Kevins Speech at Whitney Houstons Funeral - Case Study Example

Kevin’s Speech at Whitney Houston’s funeral In an event one is involved in public speaking, the major concern would be how to gauge the mood of the audience and present a speech that keeps in mind the targeted audience. The theme of the speech is driven by the current situation. Emotions may be a predicament in producing a quality speech. The manner in which a person interacts with the audience will define the effectiveness of the speech. The essay will focus on Kevin’s eulogy at Whitney Houston’s funeral. The connection between the two was evident in the speech. The analysis will focus on key points made by Kevin and the manner in which he connected with the audience. The social environment requires an ethical presentation given the mood portrayed at funeral and it is up to the speaker to gauge the mood and present a speech based on the emotions and mood of the audiences. Emotions took part of Kevin’s speech. This was evident at the beginning of his eulogy. He connected the past and the present in a more emotional manner. The connection reignited the fun moments the two had and the audience responded with silence as a means of showing their grief towards Kevin and Houston’s family. The connection portrayed a previous happy life and future loneliness. The two contrast as in the manner in which they are kept in the contest. The opening statement was attest of Kevin understanding of the current audience. There was need to draw attention to the audience which was grieving. The first part of his speech was full of praises and concentrate on the achieving net the two had shared during the singer’s life. The two were close to each other given the tone Kevin used to describe Houston (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). Life achievement can well be described by the level of achievement and it was evident from the speech that Houston had achieved more during her life on earth. Kevin thanks selected members of the audience and appreciate the manner in which the family has been supportive. In this sense, he shows gratitude to those in attended and the entire entertainment industry. The salutation are meant to connect the Houston family and acknowledge the moment of grief. The speaker is able to acknowledge family members and is selective in his words. He chooses words that would condole with the family and at the same time highlight the need to appreciate the contribution of Houston to the entertainment industry and to Kevin as a person. The situation are significant as it present the etiquette required while presenting a public speech. Although Kevin selectively acknowledges selected members of the audience, he chooses Cissy and Dionne to represent both the biological family and the entertainment industry (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). The speaker expresses personal emotions during the eulogy. In the opening statement, he shows support to the family and goes ahead to mention their childhood life. In this life, he expresses the closeness of the singer. In this case, the speaker is showing his relevancy in delivering the speech and picking the audience. In a story, he describes how they attended church together and how his grandmother and Whitney were leaders in the church chore. This shows the childhood connection and how deeply he was hurt after the death of Houston. It is important for a speaker to identify himself among the audience. The familiarization process in most cases is done through introduction. Kevin in this case takes a different approach. He uses flashback as a way of identification. This implies that he expresses himself thought the history he shared with Whitney. The process is effective as the audience are able to identify the point at which the two met and their nature of relation (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). The speaker uses flashback to express the characters of the deceased. In this case, he introduces element that describes Houston as patient and that she had transformed over the years. The introduction of the church element describes Houston’s early life. In his speech, it was evident that the church had influenced his career. On the other hand, he describes Houston as listen given the make incident he narrated. The uses the bodyguard movie to describe his personality and Houston personal attributes. The comparison between the speaker and the deceased is evident when he describes how important Houston was in making of the movie “bodyguard”. The movie described the connection between Houston and the church with her previous involvement in church activities being acknowledged (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). The speaker uses the church symbolically. He uses it to describe the humble and peaceful life of Houston. The humble life represents the ideal character of the deceased. Kevin uses the church to indicate a family-like relation they shared between their family is attest of how important the two towards their stay on earth. Kevin uses his grandmother to represent a generational change that was formed based on love and tolerance. The speaker is clear on how the two knew each other. The speaker then shift from introduction to life achievements. The speaker was able to connect to family member with his flashbacks and forecast. In this, he indicates the transformational nature of Houston. Kevin also indicates how the transformational stages shaped her personality. The analysis at this point is based on relation and Houston early life. Before fame, she is seen as an active member of the church but upon her fame, she is described as busy and expresses new traits (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). The speaker highlights on cross-cultural aspects. This is evident in his speech when he highlights on how he was able to work with Whitney in a movie. The movie piece was successful given the collaborative nature of the artist. The speaker asks the audience to emulate the singer’s policy. The success of current collaborations are based on cultural approaches. The speaker uses Houston to express how important cultural tolerance in the entertainment world. The manner in which people collaborate is attest of how the world is changing. The speaker being a director highlights the importance of tolerance and how different aspects of life could be combined to ensure maximum benefit. The cultural aspects are used symbolically to express how the current events are based on tolerance. The cultural differences are seen as an opportunity rather than a predicament (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). The speaker however is selective in describing negative attributes. This is evident when he narrates a make-up incident where he advised Whitney to use specific make-up but she declined. The speaker to indicate the tuff stands taken by Houston on important issues in her life uses the make-up incident. In this case, the speaker is referring to the wrong choices made by the singer during her life on earth. The make-up is used symbolically to express wrong choices made during her celebrity life. The speakers contrast this incident with Whitney’s life as a chore leader to define how choices some time may be consequential. The two contrasting points are aimed at defined the two lives of Whitney and the speaker presents them ethically without triggering emotions. The sad moods at the funeral required a sense of respect and etiquette while presenting his points (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). The speaker is able to connect Whitney’s past and present life while maintaining the mood of the crowd. The speaker is sensitive to his point and poetically describes the long life achievements of Whitney. As a close friend and fellow actor, he dwells on the positive sides of the deceased. This describes his ethical nature of presentation. The speech kept in mind the diverse nature of the audience. His style is based on storytelling and figurative language to shift between negatives and positive. The speaker is able to maintain the calm expressed by the audience. The audience applauds Kelvin’s positive attributes towards Whitney. The reception indication that the speaker was well received by the audience. The nature of speech was attest of what the audience anticipates. The failure to deliver would lead to negative reception. In Kelvin’s case, he is able to connect with the audience and at the sometime, share his grief with the family. The speaker encourages the family by highlighting on the importance of Whitney in his life (On Demand Entertainment, 2012). In conclusion, it is evident that the speaker was able to gauge the mood to the audience and presented a speech based on the emotions and mood of the audiences. Kevin acknowledges the attendees and ethically presents his speech on grounds family members where in attendant. The speaker is able to highlight the turning points by the speaker. In an event of grief, the speaker is expected to address the audience in a clear and ethical manner. This would prevent negative reaction from the crowd. Kevin is able to accomplish this task, as he is able to describe the contributions of the deceased towards the entertainment industry. The speaker manages to develop a relation with the audience and hence ensuring every person was attentive. His poetic presentation was attest of diversity while addressing the public. The speaker is able to change the sad mood engulfing the audience and create a happy mood. This was evident when the crowd applauded to acknowledge the speech. Work cited On Demand Entertainment. " Kevin Costners emotional speech in full at Whitney Houstons funeral." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 18 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. Read More