Speech Analysis Rabbi Besser - Essay Example

Speech Analysis Rabbi Besser Throughout our lives there are many times when we are required to make a public speech. Using words effectively to make a point, or to influence people, is an art in itself. Even though, according to Thomas Mann, “Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word, preserves contact. It is silence that isolates.1” however, for effective public speaking one requires more than mere words. Not only is the choice of words important in a public speech, but the way in which they are spoken is a factor that weighs in to the whole effect of the speech as well. What is even more, the speaker, namely his/her overall appearance and gesticulation, is also a factor in this equation. These three factors are perhaps the most important in effective public speaking. The purpose of this essay is for me to analyze a speech that I have heard, in terms of the above three factors, more specifically with regard to the guidelines of the Out-of Class Delivery Form that I was given. I have chosen the speech of Rabbi Besser to analyze in this regard. Rabbi Besser is the Rabbi at my synagogue, and he was speaking at our weekly Saturday evening Havdulah. Starting from his physical appearance, Rabbi Besser looked very presentable in his dark suit and nicely polished shoes. The importance of personal dressing and grooming in public speaking is asserted by most writers of the topic. Rozakis states that not only the dressing of the speaker but his cleanliness is also very important (310 & 312). Condrill and Bough do not mention personal cleanliness separately, however, they do stress that the speaker should dress appropriately for the occasion (74). In this regard, Rabbi Besser was very well prepared for the speech, not only was he dressed well to suit the occasion, as I mentioned earlier, but he maintained good personal cleanliness that was quite apparent. Once Rabbi Besser started his speech, he started walking around the podium. I feel, that this took away from his speech as he moved around too much, causing the audience to be distracted by his movements. Though moving around can be a good method for holding the audience’s attention, however, I felt that the Rabbi used it excessively, causing distraction. Moreover, the use of hand gestures by the Rabbi was excessive too. Gesticulation is a good tool in making a point in a speech; it sometimes helps elaborate what the speaker is trying to say. Additionally, gesticulation can also help the speaker in remembering certain key points of the speech. Rozakis’ “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Public Speaking” points out the importance of using various gestures (303) while making a speech, but the book also stresses the importance of knowing when not to use such gestures (305). In that respect, I believe, Rabbi Besser needed to tone down his gesticulation as, instead of adding to the speech, it took away from it by distracting the audience. The Rabbi, however, did establish and maintain eye contact with his audience, albeit he did not maintain it much with those sitting towards his right. Eye contact is an essential part of public speaking, it makes the audience feel as if the speaker is directly speaking to them individually, making them feel included; Rozakis also stresses it (301). Rabbi Besser, thus, ensured that the audience was more receptive to his speech; although his excessive gesticulation and movement distracted the audience, however, with eye contact he did manage to win back the attention of the audience, though it would have been more effective if he had maintained it with all the audience, and not just those on his left. Rabbi Besser spoke loudly throughout his speech, so that all could hear him clearly and understand him. He did have a tendency to get too loud, however, that can be attributed to the fact that sometimes the speakers are not fully functional and he needs to augment that by being loud. His loud voice held my attention. His overall pitch was good, and he used a little bit of variation, sometimes speaking loudly and sometimes taking it down a few notches. As mentioned before, sometimes he got too loud; however, he never got so low in his pitch to make it hard or impossible for the audience to hear him. Nonetheless, there was not much vocal variety in his speech – he just used two pitch varieties throughout his speech, but since he used them expertly, he did not give the impression of droning on to the audience, and the audience did remain captivated. His pronunciation, both of English and Hebrew, was proper and flawless. He narrated the texts of the Torah in Hebrew, then paused, and then gave the translation, pausing again to make it easier for us to comprehend and take in what he was telling us. This enabled me to soak in what he was saying without having the feeling of being rushed through the texts that he was quoting. Additionally, the pauses enabled me to actually have the time to think about what he had just said as well. Rabbi Besser was very articulate – both eloquent and coherent – in his speech and he made sure that his speech was understood by all those who were present in the synagogue that evening. He spoke slowly and surely, though towards the end he had to speak fast, as he was running out of time. This brings me to the “time management” factor of public speaking. In public speaking, normally, the speaker is allotted a certain time in which to make his speech, that is why it is very important for the speaker to have managed his time appropriately so that he never runs out of time or finishes before his allotted time. Coming to what he spoke in the speech, Rabbi Besser was not only giving his weekly lecture, but since Passover is near, he also advised us on how it is important for us never to forget our history, and remember that we were slaves so that it instills a sense of humility in us. The Rabbi told us then that in today’s world we were slaves to our jobs, and we needed to remember, especially on Passover, that Judaism is, and should be, our first priority, because God comes first and our jobs come only second. The Rabbi used historical examples to remind us the importance of Passover and to remember that our actions were for God alone, and not for our neighbors or peers to see and judge, therefore, we should not consider anyone more important than God. Additionally, he told us to remember this when we made our Passover offerings. Rozakis has also stressed the importance of using