Shaw starts her speech with an introduction of herself, during which she states her expertise. Such an opening is effective because it immediately conveys the message to the audience that the presenter is an authoritative figure and can share valuable information (Shaw, n.d. a). Furthermore, she skillfully uses images and justifies their presence with the speech. For instance, the third part is noticeably reliant on pictures, which are acknowledged by the presenter and do not seem redundant (Shaw, n.d. c). Incorrect use of visual aids may have a reverse effect and spoil the overall experience.
Probably, the most important takeaway for me personally is Shaw’s use of visual information. First, her portrait is neatly situated in the upper left corner of the slide, while the rest of the slide is used to accentuate her speech with bullet points and images. Most public speeches force the audience to divide attention between the slides and the presenter. There is no such necessity in this case, as bullet points are written directly below her portrait, which makes comprehension easier, especially in text-heavy slides (Shaw, n.d. b, 07:34). This composition demonstrates the effective use of space, which is always a concern in presentations.
My experience of public dialogue is primarily negative due to the incorrect use of voice. It takes substantial effort to properly accentuate important information with a voice to me. Whenever I attempted posing a provoking question at conferences, the tone would always fail me, as I tried to make every word sound important. Having watched Shaw’s use of voice and dramatic pauses, I can now understand how important such subtleties are in maintain audience’s attention, especially during public dialogues.
References
Shaw, R. (n.d. a). Renee Shaw: Tongues Untied – American Civil Discourse Gone Amuck – Part I. Vimeo. Web.
Shaw, R. (n.d. b). Renee Shaw: Tongues Untied – American Civil Discourse Gone Amuck – Part II. Vimeo. Web.
Shaw, R. (n.d. c). Renee Shaw: Tongues Untied – American Civil Discourse Gone Amuck – Part III. Vimeo. Web.