Gary E. Stevenson began his talk
with two personal stories about his children—one about their black Labrador, while
the other was about a skunk. In the first story, Elder Stevenson talked about
how his son wanted to paint their dog like the movie (“101 Dalmatians”). Because
most people are familiar with the movie or story, they were immediately able to
paint the picture in their head of what was running through his son’s head, and
what was going on. It helped me personally, when I already had a concrete image
in my head of what was going on, before Elder Stevenson arrived to the
conclusion of his story.
He was also able to bring humor into
his personal stories, with the dialogue taking place and the setting. As his
sons became more real to the audience, they were able to relate to the story
more, and were able to arrive to the point he was trying to make faster. For example,
the sons thought the skunk was a black cat. That response showed the boys’
experience level with the animal, and later laid the foundation for a parallel Elder
Stevenson was tying the skunk to. When there is humor within the personal
experience, I find myself more likely to be engaged with the speaker.
You do a good job of noting the different ways in which Elder Stevenson used stories to increase his ethos as a speaker and writer. You also make some good points about establishing a connection with the audience. The audience is more likely to pay attention if they feel a kinship with the person whose story is being shared.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I thought that his use of humor and the image of his children's innocent mistakes effectively conveys his message about Satan's deceptions. Using concrete imagery was a powerful tool because I will be reminded of his message whenever I see a skunk or a dalmatian.
ReplyDelete[posted on behalf of Marcus]
ReplyDeleteThe way that Stevenson used his family to tell his story was a great way to increase the impact of his story. By sharing a story from personal experience, and one that he holds close to his life, the audience can relate more fully. I agree, that when there is humor in a story it makes it more engaging. I think the use of both personal stories and humor give a great balance of seriousness and playfulness.
I loved how you brought up that Elder Stevenson used dialogue and other descriptions in order to help us to feel a stronger connection to his son. That is something I have really noticed this time around, because of our conversations in class. The little bits of detail really make a difference in engaging the audience.
ReplyDelete