examples and comparisons and contrasts in a speech (159). This was very effectively achieved by the Rabbi and it helped in adding to the effectiveness of the speech as it clarified some things for me. The Rabbi is a very jovial man. He often uses jokes and puns to get his point across. However, his puns and jokes are never intended to hurt or mock others, but merely to drive his point home. He normally uses himself as the butt of the joke, and does so in a very non-offensive way. For instance, once when talking about in-laws during his speech, he joked about how Adam and Eve had it good and that they were lucky because they had no in-laws. His jokes always relieve tension and lighten the mood of the audience. As his speeches normally have to be about serious matters, therefore, when he uses jokes, which is quite a lot, it has a very good effect on the overall receptiveness of the audience towards his message. Moreover, since the Rabbi uses himself as the subject of the joke, it does not offend anyone, and actually makes the audience more introspective. Various public speaking books and articles stress the importance of using humor to drive one’s point across. Orman states that “Telling humorous stories about yourself, or using your own personal failings to demonstrate some point you are trying to make, can be both entertaining and illuminating.” (How to Conquer Public Speaking Fear). However, as Rozakis points out, the jokes should not be in bad humor, and they should not hurt anyone in the audience (175 & 179). If the humor is offensive or if the joke is made on anyone else’s expense, then a public speaker will have a very negative response from the audience. Therefore, it is necessary to have a good sense of humor and a good sense of judgment as well, especially when it comes to deciding what constitutes a good joke. I have always noticed that even though the Rabbi gives sermons, he never gets too “preachy” or “holier-than-thou” in his speeches. He has always maintained humility and has a very self-inclusive method when giving advice. For instance, he never says “you should change your ways”, or “you need to change your ways”, rather he always comments on how all of us have faults in us which “we need to change in us”. Thus, by including himself in the audience he engenders a sense of belonging, as such, with the audience, thereby ensuring that the audience does not feel alienated from him. This helps him in getting his point across, and helps the audience in listening to what he has to say. As Condrill and Bough state, condescending and abrasive behavior, as well as hurtful words, takes away from the effectiveness of the speech, and enable the speaker to appear crass and rude (95 & 96). Therefore, there is much need for the speaker to avoid such practices. Rabbi Besser never makes his audience feel that he has talking “at” them or preaching “at” them; he carefully chooses his words and expressions for it to appear as if he is having a personal discussion with us. Again, this increases the receptive factor of the audience and they are more willing to listen to his speech as well as to act upon it. Since the Rabbi has to make persuasive speech, it is very necessary for him to ensure that he does not alienate his audience and uses techniques that enable the audience to be as receptive as possible to act upon his advice. Overall, the speech delivered by Rabbi Besser was really good, not just in its content but in the way he conducted it as well. As mentioned before, though some of his methods detracted from the speech, but on the whole, the techniques he used for the speech were effective and efficient. The speech was well-organized and the words, well thought out. The Rabbi needs to work on his excessive gesticulation as well as his time management to a certain degree, otherwise, he effectively knows all of the public speaking techniques. After listening to the speech by Rabbi Besser and sitting through it with the purpose of analyzing it, I noticed that when speaking I do not pause enough. When making a point I maintain the speed that I had before. I need to pause after making a point so that the audience gets the time and the opportunity to feel the impact thereof. Without pausing, I cannot expect the audience to guess that a main point has been made, or even for them to understand and grasp it completely. That is one speaking technique of the Rabbi that I need to emulate. Moreover, I also need to work on my speed. I believe, especially after listening and analyzing the Rabbi’s speech, that I speak too fast. I need to control this. I noticed that when, at the end, the Rabbi spoke too fast, it detracted from the speech, and the audience became flustered and quite unable to follow Rabbi Besser. This made me realize that my own fast speech may have, or may already be having, a similar effect on the audience. Therefore, I have decided that when the time comes next for me to speak publicly, I will ensure that I do not speak fast, rather I would speak slowly and articulately so that my audience can understand what I am saying. Additionally, I do not want to cause unease in my audience by speaking too fast, something, as stated above, was very apparent in the audience during the last part of Rabbi Besser’s speech. There are many aspects to public speaking and there are various factors that can make a speech great or banal, sometimes we can use a myriad of techniques, yet still fail in holding the audience captive. Perhaps the best way is to use only some techniques and make a few points in one speech and do not try to make our speech all inclusive. The best technique, as per the various books I have read on the topic, is to make the speech simple and not to use so many techniques that the audience comes out feeling confused. I feel that with the help of controlling the speed and pauses of my speech, I will be able to become a better and more effective public speaker. Works Cited Condrill, Jo, and Bough, Bennie. 101 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills Instantly. Palmdale, CA: GoalMinds, 1999. Print. O’Neal, Katherine Pebley. Public Speaking: A Student Guide to Writing and Delivering a Great Speech. San Luis Obispo, CA: Dandy Lion Publications, 2002. Print. Orman, Morton C. “How to Conquer Public Speaking Fear.” No-nonsense Stress Cures That Really Work. Stresscure.com, n.d. Web. 22 March 2010. Rozakis, Laurie. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Public Speaking. 2nd ed. USA: Alpha Books, 1999. Print. Read More