Thinking about public speakers, Jill Bolte Taylor is the first
speaker that came to my mind. There is no doubt that she succeeded in getting
my full attention and delivered her message. For those of you who do not know who
she is, Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist, brain scientist that experienced a
massive stroke in her left hemisphere, the left side of her brain. Jill, a
graduated Harvard Medical School, in her speech (and through her book "My
Stroke of Insight") takes the audience to a step by step journey of the
lost of cognitive abilities; a journey which she claims to be the best thing
that could have happened to her.
Jill's pathos, her ability to arouse emotions, is her strongest quality as a public speaker. Jill uses her personal story and experience and brings metaphors that are easy to relate to. She acts her story out, stimulates the audience and makes them feel the emotions with her. However, Pathos is not her only quality; Jill masters the ethos and the logos as well. Her background as a brain scientist gives her the expertise and makes her trustworthy, while at the same time, the use of plain words makes it easy to follow her. She also brings s a real human brain to the stage and holds it against her own head (brain) and shows pictures of herself from when she experienced the stroke. At the end of her speech she clearly voices her message.
If you know anybody that experience stroke and wonder what it feels like, or if you just wander how it feels to lose your cognitive abilities? I attached a video of Jill's speech and encourage you to watch it.
Jill's pathos, her ability to arouse emotions, is her strongest quality as a public speaker. Jill uses her personal story and experience and brings metaphors that are easy to relate to. She acts her story out, stimulates the audience and makes them feel the emotions with her. However, Pathos is not her only quality; Jill masters the ethos and the logos as well. Her background as a brain scientist gives her the expertise and makes her trustworthy, while at the same time, the use of plain words makes it easy to follow her. She also brings s a real human brain to the stage and holds it against her own head (brain) and shows pictures of herself from when she experienced the stroke. At the end of her speech she clearly voices her message.
If you know anybody that experience stroke and wonder what it feels like, or if you just wander how it feels to lose your cognitive abilities? I attached a video of Jill's speech and encourage you to watch it.
As for my personal abilities to persuade audience, I think
that logos is my strongest quality. I analyze and present things in logic ways,
and I always search for the words that are most accurate and befitting. In
addition, I have some pathos in me; I can't hide my emotions, they are clearly
being displayed when I talk, and therefore, they trigger the emotions in others.
In regards to my ethos abilities, I believe that I am trustworthy; I always put
myself in someone else's shoes as I search for true meanings, and I shy away from
making assumptions or speaking on things that I don't have enough knowledge
about. However, I realize that an objective view on this one must come from the
observer.
I agree that Jill is a great speaker, using a combination of the three to pass along her point. Being a good speaker nowadays most definitely doesn't rely on being good with just one of the three, but to be able to use all three: Some people will like the emotional appeal, while others will prefer the logical approach, and even others will enjoy you speaking from past experiences and successes. Jill is most definitely able to use logos, pathos, and ethos in her speaking.
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