledging the need that everyone wants to make a difference in the world. Throughout his speech he recognized the possibility that everyone can make a difference if they choose to do so.
President Obama kept his speech positive and inspirational which affected the emotions and attitudes of his audience. He shared his personal experience of how he came to this point in his life and it helped the audience relate to him. Personally, hearing his background helped me to see him as a person and not only as a President. Overall, his speech was inspiring and it related to Reich's cultural parable of the triumphant individual.
In 2005 Steve Jobs spoke at Stanford University for the graduation commencement. He did an amazing job and gave an inspiring speech through the use of his own life experiences. He shared three stories of his life and with it he encouraged the graduating students to go forward with life day by day, work on things they love, and live each day as their last. A few of Larsen's cultural myths were incorporated into Steve Jobs speech to motivate and persuade the graduate students to live life to the fullest. The two persuasion myths I noticed the most throughout the speech are the wisdom of the rustic and the possibility of success.
The Wisdom of the Rustic:
In this speech Steve Jobs was the wisdom of the rustic. He used himself and his life experiences as a tactic to persuade and motivate the graduating students. Steve Jobs shared how he never graduated college, had lost his job at Apple even though he designed the company, and multiple other setbacks he had to face throughout his life. He came to an understanding, however, that with every set back there was something he learned that helped him become the person he wanted to be. He encouraged the graduating students to pursue their dreams although setbacks may stand in their way. Steve Jobs shared his own wisdom that he had acquired throughout his life and his journey to success.
The Possibility of Success:
Steve Jobs was extremely successful because of hard work. As he went through three stories of his life that brought him to where he was he emphasized the hard work he had to input, but with that hard work came success. He shared with the students that he took a typography class because he was interested in it but never knew that it would impact the way he designed computers. Through this experience he learned that following your heart is the most important thing and to trust that the dots will connect further down the road even if they do not make sense at first. Another piece of advice he gave the students is to find what you love and do it and through that will come success. Overall, his speech gave the graduating students hope for the future in that success is always a possibility.
Process Premise:
Steve Jobs speech had a basis of persuasion as he addressed the needs, emotions, attitudes, and consistency of the audience. Steve Jobs acknowledged that the audience he was speaking to was a class of college graduates and that they had a need to go out in the world and make something of themselves. By understanding this he was able to encourage them and give them hope through sharing his own experiences and wisdom to help them. Steve Jobs addressed the audiences emotions and attitudes by keeping his speech inspiring and positive. He was not there to give a lecture or to brag about his own accomplishments, he was there to be uplifting and give hope to the college graduates as they are starting out their lives in the professional world. Overall, Steve Jobs was an inspiring speaker not only because of his own accomplishments but because of how he related to the audience and gave hope and wisdom to all those who listened.
Brene Brown is a inspiring speaker. She uses the behavioral method of BJ Fogg to engage her audience and enlighten them with hope and encouragement. The title of the video I watched is, "Why Your Critics Aren't the Ones Who Count". Throughout the video she uses humor and self experience to help the audience relate to her in order to get her message across. She chose the topic of not letting others bring you down or stop you from trying because it will only slow your own progress. This message is something that everyone needs to be reminded of and to know that it is okay that others will try to bring you down as long as you keep trying and remember the people who are trying to build you up. BJ Fogg theorizes that there are three steps that must occur before people will experience a behavioral change. These three things are motivation, abilities, and triggers. Brene Brown was able to incorporate all three of these things into her speech.
Motivation:
Brene Brown acknowledged that we as individuals would become more self-fulfilling if we did not let the fear of others bringing us down get in our way. Rather we should accept the fact that there are going to be those people in our life, but there are also the people that work hard to build us up. With that being said, the first motivator I will mention is sensation, which comes down to pleasure or pain. The idea of not caring what others think brings a pleasure to each of us because it is a sense of freedom from ourselves and those around us. It is also a pleasure because then we can engage in a life full of actions without fear of critiques. The second motivator is anticipation, which is hope versus fear. Through Brene Brown's speech there was hope brought to light that we can live a more fulfilling life if we acknowledge that there will be people trying to tear us down, but if we prepare for that, we can take on the challenge head strong and accomplish our goals. Cohesion is the third motivator and it is also acceptance versus rejection. Rejection is something we all fear, however Brene Brown exemplified that although everyone will be rejected at some point, it is not something we need fear because there are others who accept us. It is a mystery why we seek acceptance from strangers and are slow to remember those who already accept us for who we are.
Abilities:
Simplicity is key in a behavioral change because we all want the most reward for the least amount of work. Brene Brown's provides the most simple solution to our fear of rejection and critique, not to care and be aware. Honestly just thinking about not caring sounds relieving. This is easier said than done, but if we realize how much we could accomplish if we eliminated the fear of critique it would be worth it. This includes not being so critical of ourselves and letting go of our weaknesses that we think hold us back.
Triggers:
The facilitator is the first of the triggers. This is the context that allows it to happen. In Brene Brown's case her facilitator was the place she gave her speech and the creative people that were there to listen. The second trigger is the signal, which is what makes the context known. This would be how Brene Brown presented her information. She used experiences where she had to deal with critique heavily due to her public position and what she came to understand from those experiences. She also used humor to draw in her audience. The third trigger is the spark which brings people to action. Brene Brown exemplified this through acknowledging the problem and then showing the audience a solution. She used a picture of an arena as the example. Before we go out to the arena we stay on the stairs with doubt and fear of rejection, but in taking that next step it is the birth of hope and experiences that will help us grow even if we fail. We should reserve the seats in the arena for the critics as if we were expecting them to already be there, however we should also save seats for those who support us, because we forget that they will be there.
Process Premise:
Brene Brown incorporates needs, emotions, attitudes, and consistency into her speech to help create a behavioral change in her audience. Brene Brown acknowledges the need to be accepted and our need for reassurance of worth. She identifies to our needs through sharing her own experiences and bringing back to light the fact that we often do have people supporting us that we forget to acknowledge because we get so focused on the people critiquing our work.
Brene Brown uses humor to create happy and positive emotions and attitudes throughout her speech. Her humor is uplifting and relatable because all of us have been critiqued at some point in our lives. She did not dwell on how we were critiqued or how we felt, she kept it positive and focused on the benefits that come from trying even when we know we will be critiqued. This is a successful tactic because inspiration to change can often come from positive emotions and attitudes and the hope that comes from it. Overall, Brene Brown was an inspirational speaker because she applied BJ Fogg's behavior change model.
