I'm sure almost everyone has heard of Chuck Norris and knows all about the "Chuck Norris Facts" that have come out. If you have not heard of them, Chuck Norris Facts and things such as "When Chuck Norris was born, the only person who cried was the doctor. Never slap Chuck Norris." These lists of facts helped Chuck gain widespread fame on the Internet. What some people may not know is that these facts were inspired by Conan O'Brien, who after NBC gained the rights to Walker, Texas Ranger, began doing a segment where he would pull a lever that played a random clip from the TV show. Doing this revitalized Chuck Norris and brought him to a whole new audience.
Video Of Conan with Walker Texas Ranger lever.
I had to tell you all of that to make sure you knew the background of what I'm going to talk about.
What engages me is comedy, if something can make me laugh then I am able to pay attention very easily. I think it also makes it easier to connect to the speaker, because if you can make people laugh and still talk about serious topics, then it can make it easier to get people to pay attention to what you say. Doing things this way does run the risk of people not taking you seriously, but it will still make them stop and think about what you were talking about, which in the long run is an accomplishment.
During his campaign to try and become the Republic Party Nominee, Mike Huckabee took advantage of the new found fame Chuck Norris had gained with a younger audience by making an ad with Chuck. In this ad Mike took the risk of creating a comical political ad, which could have backfired and made people not take him seriously. Luckily for him though, it helped get his name out to the masses, and he came close to winning the Republican Party nomination.
HuckChuckFacts video.
After seeing the video on YouTube, I became very interested in Mike Huckabee, and wanted to learn more about him. From the one minute video he had me interested in his campaign. After watching the video a couple of time I decided to go to his website and see what all he stood for. This was the first time I had ever looked into a politician like this, and was also the first Presidential election i was voting in, so i figured I'd find out about the candidates. After reading his website, I discovered that I agreed on most issues with Mike, and decided that I would vote for him.
I doubt I would have looked into him or any of the other candidates if I wouldn't have seen the video on YouTube. It was something that instantly appealed to me because it made me laugh. I had never seen a political ad before that I found funny, most of them just annoy me and I can't wait for the election to be over so I won't have to see them anymore.
An important lesson that I can take from this for my oral presentation is to try and make people laugh in the beginning of our presentation. This will help to grab every ones attention and help us relax and probably make our presentation go smoother because we won't be as nervous. This works out for our group because we are taking a more comical approach to get our point across.
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ReplyDeleteI definitely agree Burns, that comedy is an influential factor. I also believe that appealing to emotions in general can enhance the speaker’s arguments. As the presentation of our research projects approaches, I am growing more and more distressed. I know it is a rather relaxed and simple presentation, but sometimes I find it very difficult to pitch arguments or ideas to others, weary of any negative reactions I may receive. I truly admire those with the ability to stand up, give an appealing presentation, and successfully convince others of every word they have just said, and I especially envy those who can provoke engagement through either deep emotions or laughter. I find myself yearning for this power because in the past I have heard such powerful speeches that have made me feel as if I need to leave at that very instant and do exactly what they are preaching to me because it is of such importance or makes me laugh so that I will not be able to lose focus on what they are presenting. What a wonder it would be to engage my audience using these techniques, as I know these techniques have successfully engaged me. Much of my presentation weariness comes from the thought of not being able to grasp the attention of my audience as I feel that it is very important for any rhetorician.
ReplyDeleteI will never forget the day I heard Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech on audio. The hair-raising effect that successfully chilled me despite the blue sweatshirt that I was wearing. I remember that I was unable to take my ears out of focus or hear any of the other youth in the classroom that were not paying the speech the same amount of attention I was. He discusses many of his people’s trials and tribulations as they face segregation and discrimination. He even thanks those white men who have already showed them the respect that they deserve. He makes you realize that despite how poorly things may be going for his people that he still has a dream of putting a stop to this and wants to infuse it in as many people as possible. He serves to inspire others to believe and act to begin change, so that finally we can “let freedom ring.” As I listen to his passion, I cannot help but to be inspired by his words, hopes, and beliefs in the future. His optimism and bravery truly created a path to this freedom. So many people were drawn in, touched by, and influenced to finally initiate and believe in equality, successfully engaging many more people than just me.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s deep emotional appeals and aspirations are definitely engaging, but I also find that in appropriate situations, humor strikes me greatly. There is no one funnier than my boyfriend, yes, you can accuse me of being bias, which I may certainly be, but if you ask many of his friends or family members, you will definitely see that I am not the only one who is imbued with this impression. I bring him up because I recall numerous moments where I have observed him interacting and presenting arguments to his friends. I remember a time where he was presenting the argument to a group of friends that old-school “punk” music was more than just rebellious, grungy kids with mohawks screaming nonsense but was actually politically educated musicians speaking out about important governmental issues or about the need for environmental maintenance. With his mohawk standing up strong with super glue, he made his point without while cracking smiles on the faces of all of those he was trying to convince. All those who were listening kept constant eye contact, asked questions, and showed much engagement throughout his argument. Many walked away with a new impression of the musical genre and a desire to listen a bit more closely to the words of their lyrics, as I did myself. He did not approach the subject matter closed-mindedly and tell those that were in disbelief how wrong they were, but light-heartedly tried to educate them of the facts.
Both Martin Luther King Jr’s and my boyfriend’s approaches are both able to make successful appeals to me and I would assume to other audiences as well. In their own ways they served to grasp the attention of their audience and convince them of their arguments, provoking continued thought about the subject matter. Another important matter is that both portrayed themselves as someone who was open-minded and not there to tell you what needs to be thought and done, that they just have their own beliefs and want you to listen them, in hopes that they can convincing. I feel this is important as many do not like being told what they are to believe and think, often resulting in negative reception of the argument. As I continue to prepare for my presentation, I will keep these approaches in mind in order to be an engaging rhetorician this upcoming Thursday.