Speech and presentation
Question 1
- What is the purpose and objective of this speech?
Amy Cuddy’s purpose and objective of the speech in this video is the importance of nonverbal communication and how it shapes one’s life. She underscores the significance of our body postures and the messages we give to people out there. Simple gestures such as a handshake can shape our judgments about others and ourselves. According to her, social scientists have, for many years, attempted to explain how specific nonverbal cues can make us act and feel. A vivid example is when she explains that 70 percent of the voters are likely to use nonverbal communication by the politicians to cast their votes. In other words, most communication that people engage in is nonverbal. Cuddy gives clear illustrations of how people can change the way they feel and perform in stressful situations just by practicing high power poses. The high power poses increase our testosterone and lower other inhibitive and stressor hormones such as cortisol. Therefore, she advises people who feel chronically less powerful to ‘fake it till they become it’ because it is all dependent on our nonverbal communication.
- Do you think that this speech was an organized speech? Why or Why not? (In Details)
Amy Cuddy’s speech is organized and very structured. She hilariously introduces the topic, shows the importance of body language, and categorizes it into three main sections. By illustrating photographs and playing back some videos, the presenter captures the attention of the audience. She also clearly states the importance of body language.
Further, Cuddy explains to the audience why she feels that the topic under discussion is essential. She quotes various studies by social scientists that show how fascinating our nonverbal communication can create specific outcomes. As aforementioned, people are more likely to vote for politicians whose body language is welcoming, warm, and attractive. Besides, the speech highlights the effect of certain poses on our judgment about others and ourselves. In this line, she says that most people who feel dominant and powerful assume specific postures, which bolster their chances of getting positive outcomes. The video also gives scientific evidence that shows people with better nonverbal communication end up achieving better results in all spheres of life.
To conclude her speech, Cuddy gives an example of her friend, who she went to school with and felt that she didn’t belong there. However, after a candid talk with her, she ends up faking it until she becomes it. In essence, she says that our body language or nonverbal communication can shape who we become in the future.
- What are the presentational aids used by the presenter? Was she successful at choosing her presentational aids? Why? Why not?
The presenter uses various presentation aids during the delivery of her speech. Primarily, she uses visual aids that include sequence-of-steps charts, graphs, people, and animals. The sequence-of-step chart is used to illustrate a social experiment where participants were instructed to exercise both low and high power poses. Then their levels of risk tolerance are tested. The presenter uses bar graphs to present the results of the experiment, where the outcomes are analyzed graphically. The presenter also uses people to give her ideas on how animals and human beings respond to high-power situations. Short video clips are also used in the speech effectively.
The usage of the presentation aids highlighted above was very successful. At the outset, the presenter used short videos to emphasize the importance of body language when introducing her topic. It saves a lot of time because it would have started by narrating incidences which the audience might not even remember and use a lot of time trying to remind them. Besides, the use of the presentation was very useful as it helped the presenter to maintain the attention of the audience. In the video, the audience is captivated and participates actively in the entire presentation. The use of visual aids helps the audience to resonate with the message being relayed and could inspire action. It was apparent in the video that many people were captivated by the speech and the applause at the end said it all.
- Write your own reflection of the speech? (Your opinion, feelings, and experience)
The video is enlightening. I feel that the importance of nonverbal communication has, for far too long, been overlooked. Our body language, gestures, and other forms of nonverbal communication help us make judgments about ourselves and others who directly or indirectly impact us. The presenter simplifies the video’s content and demonstrates how simple it is for us to change our lives by exercising simple poses.
The speech was delivered effectively. It has simple word choice, which helps the audience to understand the content quickly without the need to struggle to look for dictionaries. I also feel that the speech will remain in the minds of the audience, many of whom will practice the pieces of advice given. It was interesting to learn that all people react the same way when they feel dominant and powerful. It does not matter whether one is blind or not. Besides, it was fascinating to note that animals also use body language to express powerfulness or powerlessness.
In conclusion, Amy Cuddy stands out as a great presenter and possesses excellent skills in delivering a public speech. Considering the short amount of time available to make her speech, she efficiently organizes it and gives so much content that many would find hard to. Therefore, the video was not only enlightening to me as a student but also as a citizen.
Question 2
| 1. | d |
| 2. | c |
| 3. | a |
| 4. | d |
| 5. | c |
Question 3
What are the different types of visual presentation aids? Provide examples for each type (You may use pictures).
During a presentation, a person is encouraged to use various visual presentation aids. They include:
- Charts
Charts are graphical representation of data for easier processing and understanding. They include statistical charts, sequence-step-charts and decision making trees.
- Graphs
Graphs are pictorial representation of quantitative data using dots, bars, lines among others. An example is a bar graph illustrated in the image below.
iii. Diagrams
Diagrams are drawings that depict a part of an object or a thing. They important because the help the audience to clearly understand the context of the presentation. An example of a diagram is a picture of human nose in a medical presentation.
- Maps
Maps are pictorial representation of an areas geographical, political or locational divisions. They are help in presentation since they assist the audience to contextualize an area they have not been to before.
- Video recordings and photographs
These are important in a presentation because they capture past events that could be critical for the audience to understand the presentation. They are widely used in contemporary visual presentations.
Bonus Question: (10 Points)
What is the importance of studying communication?
Studying communication is essential for all people. Mainly, studying communication helps a person to improve their self-knowledge and awareness since most knowledge is acquired during the process of communication. Besides, communication helps us to understand others since it is through the process that we create relationships that enable us to work with others efficiently. Without communication skills, it would be difficult for us to participate in social and political processes actively. Therefore, studying communication helps us to be actively involved in leadership and our society.