Coach Jones' Resignation Speech

Coach Jones gives an inspirational speech in the movie Radio. He is the sender because he is the one delivering the message and getting the townspeople to think about and listen to what he has to say. He uses emotion to get his point across and uses a light tone so that the receivers can reflect, but at the same time take seriously what he has to say. The receivers are surprised and shocked at what he has to say, but Coach Jones expected this. We can tell this by his tone and slow deliverance of the message. By delivering it in a slow and easy manner and pausing at times, he is allowing the audience to take in what he has to say so that it’s not overwhelming. After all, he is resigning from his position as coach of the football team.
The context of his speech also contributes to the delivery of it. He picks a time when the townspeople are already gathered in a local, familiar setting. He picks the time and place for a reason. He knows that it’s going to be a surprise to them, so he wants them to be comfortable, and not in a position to argue or riot. Same thing for the time; he knows that he caught them at a time when they were already talking, anticipating that they would talk about it after he leaves, which would avoid riots or people getting out of hand. He also speaks in a positive way about Radio, which helps the receivers to rethink their judgment and criticism about Radio. The most significant element of the coach’s speech is his anticipation of the receivers. It is significant to the effectiveness of this speech because if he hadn’t anticipated their reactions, things most likely would have gotten out of hand and there would be a lot of disagreements. This would probably have happened because, as their surprised reactions showed, they didn’t agree with the coach’s resignation. Especially in this case, since it was over an opinionated matter, seeing that Radio is mentally handicapped. In general, though, anticipation of the audience’s reaction is important because if you address their reactions, the audience might rethink their views.