Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

Second Advisor

Dr. Lunell Haught

Abstract

This thesis identifies how transformational speakers, through the art of public speaking, are able to communicate in a way that enables transformation within the listener. Public speaking is essential for influencing an audience; therefore it is imperative to explore and identify the most effective communication strategies and techniques for delivering transformational speeches to empower and deeply impact listeners. The thesis analyzes Steve Jobs’s 2005 Stanford Commencement speech to understand how transformational leaders deliver transformational speeches to a given audience, and to further study how speakers utilize the social penetration theory to build a connection with the audience to create a more powerful and compelling message. Social penetration theory is the process of developing relationships through interpersonal communication. There are four major stages that move the relationship from superficial, non-intimate levels to deeper, more intimate ones: orientation, exploratory affective stage, affective stage, and stable stage. A Neo-Aristotelian rhetorical analysis was used to identify three key principles, context, rhetor, and oration. These three principles were addressed by applying the five canons of rhetoric. The strategies that should be utilized, from Jobs’s oration, to enable transformation within audiences are: authenticity, vulnerability, and patience. Authenticity and openness allowed Jobs to gain the trust of his audience members, which allowed his message to create impact and transformation within the audience. Through implementing transformational public speaking techniques orators are able to create and deliver an oration that creates impact, action, and transformation.

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