Jimmy Valvano's 1993 ESPY Speech

When I think of public speaking, one of the most effective examples that comes to mind is Jimmy Valvano's 1993 ESPY speech. Valvano was a famous basketball coach for North Carolina State who was diagnosed with cancer before giving this speech and founding the V Foundation for Cancer Research. This speech is very effective and moving because Valvano is unsure of how much time he has left, but is determined to enjoy every last minute of it. He also states that the motto of his foundation is "Don't give up, don't ever give up." It is easy to see how effective Valvano's speech is by noticing the audience's reactions. They laugh, smile, and applaud for him at several points throughout the video. In my opinion, Valvano's ESPY speech is one of the most effective that I have come across so far. Click on the link below to watch the video thanks to YouTube.

Jimmy Valvano's ESPY Speech

What is Public Speaking?

What comes to my mind when I hear the phrase “public speaking?” Public speaking is a way to inform an audience of your thoughts, ideas and experiences. A speech that readily comes to mind when I think of public speaking is a motivational speech I heard by Randy Pausch, who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy Pausch intended the speech only for his University in 2007; however, once it hit YouTube his voice became an Internet sensation. The reason Randy Pausch’s speech became so popular was the structure of his presentation. He followed all of the criteria of effective communication, using the elements of ethos, pathos and logos. His motivation and enthusiasm touched me. Randy Pausch was not a celebrity, but his speech drew attention as if he were one. This is because he kept in mind both his responsibility to his listeners and to himself as a speaker by conveying the facts and staying true to himself. Randy Pausch’s speech sets a great example as to how one should go about presenting a public speech. Check out the speech below courtesy of YouTube.

The Last Lecture

As Commencement Commences...

The term “public speaking,” to me, is seen as addressing either a small or large group of people; a way of reaching out to the targeted audience and convey a message. At commencement this year, our class president had to give a speech addressing both the graduating class and the audience. The speech mostly consisted of farewells and “we’ve made it this far”s, but there he made some key points that really drove the speech home for each one of us. He reiterated what he told the class when he was running for class president in 8^th grade; “We are just a bunch of building blocks. Without each other, we can’t build anything. But with each other we can build anything.” He was really reaching out to the class through the emotional connection we all had with each other, because he knew that would mean more to us and leave more of a lasting impression than a random quote he could find online.

However, this speech also had to make sense to the parents, friends, etc. that were listening. He knew exactly how to engage both the graduates as well as the rest of the audience. He is a very personable person, so he has a great natural speaking ability and rarely looks nervous speaking in front of a crowd. I don’t know how he does it.

Motivation to Cheer

The most familiar type of public speaking that comes to mind would be a motivational speech. Motivational speeches first come to mind since I have spent many years on different sports teams, acting as a speaker and an audience. Personally, an example of this would be before my cheerleading team performs at a competition. Over the years, my team has become a family and we have certain traditions that we do every time before we perform. At the end of our traditions, we all circle up with the seniors in the center and our captains and seniors always give the team a motivational speech. This is an example of public speaking because there is one of a few people speaking in front of a group of people, trying to get a message across and persuade them. The speakers, the captains and seniors, are all trying to convince the audience, the rest of the team, that we are going to hit everything and that we can win. The audience is also in agreement for the majority, but some of them may question what is being said. The tone of the speech is always loud and is used to pump the team up and get us ready to perform. Although nerves may be taking over, getting pumped up will help put them aside.

Personal Speeches

When I think of public speaking, my first instinct is to think of very professional setting such as the presidential address or a political debate on T.V. I think that the automatic response that I have to public speaking is very similar to what the majority of people would think. However, after thinking more deeply about all the different kinds of situations that public speaking can apply, I think speeches where the speaker and the audience have a strong emotional connection are the most motivational and effective. For example, I played on my girls golf team in high school and we got the chance to play in the state tournament my sophomore year. My coach was very personal and positive when she was speaking towards us before our first hole and that really strong emotional tone was evident. It was that tone that really sparked some life into me before the state tournament. My coach talked about what a great opportunity just being here was, and how to just do our best and play in the present. Because I could relate to everything that my coach was talking about, I think that was why it was one of the most effective speeches I have been presented with. Looking back, I realize now that my coach was using an emotional attachment to give an effective public speech. It was definitely a more informal speech, given without any nerves or anxiety. I think it is this reason that my coach's speech was much more different than the average definition of speech. When I think of someone giving a speech I think of their face turning red, voice quivering, and palms shaking. But because my coach's speech was more informal and personal (and given to an audience that she was very comfortable with), there was none of this anxiety that comes with more professional and serious speeches. 

Farewell Speech

Public speaking is feared by most, but those who master it can use it to spread an idea that is difficult to explain in any other way. On July 4th, 1939, Lou Gehrig, one of baseballs legends and most respected players, had to reveal to his fans and country that he could no longer continue to play baseball because he had been stricken with a disease called ALS that would soon lead to his certain demise. Although it was a brief speech, Gehrig was able to capture the attention and hearts of every fan in attendance, and humbly honored those who had impacted him over the years. The emotion and sincerity of his farewell rendered him speechless at times, and he proceeds to tear up during the speech. I could not think of a better example of summarizing a lifetime of achievement in such a dignified and humble manner. Largely because of this speech, Lou Gehrig is one of a few people I would love to have known personally in my lifetime. Many can learn from his bravery, and use his farewell as a way to prove that public speaking is not the worst thing ever and that you could be forced to address a crowd for a much worse situation than they find themselves having to speak about.

http://multimedia.foxsports.com/m/video/24272368/gehrig-s-farewell.htm

A link to the video of his speech.

Boys of Fall

Public speaking is usually thought of as typically one speaker and a crowd listening. It's also usually viewed as a formal event for such things as presidential elections. This is probably what most people first think of when they think of the phrase public speaking. However, playing various sports throughout my life, the first speeches that come to my mind are the ones spoken by past coaches and team captains. One speech that I listened to before each football game is the "Boys of Fall" speech given by Sean Payton in Kenny Chesney's song. Pregame speeches try to get you pumped and ready to go by yelling and even talking bad on opposing teams. This speech shows that that is not needed. It is short and sweet but it does a great job making you enjoy every moment you get on the field. It makes you realize how limited the opportunities you get are and it just lets you live in the moment. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest motivational speeches of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXDo5WhQXI&NR=1
(only first two minutes is the speech)