This weekend I participated in Relay for Life. At the closing ceremony there was a motivational speaker who spoke about continuing the fight against cancer. He was very effective for a number of reasons. The way he spoke to the college crowd really engaged the audience and made them feel proud about what they had done so far to promote cancer research. He talked about how great Penn State is as a whole which was a great way to encourage the students to continue fundraising and furthering awareness about cancer research. Penn State students have a ton of school spirit so anytime someone talks about the atmosphere of Penn State and the achievements of the student body it automatically reaches the students and grabs their attention.
The speaker also used a great deal of pathos in ways other than just encouraging school spirit. Since the entire 24 hours was spent taking a walk to show that cancer can’t defeat us, he made sure to make it obvious that there are other ways we can fight too. He talked about why he was involved in Relay for Life and said he too tried to support those he knew who were affected by cancer in multiple ways throughout the year, not just at Relay. He asked everyone to think about a loved one who as cancer, passed away from cancer, or who has beat cancer. By thinking about those we know it really encourages us to do something and fight cancer with more fury.
He sounds like Mary Fisher, the speaker we watched yesterday for HIV/AIDS. She was so powerful- this story reminded me of that. Good for you for doing Relay for Life :)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking similar things when I heard him speak! He really connected with the Relayers because his stories were full of pathos but he engaged the crowd, as well. It is amazing how much a great speaker can really motivate you and appreciate all of the efforts that are going in to a project.
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ReplyDeleteThat's awesome that you did that, Jaclyn :) And it's true-- if someone we know and love is affected by something, we're more inclined to take action and make a change. Amanda is right, he does sound a lot like Mary Fisher.
ReplyDeleteMy psych teacher talked about how the more directly we are affected by something the more inclined we are to get involved, so kudos to the motivational speaker for playing that aspect up! That sounds like an incredible thing you participated in.
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