First Impressions Count

Speechmakers understand the importance of using persuasive strategies to attract the attention of their listeners. Politicians especially, use communicative devices that are powerful enough to elicit interest from their audience. In his trial, Socrates understood the importance of using rhetorical appeal in his Apology speech, which over the years has been used by many public speakers when delivering speeches as well as in advertising. Communicators who understand the effects of ethos, pathos, and logos, also known as rhetoric devices, experience success in delivering speeches that are effective and well received, a good example is the "I have a Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King Jr.

Winston Churchill’s speech was very effective because he used all the devices of ethos, pathos and logos. The speech in the very beginning, Churchill begins talking about how he received from his majesty the agreement to form a new administrator. This part is not only to catch the eyes of the audience because of the majesty/ high power, but it also shows that he has moved to a position of higher status and power, which makes the people more interested in what Churchill has to say. Pathos was found very easily, in the ways on how he was motivating the audience at the near end of the speech, in quote he states “You ask, what is our aim? […] It is victory.” Winston Churchill emotionally became attached to the situation by stating that “I have

People need to have a certain type of voice to make a speech effective. To make a speech effective it depends on your tone of voice and how you deliver your speech. If you deliver your speech effectively, it could be memorable and even make a great impact on the world. An example of a speaker that made a great impact on the world is, Martin Luther King Jr, who delivered the famous I Have a Dream speech. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and he wanted to make a change in America. King wanted American’s to treat each other equally and not have discrimination against people depending on what race they were. King’s speech is effective because of the tone and rate he uses, his reasonable arguments, and his use of repetition

From the very start of his address, King George VI identifies his audience and his relationship with them, building a sense of trust and mutual duty. To call on their pathos - an appeal to emotion by distortion of factual evidence (Wright) -, King George also tries to establish a personal connection through unity for the upcoming war effort among his subjects. He calls for all citizens to act with their personal, physical, and emotional strength, showing his faith in the abilities of the British.  The address calls them to remember the last World War that they fought valiantly in by stating “or the second time in the lives of most of us we are at war.”  This also reiterates in the people’s minds that

How first impressions are formed has been a subject of interest by many researchers in the area of psychology.

An effective orator utilizes the rhetorical appeals of credibility, reason, and emotion to find common values among the audience. Furthermore, despite constructing a sufficient script of relatable vocabulary, a speaker ultimately must use a specific persona and delivery to better connect with the audience. For instance, in George W. Bush’s 9/11 speech, the transcript alone does not provide enough description to fully convey the true, tragic emotions of the occasion. While watching the video it is clear his posture, persona, and delivery reinforce the president’s ethos, pathos, and logos. Initially, Bush establishes his credibility and trust by incorporating first-person plural pronouns like, ‘we’ and ‘our.’ He relates to the audience by referring

Without the first impression people would not link what you wear to your personality, but because of this, people will do it unless they personally know you, or there is that rare person who knows not to judge a book by its cover and take what you wear for what you

“Think about this: Two people get dressed in the morning. One person throws on whatever clothes are available; the other takes the time to select an outfit and make sure it’s clean, pressed, and put together. WHo makes the better impression? The carefully dressed person is thought of as calmer, more powerful, smarter, and more thoughtful than the sloppy one. In an experiment to test perceptions and appearance, teaching assistants who wore formal clothes were perceived as more intelligent than those who dressed more casually. A Harvard study found that women who wore makeup were considered more competent and likable than their barefaced counterparts.”

Today, there are numerous researches that have been carried out in relation the influence of fashion on self-perception on different people. All these researchers are of the opinion that the way that an individual dresses has a major impact on his self-perception.

In the film “The King’s Speech”, written by David Seidler and released on November 26, 2010, the filmmaker portrays Albert being constantly under pressure for speaking correctly, by comparing his speech to great broadcasters who are anything but great leaders. The pressure that comes from Albert’s father, King George V, results in more frustration for the both of them, without either of them realising that to lead a country into greatness depends more on just speaking well. Throughout the film, there had been ideal speech models like Hitler, David, and King George V, shown in order to compare their speech to Albert’s and to show what a great speaker has to sound in order to gain the public’s support. Ironically, all of those speech perfect models turned out to be egocentric individuals and the least egotistical leader, Albert, is the one with the impaired speech. I argue that in “The King’s Speech”, the characters who serve as models of ideal speech are figures of oppression, therefore the author is implying that the idea of having ideal speech does not live up to it’s praise.

As stated before, psychology is a form of self-expression, and a form of visual communication. The way one dresses may put one in a fashion subcategory. These subcategories are thought of as a whole and are subject to judgment and discrimination of sorts. For example, a person with many tattoos and a vintage style of clothing may be viewed as a “hipster”, and hence the viewer may assume many things of the individual. The fit of garments say many things about oneself. Made-to-fit clothing on men in the business world is more respectable than non-tailored clothes. With women, skirt suits create the balance between attractiveness and masculinity in order to appear respectable, much more than the overly aggressive pant suit. One may see the effect of clothing when one researches on how to dress for an interview in order to make an impression upon the hiring manager.

According to social psychologists, 30 seconds is how long it takes for someone meeting you for the first time to form a list of determinations about your character and abilities. In 30 seconds, people form impressions of you based almost entirely on what they see – your clothes, hairstyle, smile, how you carry yourself, and the rest of your nonverbal communications. Appearances do count. These quick impressions can also be lasting ones. Psychologists call it the “halo effect.” (“Appearances and First,” 2011)

The old phrase, “actions speak louder than words” had never been so true such as in the case of Prince Albert. The Duke of York lacks nonverbal behavior greatly in the sense that he has no self esteem therefore, making him a statue when he speaks. “I have received from his Majesty the K-K-K-King”(“The King’s Speech (2010)”) were the

Throughout the course of time there have been many world renowned orators, that have forever changed history. The power to speak and captivate an audience is a gift that not many possess. There are have been numerous leaders throughout the world that have achieved this gift and have put it to use. There have been both positive and negative outcomes of public speaking by famous leaders. Whether it was African-American civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., changing the world and the views of people for the better with his “I Have A Dream” speech, or German dictator, Adolf Hitler, pushing his anti-semitic views through his Nazi speeches, people listened. People will always listen to these speeches and take away something different

First impressions are always used in setting the tone when you first meet someone. Without the luxury of knowing the persons background, you initially judge someone by the way that person introduces themselves and how they come across to you. By coming across, I mean the way a person carries themselves. For example, if the person comes across as shy and introverted, you tend to think of that person as timid and somewhat weak. However, if that same person comes across as outgoing, confident (but not to confident) and easy to talk to, you look at that person as someone you can count on and possibly a leader. This type of evaluation (even though we all do it) is for the most part not always the right way to evaluate a person.