What Reaches the Audience

What Reaches the Audience

Karen’s, or the third speaker’s, delivery was the most effective. She spoke clearly and powerfully. Maintaining steady eye-contact throughout the speech kept the listener involved. The use of her hands and body gestures helped communicate her message very effectively. The tone and rhythm of her voice were perfect. She was speaking at a pace that just right, not too fast, not too slow. She emphasized important words and points through the volume and tone of her voice; making it clear for the audience. The least effective delivery was given by Barry, or the second speaker. He was constantly looking down and rarely made eye contact. He also was not using any hand gestures. His voice was strong, but the audience will get bored.

The most effective persuasive technique was definitely the use of hand and body gestures. Allen, or the first speaker, used his hands very well. The gestures he used kept the audience’s attention on him and, more importantly, they helped him communicate his message to the audience more efficiently. Simply just speaking, was the least effective persuasive technique. Barry did nothing more than just speak. I became somewhat bored while listening to him, compared to Allen and Karen. There was little eye contact, and no movement. He does not give the audience anything to look at, and the visual aspect of communication is the most important.

My opinions are not different after viewing this video, rather, the video confirmed my opinions. It was helpful to watch these different speakers in order to see which persuasive techniques were the most effective, and how much of a difference they can make. I understand that hand gestures and eye contact are what keep the audience listening. After my last speech, I should focus on working towards using my hands like Allen and Karen. It was interesting watching Barry’s speech because I see myself with similar habits.

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