Memorandum

To:

Mrs. Renee Pay

From:

Abbie Stojack

Date:

March 19, 2014

Re:

Professional Speaker Analysis

I had the opportunity to attend the 15th Annual Leadership Conference at Utah Valley University
on Monday, October 27, 2014. The title of the conference was #lead4life Character, Trust, and
Doing Right. Doug Nielsen was the keynote speaker in the conference. He was an outstanding
speaker; his stories captivated the audience and made an impact in their lives. Doug Nielsen
taught us three keys to success: anchor to your core, chart your course, and set sail. He said it
was impossible to be aware if you were asleep at your core, meaning you have to be constantly
present so you know where you are going in life. His whole speech was about keeping a clear
mind and having steady goals.
Organization
Doug Nielsen used problem solution in his speech, He gave us a problem (being asleep at the
wheel and letting life just pass you by) then he gave is the keys to fix this and gave us stories
showing how his keys really worked. The problem was small compared to the power that you
have within. Doug Nielsen said anchor to your core, which means to stay true to yourself
throughout all the changes and all the expectations of you. Once you forget who you are and why
you are doing something, you are doomed for failure. Next Doug explained to use on how to,
chart your course. He told us the importance of having an idea where you were going, he
stressed the importance of planning ahead of time and making sure you knew what path you
wanted to take. The last step of Doug Nielsens plan was to simply set sail! Once you establish
the person you want to be and you plan the path you wish to venture down, make the leap and
head into the unknown without fear. You will never know your full potential sitting on the shore;
you discover who you really are when you step outside of your boundaries but keeping in your
mind your core values.
Supporting Material
Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning character that is described as credibility or ethical appeal. Doug
Nielsen demonstrated Ethos by giving us a short Bio about his life as a public speaker. Doug has
seventeen years of experience in peak performance and has been assisting thousands of
individuals gain a distinct competitive advantage. Doug has a bachelors degree in Psychology
and Clinical Social Work then he later got his Masters degree I Behavioral Science from UNLV.
Dough is a very successful public speaker; in 2008 he was ranked in the top 10% of speakers. He
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has been awarded the designation of CSP, Certified Speaking Professional, from the National
Speakers Association. Doug has also written a book, Take Life by the Helm, which contains
information/strategies on how to gain control in life. Hall of fame speaker, Joe Calloway said
that Doug Nielsens book is a reality check for anyone wanting more out of life.
Pathos
Pathos is a quality that provokes emotional appeal during a speech or in writing. Doug Nielsen
used lots of pathos in his speech to get the audiences attention and have them relate on a more
personal level. One of the most touching stories Doug used was a story about a heros arrival, his
little boy running and hugging his dad. It related to the speech very well and it made me feel
such strong emotions, I was able to relate to the speech. Dough also sang motivational songs,
used motivational quotes and told touching stories. One of the most touching quotes he used was,
When you forget who you are, you become who you arent, this was very powerful to me
because of how often I see people forgetting who they are and turning into their worst nightmare.
People are always changing and the lose sight of what they truly want to be so ask Doug Nielsen
said, Get your ship together and go to helm.
Logos
Logos is defined as logical, it means persuading by the use of reasoning. Doug Nielsen used his
knowledge on life, his experiences, and his education to appeal to us logically. Dough taught us
the key to seize opportunities and taught us how to overcome obstacles that we will face in life.
He used highly esteemed leaders quotes like Victore E. Franken and Nelson Mandela; he used
these to back up his speech and show you that this is a widespread idea. Doug also gave us
statistics when he told us his struggles in math; he said 80% of kids admit to not understanding
the math and being too afraid to ask for help
Delivery
Doug Nielsen was a very prepared public speaker, his nonverbal (appearance, eye contact,
gestures, vocal variety, etc.) were very professional. Doug kept very good eye contact with the
whole audience, he would often walk up and down the stage making he got a full view of each
individual in the audience. Doug did tend to focus more on the middle part of the room, seeing
that there were more people sitting in the middle than any other place. When Doug talked he
used very natural gestures that went well with what he was saying, his gestures never seemed
forced or out of place. Also Doug was very good at changing the pitch of his voice to help
highlight keywords and to make sure the audience remembered the statement.
Doug also brought in visual aid to help us understand the speech in the way that he had planned.
He showed us pictures of sails, boats, and brought in a Helm to correlate with the main points in
his speech.
Motivation
Motivation is a critical element of any speech, but luckily our speaker was an excellent motivator
and got the whole audience aboard. Doug Nielsen sang, Feelin Groovy, which brought the
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audience to life. Doug also told many inspirational stories, he told us how he struggled in math
when he was younger and his teachers calling him stupid and telling him he was going nowhere
in life. Doug didnt let that get him down, he told us of a little voice that told him to go to college
and try again. That little voice helped push Doug into success and a life of enjoyment, he told us
that the little voice inside can sometimes have the craziest ideas but those ideas can lead to an
amazing life.
Doug then reiterated his three points that are very crucial to your success. One: anchor to your
core, always remember who you are and who you want to be, never lose your sight of the future.
Two: Chart your course with clarity, always be in a good state when you are planning your
future, always have an idea of what you want in a clear light. Three: Set sail, dont hold back
take off and dont look back.