Speech Analysis
Speech Analysis
Speech Analysis
Alexis Zeznanski
CIS 110-007
Due to the lack of gender equality in our time of day, a program called HeForShe, a
solidarity movement for gender equality. This program was launched to the United Nation (UN)
on September 20th, 2014. Emma Watson, actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, gave a
speech called Gender Equality is Your Issue Too at the United Nations Headquarters in New
York.
Watson gave her speech on gender equality to the UN, the press, and media. Since she
has popular past of being an actress, many social media sites posted her speech and the
HeForShe program. HeForShe program is a worldwide movement for men and women to have
equality from the UN Women. Many famous and powerful people are involved with this program
including President Obama, Matt Damon, and Prime Ministers and Presidents from various
countries worldwide. The program hopes to make a change in our society.
Watson performed her speech with passion and technical speech skills. She spoke with a
slow tempo, so the audience could absorb and understand the content. During her speech she
mentioned personal history, evidence, and memorable quotes. Watson's personal history gave the
audience a chance to connect with her past with our own. She gave facts on womens
opportunities, Hillary Clintons speech from 1995 and suicide rates for men in the UK. These
facts and statistics helps the audience receive the speech as factual and not opinionated. One
quote that was repeated to have a bigger impact was If not me, who? If not now, when?. This
quote is supposed to motivate the audience to help make a change not just in gender equality, but
with other problems and issues worldwide.
Although Watsons speech was very well executed, she had some flaws within her speech
including minimal eye contact and describing her nervousness and doubt in herself. While giving
the speech, Watson seemed to only make eye contact with the front row and in the middle of the
room. Towards the end of the speech, she said In my nervousness for this speech and in my
moments of doubt (Emma Watson UN Speech). Telling the audience about feeling nervous
can make it awkward and surprising, because she executed the speech well.
Unlike Emma Watson, many people do not know how to give a professional speech with
the right technical skills. My advice to these people would be to be passionate and
knowledgeable about the topic, practice reciting the speech to avoid reading notes, and to project
and take your time speaking. Giving a speech about a topic that you are passionate and know a
lot about can come easier and less reading of the paper and more memorization. Practicing a
speech can help prepare people to memorize the content and use less fillers like um and uh
when performing the speech. Tempo and volume of voice are two very important technical skills
while executing a speech. The audience has to be able understand, hear, and absorb the content
within the amount of time the speech is being delivered.
In conclusion, Emma Watson performed her speech with passion and excellent technical
skills with minor mistakes. Watson gives an excellent example of speaking professionally in
public setting. She also is a great role model for women and for change. To reiterate her quote If
not me, who? If not now, when? ("Emma Watson: Gender Equality Is Your Issue Too.").
Work Cited
Emma Watson UN Speech. Perf. Emma Watson. 2014. Youtube.
"Emma Watson: Gender Equality Is Your Issue Too." HeadQuarters. UN Women, 20 Sept. 2014.
Web. 09 Sept. 2015. <http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/9/emma-watsongender-equality-is-your-issue-too>.