Speech Critiques
Death Penalty
In this particular speech, the presenter was articulate and provided a clear thesis statement before supporting the discussion will clear content and statistics. The thesis statement was reinforced on the need to abolish death penalty. A one sided speech was provided as the presenter was addressing an audience who would only acknowledge major and clear points during the speech delivery session. The presenter was bold enough in her discussion because she touched on both sides of the topic before narrowing down to a specific side. The speech was delivered at an appropriate situation because the country had experienced the problem in the recent past. According to the presenter, death penalty is a hot topic that needs to be discussed so that stakeholders can agree on abolishing it. The presented delivered a speech full of background information and statistic to help the audience understand the perspective of the topic. In speech delivery, presenters often captivate and attract the attention of the audience by convincing them with shocking statistics and data. It is important to emphasize on the magnitude of the topic under discussion. For this case, the presenter managed to articulate three main points on the expenses, risks and the ineffectiveness associated with death penalty in the justice system. As a matter of fact, in persuasive speeches, presenters must always persuade the audience to think on a dimension they are supporting. To do this, presenters must convince the audience with concrete reasons to support their point of view. All in all, the impression of the presenter was excellent considering that he was audible enough and often maintained eye content with the audience to keep the discussion going forward. In my view, the speaker deserved an A grade because she eloquently delivered the content and made use of excellent communication skills to reach the audience with the message.
Napping
The second presentation was based on why people should always take a nap. The speech seemed to have been delivered at the right occasion. A spot check on the audience revealed that they were overly tired during the speech and needed some time to take a nap and rejuvenate. Just like the first presenter, the thesis statement was clear and the speaker was able to attract attention of the audience. The thesis was considerably supported by clear data and statistics to give credibility to the presentation. Specifically, the speaker was addressing the importance of taking naps. He elaborated that taking naps in between breaks and schedules was instrumental in reducing anxiety, increased productivity and improved judgment. The speech delivered was an open one though the speaker controlled the entire session without getting responses from the audience. In other words, the presentation did not engage the audience in one or the other. However, the presenter lacked energy to control the speech because a section of the audience could be seen with frowned faces. However, what I liked about the presentation was the emphasis he consistently gave in the presentation. Any person could take away the phrase “a third of an hour of nap would leave a person empowered”. He used this phrase to keep the presentation in focus and emphasize on key areas of the presentation. Generally, the impression was fairly good considering the emphasis he gave and the background information that supported the support. Fundamentally, he was able to convince the audience using notable persons such as Winston Churchill as real life examples of people of used to take a nap. I would award the presenter a B credit because despite doing well he failed to captivate the audience.
Bullying
The last presentation was anchored on tenets of bullying in regards to why people are bullied, how it affects them and how the problem can be solved. In my view, the presentation was given at an appropriate occasion and the presenter was well suited for the task. As one of the group of people facing discrimination and bullying as a result of their skin color, the presenter was able to bring the discussion to a perspective that is understandable. However, the presenter was overly failed by the audience who appeared not motivated. To me, they looked like the real bullies, one that the presenter was addressing. The thesis was well supported by tangible evidence and data at the start of presentation. The presenter was passionate in his presentations and articulately brought out the main points to support the thesis statement. The speech was persuasive since the presenter wanted the audience to view the issues in his own perspective, and providing emphasis on the problem at hand. The general impression of the speaker was good, he was jovial and friendly something that made the speech appear so easy. He was comfortable with the topic and thus did not experience difficulties in trying to navigate through the speech. His communication skills were excellent. His conclusion was succinct and aligned to the thesis on what people could do to help eliminate or reduce bullying in society. In my view, the presenter deserves an A grade because he was able to tie the entire speech to the main problem of the discussion.