ASSIGNMENT 2

SPEECH CRITIQUE

KOM 3403

PUBLIC ORATION

LECTURER’S NAME :

PUAN NOORHARDIANA BINTI HASAN

SEMESTER : 2

SUBJECT CODE : KOM 3403 (4)

 A successful public speaker does not always start off as the best, but
improves so that each speech is a better one than all previous speeches. Lisa
Kamal’s informative speech on her Graduation Day was published on December
17th, 2019. Madison graduate and student speaker Lisa Kamal points to an
audience member during her speech at the winter commencement ceremony
December 15th, 2019, at Kohl Center. According to the audience’s reactions in
the comments made, her introduction was effective in grabbing their attention
and kept them listening. She sing to entertained the audience. Her qualifications
were established in her introduction, as she explained what the speech was
going to be about. The audience were made clear in her reveal topic. An
interesting topic kept the audience entertained while Lisa Kamal developed her
speech and improved each presentation. She delivery and content helped keep
her speeches smooth, but she also had several apparent strengths and
weaknesses. It stated the main point of her speech so that the audience will
understand the order in which her speech would be given. In my opinion, her
introduction was amazing energy and effective because the audience didn’t stop
listening

In her first speech, she used a few gestures. She have been prepared to
make them more meaningful. Lisa, a standout geology major, opened her
commencement speech by singing a few lines from the Broadway hit “Hamilton”.
She went on to explain that the cast recording had become copying mechanism
for her during some dark times. She told that she came to the university on the
scholarship long way from her home in Kuala Lumpur. She also told the
opportunity to be there at the prestigious University of Wisconsin-Madison did not
come easy and cost little for them. Lisa also said that the students juggled a
lot on their plates including studies and relationship with friends and family,
adding that in her case, most of her family was abroad and separated by a 14
hour time difference. She talks about going forward in the world as a Badger
and how she used the music from ‘Hamilton, to help her get through the
struggles of her collage career. She started by suggesting that we should adapt
to change because might end up being a good thing in the end. She had a
great use of an analogy to say that not all people make the same choices. She
seemed emotionally invested in her topic, which helped the audience connect
with her. She work on keeping both feet on the ground and making more direct
eye contact, and her hand movement made sense.

Furthermore, the language throughout her speech was very clear for the
audience according to the feedback given. She said that her second year in
collage she suffered burnout to the point of losing motivation to finish the
degree. She told the her fellow graduates she overwhelmed herself past the
breaking point, kept chasing things that would look good on her resume. But
she stopped felling passion for anything she did or learned, and the truth was,
all she wanted to do was sleep, all the time. She was so desperate to find a
spark of enthusiasm. The same one we all overflowed with at the beginning only
to feel so helpless. She too struggle with anxiety as well as homesickness.
Latching onto the empowering lyrics of “Hamilton” helped, she said, as did the
support of friend, faculty and staff members, She also sought counseling through
University Health Services, a step she’s been open about because she hopes to
reduce the stigma around seeking mental health service.

Moving further to her speech included many uplifting moments. “Friends,

look at where are you, look at where you started,” she said. “You made it here
to the last. You did it. Day after day, you made the choice to rise up and give
yourself another chance to start over every single morning. And for me, I sang
like my life was a Tony Award winning Broadway musical”. She encourange the
audience with the spirit of her speech. Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator and star
of “Hamilton” was among those who reached out to Lisa Kamal, the audience
thanking her for her inspiring story. She kept it light, but she didn’t shy away
from talking about her struggles. People expect a commencement speaker to
have life figured out, so it was very brave of her to do that. Clearly it was a
voice people wanted to hear. Her speech stood out for its honesty and
vulnerability. She admitted that she struggled at times, and that’s what the
collage experience is like for a lot of students. She was real and her speech
was courageous.

In general, on receiving degrees and graduating, Lisa said that “ there’s

everyday human experiences that give weight and substance to the certificate
you are about to receive”. She also said “Every sacrifice, every bit of energy
you dragged out of you every morning, even if all of you managed to do was
scratch the bare minimum, you are here today, you are graduating today and I
am proud of you,” added Lisa. She did the job the well enough and it would be
a good memory for her. She dove in anyway and ended up both defining a very
personal path to success and setting an example for fellow students. She show
the audience that talent without hardwork is a waste but a sheer determination
and long stretch of focus and hardwork always pays off. She made the
Malaysian proud of her.