Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader and a philanthropist. In 2013 Oprah Winfrey was awarded the Medal of Freedom which is the highest civilian. Honor. She has been in the media for the last Twenty Five years and is the most respected women leaders in media. Agnes Scott College is a women's college specializing in liberal arts. Oprah was the guest for the 128th commencement ceremony which was held on May 13th, 2017. The audience is comprised of the graduates, the faculty, and the parents. The graduating class is happy and ecstatic having Oprah as the guest. From the commencement video, the commencement ceremony was held outside, and this affected the voice projection. However, Oprah kept on adjusting the angle of the microphone time to time. The decorations were enough, of course bringing out the colors of the institution.
The introduction to the speech is quite catchy as just after a few lines Oprah loudly congratulates the graduating class of 2017.The speech is detailed and seems to resonate well with the fact that she is speaking to a graduating class of women only. Oprah is an icon and giving her career's journey as a woman in the media is giving hope to the young women graduates. Oprah is a public and a motivational speaker and a woman who has broken the glass ceiling in the media. Her attributes as a tenacious woman are seen as she talks about how she has had to be committed in her path. She is eloquent and does not shy when she gets loud probably to bring out the emphasis on her points. In a commencement speech, the message is usually that of hope and a bright future which was well articulated in Oprah's delivery.
Oprah's speech was logically presented from the start where she began on a light note gradually getting into the more serious part of her career as a woman in media. She shared with the audience about her commitment to her career and her passion. The main message of the speech was about service. She urged the young women to embrace service and constructive engagement to fulfill their life's purpose on earth. The form of the outline was explicitly stated as the push to break new ground and service to humanity. Oprah had a written speech but more often than not she opted to tell it out and not necessarily reading it. The main body language Oprah used when delivering her message was the use of hand gestures which brought in the emphasis on specific points. Her voice was bold and audible making it easy for the audience to follow through as everyone was attentive. However, from the look of things she knew that she was to speak to women graduates and she had to make her speech in way that would appeal to the young women of the day. The closure was evident because she announced it herself and the audience knew that the speech was over when she said: "….and I leave this with everybody in the room…"
Oprah's use of language was amazing and meaningful. Oprah is a public speaker and an orator, at the point where she started speaking about her career, there was pin drop silence as she urged the young women to focus on a life of service and stated that "your legacy is every life you've touched." The audience followed through, and the reaction there was always applauding every time she said something phenomenal. She inspired the audience and gave them hope for the future. She made sure she did leave an impact on the audience, and it is clear by the standing ovation she was given at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS2gSyrhJMo
