Introduction
Giving a successful speech has gone far beyond being a tool for the information exchange since its major shift toward exposing an operative function, implying the creation of a specific effect on the recipient. Almost every significant period of history could be associated with a remarkable speech given by activists, state leaders, or any other authoritative figures. Nowadays, there exists a common misconception that giving public speeches is a talent either encoded in one’s DNA or remains an inaccessible luxury for the rest of one’s life (Niebuhr, Brem, and Tegtmeier). This idea was demystified by the rapid development of public speaking platforms like TEDx, where practically anyone has a chance to create a meaningful story and share it with the world. However, while some people make a deliberate choice to become public speakers, others have no other option but to intermediate between the public and the authorities.
A prime example of such a duty is the speech given by the people in close surroundings of the famous political figures, as they have no choice but to be in the constant spotlight. For example, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama’s wife, is renowned for her public speeches given worldwide. One of her most notorious speeches, “A passionate, personal case for education,” is an example of a successful rhetoric technique combination that remains relevant for decades after its first presentation. It is a well-known fact that the President’s direct responsibility is to rapidly respond to the events taking place across the globe. In her turn, the first lady’s major task is to communicate with fellow residents on the matter of global issues that have been tackling society for years and conduct diplomatic visits to other countries. The following speech is an example of a well-designed public speech that will be further analyzed according to the Aristotelian rhetoric framework, including logos, ethos, and pathos.
Logos: Speech Reasonability
It goes without saying that the message encoded in the speech created for the broad audience is the main tool that secures the public performance’s success. Although some people might claim that one’s ability to speak could compensate for the lack of the speech’s semantic load, it is not the case with the public addresses that last in people’s minds for decades. In order to produce a certain effect on the recipient, it is the speaker’s duty to operate various facts, examples, and speech figures. Michelle Obama’s speech is, by all means, an example of successful and logical issue reasoning, which is able to appeal to the audience of different origins and beliefs, as it resonates with universal issues.
During the speech, Michelle Obama performed a logical and coherent message, emphasizing the importance of women’s empowerment. One of the most successful rhetorical devices utilized during the talk was Obama’s explicit reference to her own coming of age story, describing the prerequisites of her childhood and growth in the Southern Chicago district (Obama). Having started with such a passionate introduction to the topic, Obama displayed a case of inductive reasoning, referring to a specific example in order to form a full-scale issue or hypothesis.
Ethos: Speaker’s Ability to Show a Good Character
Once the speech is organized in a logical and reasonable way, it is then of crucial importance to expose the representer’s credibility and positive attitude to the target audience (Wróbel). In the case of the speech discussed, Michelle Obama managed to establish a special bond with the audience from the very first seconds of the performance. To begin with, speaking on behalf of the US administration, Obama emphasized the state’s cordial relations with the recipients’ homeland, exposing them to a warmer attitude.
Secondly, the first lady drew the audience’s attention to the issue of female education and development in the world led primarily by men. In such a way, her speech obtained a common ground for discussion and mutual compassion. Another important part of the talk concerned the details described by the speaker when tackling some personal experiences and thoughts on the matter. In order for the recipients to believe they could rely on her words, Michelle Obama included much personal information.
Pathos: Creating an Emotional Appeal
Every single story shared with the broad public is not worth telling as long as it was not experienced by the speech actor. Once the recipients acknowledge the speaker’s emotional appeal to the story, they feel like they want to become part of this journey. Michelle Obama’s performance was full of emotive lexis, creating a strong bond with the students. Moreover, while the issue of women’s empowerment remains relevant in many spheres of daily life, she managed to address the most relevant aspect of the problem. She addressed the prospects of education and finding a purpose in life, as many high school students feel extremely anxious about the choices they are bound to make. Moreover, the emotional appeal was emphasized by the extensive use of comprehensive lexis, as it helped to erase the invisible line between the first lady of the United States of America and high school female students in the UK.
Taking everything into consideration, it might be concluded that many people tend to underestimate the effort behind creating a successful speech. In fact, in order to create a memorable performance, the individual has to obtain explicit experience in everything he or she wants to share with a broad audience. The passion for giving people hope, and encouragement is one of the most valuable tools in terms of creating a speech. However, it has become evident in the example of Michelle Obama’s speech that the word framing plays an equally significant role in giving talks, implying that these two aspects are to exist in symbiosis.
Works Cited
Niebuhr, Oliver, Alexander Brem, and Silke Tegtmeier. “Advancing research and practice in entrepreneurship through speech analysis–From descriptive rhetorical terms to phonetically informed acoustic charisma profiles.” Journal of Speech Sciences, vol. 6, no. 1, 2017, pp. 3-26.
Obama, Michelle. “A Passionate, Personal Case for Education.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, 2009, Web.
Wróbel, Szymon. “Logos, Ethos, Pathos or a Politics of Errors.” Traces of Violence and Freedom of Thought, 2017, pp. 35-55.