Marwell and Schmidt's Taxonomy

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.

Outside of Class Presentation

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.

Reich's Cultural Parable

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.