Reflection

The first post that I completed for the class blog was about Jimmy Valvano's 1993 ESPY speech. While I still find this speech to be a great example of public speaking, my understanding of this subject has changed very much. The speaker here does an excellent job and is very motivational and influential. However, his speech purpose is different from the many examples I have listened to and evaluated since the start of class. In Jimmy's speech, he talks a little about his own life and inspires people to change the way that they live theirs. Although this is an effective speech, I have learned in class that not all good examples of public speaking need to be as formal or professional as this one. Also, according to the textbook, most motivational speeches include a call to action which is not the case in Jimmy's speech.

A different example that I consider to be more relevant to the concepts taught in CAS 100A is Al Pacino's speech in the movie "Any Given Sunday." In this motivational speech, the coach does an excellent job at inspiring his football team to beat the odds and come out on top at the end of the game. The call to action is for the players to work together and play as a team so that they can go that extra mile that they need to in order to win. The coach also establishes his ethos, or character, very effectively when he explains the negative consequences he suffered when he made poor decisions in his life. In doing this, he is able to inspire his players to follow their dreams of winning the game.