Analysis on Speeches

Syeda Mashal Bokhari Syed Waqas Bokhari

Business Communication
Nust Business School
MBA 2k13-Semester 1

Mehjabeen Malik Ali Khan Zaineb Naseem Muhammad Hamza

THE APOLOGY - PLATO

Firstly, we would discuss the contents and the structure of the speech by Socrates. As this speech can be called one of the most persuasive speeches of the history, the contents are highly admirable and fitted to situation. Considering that Socrates was in a trial in the court of law and he was actually arguing against the charges of accusation for acts like corruption of youth and impiety. In the speech itself, Socrates calls himself a persuasive person but he says that he will be an honest person instead of a sophist and that he will only speak truth and wont alter the facts to get the decision in his favor. If we discuss the main and basic elements needed for a good speech then it has got a good and impressive opening as he was making the audience a part of what he was supposed to say. He grabbed the attention of the people as he was supposed to offer something different in his speech. This speech was a lengthy piece of work. For this he needed a charm in almost every part of his speech which he did by engaging the audience by telling them the real stories of his life like the experiment of judging wisdom etc. He also strengthened his argument in the speech by giving strong arguments and proving his accusers wrong by sound reasoning. He gave the impression that his speech is full of facts and those facts are real truth and he was successful in producing a better image because he himself was expecting more votes against him but he got only the difference of 30 votes for being accused. The closing was emotional. After being accused of death, he could have gone quiet but as a persuasive person he gave two different speeches. One to those who voted for his accusation, in which he precisely told them that his blood is on their necks and that he could have changed the outcome of this court decision by altering the facts and being sophist but instead he chose to be the person of truth and that there would be people who would take his position because it is not Socrates who is important, it is the philosophy itself. And one speech was for the people who voted against accusation, where he told them not to worry because death will give him peace, he will either sleep calmly or will go to heavens where he would meet other great thinkers and philosophers and would ask them whether he was right or wrong. So, the conclusion was a sequence to his long speech and he ended up on an inspirational note for his followers as well as the people who were against him.

For the persuasive speech it has ticked quite a few boxes: He was somewhat successful in persuading people. He conveyed his message effectively which was proved by the number of votes for him. This speech must have hit the moral values of the people in the audience because it was quite emotional for their values. Whatever solutions he gave were really thinkable and it must have affected the audience.

We must say that this is an ancient speech delivered 2 centuries ago. We dont have the videos of this speech and we really cant say anything about the expressions of the speaker as well as the audience. We can only assume and it must be an emotional one especially at the end. What we think is that Socrates

must be really calm and stable at start but as soon as he goes to the main body of the speech he would have done some interesting gestures involving the audience and by reading the last part of it we must say that he would be really passionate and aggressive at the end of the main body of the speech and conclusion.

MY COUNTRY BECKONS ME - BHUTTO

Zulfiqar Ali Bhuttos speeches are quite persuasive ones of all the times because of his massive ability to influence others. On one hand it was influential, intense and persuasive and on the other hand emotionally provocative. The speech represents some facts and figures identified by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto himself. His convincing power was immense because he always delivered what was logically sound and backed by facts and evidences. Inculcating of his lifetime experiences in the speech can be seen at quite a number of times. His speech was full of motivation because he always made the audience feel that he was one of them that resulted in people listening to him more effectively. He targeted massive audience and asked them intriguing questions to engage them and increase their level of participation. Use of numerous personal examples, similes and stories in his speech supported his point of view. During his speech, he first identified the issues that resulted into problems and furthermore provided solutions to those problems. His confidence, perfect use of gestures and postures, movement of his hands, his voice tone, pitch and everything added to the effectiveness of the speech. He argued passionately. His speech appealed to the moral believes of the audience. His credibility at the first place was never doubted but despite of that he continuously stated facts that added more to his credibility. The vision he described was personal and clear. Some of the qualities we observed after analyzing the video are listed as follows:

