Randy Pausch, Speaking Skills
Randy Pausch; Speaking Strengths
By Amanda Apatow
Communications
Paper #2
February 28th 2012
When faced with the knowledge that you are about to do something you love for the last time, how would you react? When Randy Pausch, a virtual design professor at the University of Carnegie Mellon was given the diagnosis of liver cancer with only a few months to live, he knew that everything he did would be the last time he did it. Randy chose his last lecture to be an inspiring tribute to his life and the people who made it everything he wanted it to be. His incredible speech is delivered so full of life, that it is hard to imagine that he is practically walking to his deathbed. So besides his predicament, what made Pausch’s speech so moving? His passion for the topic gave him life onstage, the intricate design of the speech intertwined his ideas kept the audience captive while his usage of jokes connected him with the audience. Public speaking was obviously a strength for Pausch and by studying his techniques, we improve on our own communication in all aspects of the verb.
We start by analyzing his passion for the topic; childhood dreams. As a child, Randy had things in his life he wanted to accomplish. While not everything on his list was done by the book, he still found worth in everything he gained from the pursuit. This was something that Pausch cared deeply about. His body language and tone was just as powerful as his words. When Randy was speaking, his voice reflected the way he felt about his topic. When he intended on being sincere, his voice slowed and lowered. The emphasis spearheads impactful words and phrases. When he made jokes, he would smile as he got to the punch line and there would be a sense of lightheartedness in his voice. Putting emotion into your appearance and sound gives your words strength. As a species, we put so much emphasis on these that it is more than half of a conversation.
Now to focus on his organization. The organization
By Amanda Apatow
Communications
Paper #2
February 28th 2012
When faced with the knowledge that you are about to do something you love for the last time, how would you react? When Randy Pausch, a virtual design professor at the University of Carnegie Mellon was given the diagnosis of liver cancer with only a few months to live, he knew that everything he did would be the last time he did it. Randy chose his last lecture to be an inspiring tribute to his life and the people who made it everything he wanted it to be. His incredible speech is delivered so full of life, that it is hard to imagine that he is practically walking to his deathbed. So besides his predicament, what made Pausch’s speech so moving? His passion for the topic gave him life onstage, the intricate design of the speech intertwined his ideas kept the audience captive while his usage of jokes connected him with the audience. Public speaking was obviously a strength for Pausch and by studying his techniques, we improve on our own communication in all aspects of the verb.
We start by analyzing his passion for the topic; childhood dreams. As a child, Randy had things in his life he wanted to accomplish. While not everything on his list was done by the book, he still found worth in everything he gained from the pursuit. This was something that Pausch cared deeply about. His body language and tone was just as powerful as his words. When Randy was speaking, his voice reflected the way he felt about his topic. When he intended on being sincere, his voice slowed and lowered. The emphasis spearheads impactful words and phrases. When he made jokes, he would smile as he got to the punch line and there would be a sense of lightheartedness in his voice. Putting emotion into your appearance and sound gives your words strength. As a species, we put so much emphasis on these that it is more than half of a conversation.
Now to focus on his organization. The organization