Peer Responses
Respond meaningfully to at least two of your peers.
Base your response on your classmate’s review of the speech, and include the following:
· Was the speaker’s use of ethos, logos, and pathos effective?
· How did the speaker use presentation aids?
· Was the delivery of the speech effective? Why or why not?
· Were you convinced?
If sources are used, be sure to include citations and references in APA format.
Estimated time to complete: 2 hours
Response posts are worth
50% of your grade on this discussion.
Please review the rubric to ensure your peer responses meet the criteria
.
Discussion Post 5- Analysis of a Persuasive Speech
· What is the speaker’s topic?
The speaker’s topic is that there is a huge disability employment gap, sometimes up to 80%. She speaks on the fact that there is so much untapped potential simply due to the fact that an individual has a disability, and that most employers either shy away from hiring them or if they do, they see it as a form of a good deed or necessary to meet a quota. She is aiming to change our thinking on that.
· Who is the speaker’s target audience?
The speaker’s target audience is everyone I believe. She is targeting employers by giving them ideas and steps to take to fix the issues she has seen, and with ways to improve. She provides examples of what work places she has worked in did for her and her fellow employees.
She is targeting fellow employees by telling them that they are often so cautious to not offend someone with a disability, that they end up not including them on things or accidentally treating them differently or coldly as a default.
She is targeting people who do not have disabilities by letting them know some of the things she, and others with disabilities, goes through on a daily basis not only on the job search and in the workplace.
She also could be targeting innovators who have no stake in the workplace, but who can help to make them all more inclusive and have better work practices.
I think she is lastly targeting individuals with disabilities by giving them the tools as well to take back to their workplace and help to spark a change of innovation and inclusion, allowing everyone to feel as if they have a voice and a stake in the workplace.
I feel that I know these are her target audiences due to the fact that it seems everyone is included because we all can take a part in what she is saying and we can all take something away from it.
· What is the speaker’s thesis?
The speaker’s thesis is, “The three things that every work place can do to truly help welcome people with disabilities is if we stop making assumptions, rethink accessibility, and embrace flexibility.”
· How did the speaker use logos?
She used logos in many ways by appealing to simple logic by stating how there are many things that we all use and benefit from today that was initially developed for people with disabilities, such as closed captioning, electric toothbrushes, and audiobooks. This really resonated with me because I use those three things daily, and I never thought that they were initially developed for people with disabilities. This made sense to me and was logical.
· How did the speaker use ethos?
She used ethos by using and stating her resources often and also by stating early on that she herself is a person with a disability, a paralyzed arm and a mental health diagnosis, and that she has worked in different industries. She is establishing credibility here because as a person with a disability, she has experienced the things she is talking about making her seem more truthful and reliable, than if I were to give a speech about this.
· How did the speaker use pathos?
She used pathos by appealing not only to my frustration for the fact that the unemployment rate for those with disabilities is often up to 80%, but also by appealing to my empathy and sympathy when she mentioned how isolated and left out most of those individuals with disabilities feel in the workplace. She states that by trying to not offend those with disabilities, individuals often don’t include them at all or ask them about their life at all, which makes me sad.
· What other persuasive techniques did the speaker use?
She used a lot of thought provoking language and speaking, and she also encourages us to consider others and make a change in our workplace. She also uses anecdotes and her own experiences to make it seem more relatable to us.
· Did the speaker use visual aids? If so, how did these help persuade you?
She did use visual aids throughout the whole speech. She used illustrations of people and workplaces and things, and this not only kept my attention but also brought things to the forefront of my mind that I would not have otherwise thought about. For example, the simple fact that those in wheelchairs need accessibility options, and the fact that sign language and closed captions are not as commonplace as they should be.
· Were there elements of defective persuasion? If so, what were they?
I did not notice or see any specific elements of defective persuasion in her speech. I do think if there was any, she states that everyone’s assumptions are rooted in pity, when I know that not everyone’s assumptions, at least mine, is not rooted in pity, so maybe that could be an example of this in a small way.
