The last public speaker I listened to and that I clearly remember was at my graduation. An African-American woman from New York City who graduated from Yale came to tell her story to the class of 2011. Although I cannot remember her name, I can remember that her story was very inspiring and emotional. She stood before us on stage and told the whole audience how she struggled through her child, especially living in a poor neighborhood and not having both her parents around. The speakers body language was great as well. Even though she was behind a podium, the audience could still see her engaging and moving around enough for it to not be distracting. Her expression also helped reflect her story. Overall I thought her speech was moving and very successful, and it was one of the best that I have sat through.
If I had to grade the speaker on what she did, I would give her a 4 for the overall purpose of her speech. She came and she told her story. The speaker had great eye contact with the audience and the whole time she looked at us and not at the ceiling or floor. She seldom read from the paper she had and this made her speech much more effective because she could engage with the audience. The speaker was extremely enthusiastic about her story, making sure to emphasize certain points and really get her story to resonate in the audience. Overall I’d say that the speaker did an amazing job at telling her story, and that he speech was great.