Speech was well prepared and well crafted. He actually knew what he wanted and his words reflected the vision he had in his mind. Speech followed a proper structure. It directed audiences attention towards the major issue Muslims were facing. Correct and timely delivery and spacing of words He used variation in his voice to make it more effective. He paid attention to all the minute details related to his speech to ensure nothing left unanswered His facial expressions were clearly representing what he was actually trying to communicate. Tone and pitch of voice was continuously changing depending upon the words and the nature of messages he was delivering. He was well aware of all the facts and his beliefs and he translated his vision into his speech. The best part of the speech is that it remained positive till the end. He related himself to his people by showing that he belongs to them and the people have selected him as their voice. The language and words being used in the speech were portraying a picture of exact situation being discussed. He was very passionate about the topic and had perfect command on it because of his interest in the issue being discussed. Repetition of few sentences to emphasize their significance. It was clear from the texture of his speech that he was credible. The speech was convincing in a manner that it contained facts and Bhuttos personal experiences Movements and gestures were exactly according to the tone of his speech The closing was effective and left an impression that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is always there for his people He appealed to the core values and moral beliefs of his people because he was well aware of their sufferings. He convinced them that the solution which he presented will work out for the problems he underlined in the beginning of his speech.

One of the most important things was the wonderful and challenging conclusion of the speech. The way he challenged the Security Council represented his firm attitude towards his beliefs. Moreover an emotional factor had also been observed. He did not talk about himself but for his country which directly provoked listeners emotions and grabbed their attention.

I HAVE A DREAM - MARTIN LUTHER KING

Martin Luther Kings Speech effectively uses all kinds of appeals in various ways to gain the favor and grasp the attention of the audience. Martin Luther Kings main point was to bring together the people to fight peacefully for the freedom of blacks. His words proved to be a yardstick for understanding the social and political commotion of the time. His speech gave the nation a vocabulary to express what was happening. The key message in the speech is that all people are equal without any discrimination. The prominent features that added to the effectiveness are as follows: King argued passionately and powerfully. Kings unassailable and commanding voice inspired thousands. His intonation, pitch of the voice and his pacing bring real passion to the speech. The intensity of the speech is built through bold statements, upfront communication and repetition. He made the audience feel he was with them not against them. Repetition is reinforced by Martin Luther Kings ever rising passion. He was well prepared for the speech and he gave attention to all the details furthermore he put himself in the audience shoes because he was well aware of their sufferings and ailments. His speech appealed to the moral believes of the audience and was emotionally provocative. His speech had an emotionally provocative introduction, a well explained body and a solution orientated conclusion that was freedom. The speech remains positive to the end, despite the index of suffering it describes that is what actually inspires, no negative words, no pessimism. The credibility in this speech is adequate since Martin is himself a black fighting against racial injustice. To give the audience vibrant images of what he wanted to deliver, he used similes, metaphors and examples that relates the racial situation in the country in the past and present to the situation in the future hence adding to the essence of effectiveness. He showed his quest to fix racial prejudice throughout his entire speech that added more to his credibility. Kings character is the most used and the most effective appeal in his entire speech because of his command and credibility on the subject. Furthermore he personalizes his argument multiple times to reflect his credibility. His target audience is a wider variety of people not only attaining to blacks but to also to whites so his appeals were required to vary. His speech was so affective because he related it to all different types of people. Not just to Hispanics.

He also made it come from the heart and it really touched people and made them want to change their ways. The vision he described was personal, focused, clear and beautiful. Kings speech was well researched. He supported his arguments with evidences. He knew what he wanted and his words reflected that very clearly. Continuous use of gestures, postures and proper body language during the entire speech. The format of the speech is simple yet very effective. The conclusion was meaningful and it guided the listeners to the intended destination.

He ended the speech with the same words that later graced his headstone Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I am free at last! King's speech actually fulfils the purpose it was meant for, i.e., to speak against racial discrimination. In conclusion, this speech makes an excellent example of a great speech. It inspired the Black Civil Rights Movement by arousing the problem of racism in America. Martin Luther King directed his speech towards the black and white audience in a friendly tone.