· Did the speaker persuade you to listen to their point? Why or why not?
The speaker did successfully persuade me to listen to their point. I did not realize that the employment gap was so high and that these individuals struggled so much not only to find a job, but also to feel welcome and comfortable in the work place. She made me think of things that I never do, as I do not have a disability and sometimes did not consider how those with disabilities may struggle or feel.
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What is the speaker’s topic? The speaker’s topic is empowering and supporting employees with disabilities in the workplace.
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Who is the speaker’s target audience? How do you know? The target audience is employers, managers, human resource workers, and anyone involved in creating inclusive workplaces. I know this because she is trying to persuade the audience to hire people with disabilities because they are no different than any normal person and persuade them to help people with disabilities to thrive in a workplace.
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What is the speaker’s thesis? The speaker’s thesis is that people with any kind of disabilities can do good work. People in the workspace need to be open, accepting, and have no assumptions toward disabled people because they would like to be seen as equals.
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How did the speaker use logos? She used facts and statistics. She stated, “in most countries, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is twice that of people without disabilities”. Also, she stated “about 62 percent of employees with disabilities, have ones that are not apparent”. These facts and statistics help the speaker’s main point by adding information to the point.
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How did the speaker use ethos? The speaker used ethos by using personal integrity. She brought up the fact that she is a disabled person herself who has had success in jobs.
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How did the speaker use pathos? The speaker used ethos by saying how she is paralyzed in one arm, and she has a mental health disability working in finances and entertainment. This story appeals to the viewers emotions because she knows how it feels to be a disabled person that understands the discrimination and incidents she discussed in the speech. Also, when she shares how disabled people, such as herself, feel isolated and left out when people do not invite them to out or they are scared to ask them anything. Both usages of pathos pull on my heartstrings and appeal to my emotions because I would not like to feel left out or even feel like people looked at me differently because of something I was born with.
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What other persuasive techniques did the speaker use? One of the other persuasive techniques the speaker used is inclusive language such as “we”. This shows us that she is connected to the topic. Another persuasive technique she used was anecdotes such as the story on how they helped her be comfortable, but still inclusive with everybody else. In addition to those two techniques, she used rhetorical questions that made the audience think on the topic (“What do my employees need in order to survive”). All these techniques helped her main point.
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Did the speaker use visual aids? If so, how did these help persuade you? Yes, the speaker used visual aids. For example, when she used the balance to show how the different methods of pity does overpower disabled people’s ability to be seen as equal.
The speaker showed me charts for her statistics, pictures, and colorful slides with little words. These visual aids guided me through the information and kept me engaged with the topic.
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Were there elements of defective persuasion? If so, what were they? I did not see any apparent elements of defective persuasion. The speaker did not see anything that included logical fallacies, misleading arguments, manipulation of pf emotions, or unreliable or biased evidence. I think the speaker hit all the high points to persuade the audience to look at disabled people in the workplace in a different light.
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Did the speaker persuade you to listen to their point? Why or why not? The speaker persuaded me to listen to her point. The main reason I say this is because she understands these situations presented from a front row seat point of view. I get to understand the side of a disabled person, so I can know what to do right in my workplace or if I become a manager to make an inclusive environment.
References:
TED. (2023, April 19). How to help employees with disabilities thrive. [Video]. YouTube.
Instructions
View the persuasive speech “How to Help Employees with Disabilities Thrive” presented by Tiffany Yu. Based on the video, respond to the following questions in your post:
· What is the speaker’s topic?
· Who is the speaker’s target audience? How do you know?
· What is the speaker’s thesis?
· How did the speaker use logos?
· How did the speaker use ethos?
· How did the speaker use pathos?
· What other persuasive techniques did the speaker use?
· Did the speaker use visual aids? If so, how did these help persuade you?
· Were there elements of defective persuasion? If so, what were they?
· Did the speaker persuade you to listen to their point? Why or why not?
TED. (2023, April 19).
How to help employees with disabilities thrive. [Video]. YouTube.
