Julian Coleman COMS 103 Out of Class Critique

Background This speech was at the end of our LINKS meeting on exam preparation. It took place on November 6, 2011 in Morton Hall at Ohio University. Resiliency: Mike Tyson Vs Buster Douglas was given by (ET) Eric Thomas. ET was a high school dropout, but then decided to turn his life around and go back to school not only getting his high school degree but also went above and beyond getting his PHD. Today Eric Thomas is a motivational speaker, youth activist, author, and a pastor. This particular speech was meant to show students that resilience is key in college and especially during finals. He opened with a story of the unknown boxer Buster Douglas persevering and somehow knocking out the then undefeated Mike Tyson. ET then continues into his main points and personal stories about resilience.

Invention The only source Eric Thomas used was the youtube clip of the Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas. He used it effectively by only showing the highlights and stopping it and telling what happened next and relating it to his topic then showing that part of the fight. ET shows hes an expert on the topic of Resilience by telling personal stories about how he had used resilience to succeed. His whole life is an example of this. Since Eric initially dropped out of high school, but then decided to go back and get his high school degree. But his resilience didnt stop there. He continued to fight through criticism and tough work to get his bachelors and finally PHD degrees. He also gave a recent example of how he was writing a paper the night before it was due and was about halfway through it ready to give up because he was exhausted and could hardly focus anymore. But he showed resilience and typed on completing the paper. He is completely credible on the topic because of his background as well as his current status as a motivational speaker, pastor and youth activist. These titles prove that he knows what hes talking about when it comes to inspiring people. Doc. Thomas knew he was addressing college students going into their finals, and showed his awareness in his audience mainly through his topic itself. But he also targeted the students through his story about showing resilience while writing his paper I previously mentioned. ET also was aware he was speaking to an audience of minorities and told about how he had to persevere through racism and stereotypes while perusing his degrees.

The main teaching point ET used was through his evidence of resilience in the Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas fight. He documented this evidence by showing the actual video clip of the fight. He didnt show any examples related to the fight, but he didnt need to, because he went so in depth with his analysis of the resilience found in the fight. ET looked up and went into the background story behind the fight, which is where the resilience was found. Davis was a no name practice fight expected to have no chance against the undefeated Tyson. But Buster Davis Mom through loving ignorance went around telling everyone My babys gonna beat Mike Tyson. Buster was thinking Come on Mom this is Mike Tyson, Im not winning. But two nights before the fight Buster Davis Mom died. So he decided he had to win this fight for his Mom. Mike Tyson was notorious for knocking everyone he fought out in the first two rounds, and once he knocked them down they never got up. But when he dropped Buster in the 2nd round Davis showed his resilience and became the first person to get up after being knocked out by Tyson and take him to the third round. Then he did one more thing no one else had ever done, he knocked Tyson out. Buster gave people the blueprint to beating Tyson, surviving a few rounds. In short Mike Tysons weakness was resilience. ET used this background perfectly to prove his thesis.

Arrangement Eric Thomas kind of uses a hybrid Example of the solution/problem/solution format. He opens talking about the Tyson vs Douglas fight as an example of a solution. Then he moves into the problem of getting down and giving up in school and on finals. Finishing with his points and description of Resilience, which is the solution to his problem. All of ETs sub-points seemed to run right with his main-points, which were all a formula of his thesis, Resilience. He moved from point to point clearly and concisely.

Style Eric Thomas delivers this speech fluidly. He speaks clearly and the whole speech flows together masterfully. He gets straight to the point, and doesnt mess around with extra or useless words. ET realizes hes talking to college students, and directs his main point to fit that. He does this by addressing the common urge to give up when finals are getting tough and advises to use resilience and get through it. He also talks about using resilience to overcome his own scholarly struggles. ET used vivid language through his humor and exaggerations. He also uses a metaphor saying Im not the rabbit, Im the turtle. Describing how he thought of himself getting through school when people made fun of him for taking 12 years to complete high school. He ended up going further than them, getting his PHD.

Memory Dr. Thomas presented his whole speech off the top of his head. He had a slide that stated his main-points, but never really looked at it. The slide was more there for the audience to refer to. This memorization technique made it clear ET knew what he was talking about, and it showed he was speaking from the heart. A presenter speaking unaided looks better prepared than one using notecards or reading from a script.

Delivery I was able to feel who Eric Thomas was as a person through his presentation. He had his own style incorporating humor and personal stories. It was clear he knew who he was, and showed a lot of self in his speech. This style made it easy to connect and relate to ET as a person. Building that personal link with your audience is one of the most effective things you can do as a speaker. He kept eye contact with the crowd the whole time since he didnt have anything to read off. Dr. Thomas was very poised while presenting. He used his hands a lot to effectively show the importance of some statements. When he was making a point that he wanted you to remember hed get louder and wave his hands more in order to draw attention to that specific point.

Conclusion I was impressed and inspired by ETs presentation. His personal story and use of the Mike Tyson vs Buster Davis story were the most effective parts of the speech. He made me realize that giving up isnt going to do anything but ensure failure. If you show resilience and keep at it then you never know what could happen in the end. Chances are youll end up successful.

References Eric Thomas. (2009). Retrieved November 7, 2011 from http://www.etthehiphoppreacher.com James Hicks. (2010). Retrieved November 7, 2011 from http://www.infotainmentnews.net/2010/09/02/personality-profile-eric-thomas/