Public Speaking-Our Town

My first thought when Ithink of public speaking is an individual speaking to share a message. I picture a person in front of an audience speaking to appeal to their emotions. The most familiar example to me personally is theater. Whether it is a singular actor performing a monologe or a chorus speaking all together they are speaking in front of an audience to convey a message. My example is a monologue from the play Our Town by Thorton Wilder. I had the chance to be a part of this show during my high school experience but what I really love about it is the message. The central theme of Our Town is that most people do not truly appreciate life while they have it. This monologue is from the main character in the show, Emily. She is speaking from the perspective of a girl who has just died and just now understands how little she knew about life. She went back and relived one of her favorite days and realized now naive humans are about life. This is a good example of effective public speaking because it appeals so heavily to the audience's emotions. It is impossible not to be sucked in to the character's emotional recall of such a sad realization. This example also challenges commonly held assumptions about public speaking because the actress is not speaking as herself; she has become someone else. This monologue is a great example of public speaking because it teaches a valuable lesson to an audience that came prepared to learn.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnPx22NLWe4&feature=related