The Value of Other Aspects of Communication (Essay Sample)

Go to YouTube, Ted Talks or similar website and find a formal – non-fiction speech on a subject you’re interested in: it could be a political video, a social issue speech or something equivalent. It should contain only one person, speaking in English, and run for about 2 – 5 minutes. Don’t choose someone because he or she is well-known so you think it’ll be easy. Actually think about subjects you might be interested in. Watch the video several times, once is never enough to be truly critical. Think about all you’ve learned so far: perception, language, cultural implications, and nonverbal communication. Mention the person’s artifacts, body language, tone of voice, overall message, credibility, and any other relevant details. Don’t just critique the message – critique the speaker. Incorporate all these things into a 2 page essay – roughly 500 words. As always, your essay should include an introduction, body and conclusion and your Works Cited page should include the reference to where you found the video. Don’t do research on the person or the speech itself, use your own knowledge – apply what you’ve learned. Did you like the video, presenter, message? Was his/her speech effective? Did you believe what was said and who said it? Think about credibility, authority, appearance.