Davison Case

Phil Davison made many mistakes during his six-minute campaign speech. These mistakes caused him to lose much credibility and trust: the credibility among the party and the trust among the voters. However, Davison had much passion and enthusiasm, which are the hardest things to convey for other speakers! With improvement in the right areas Davison could become a great campaigner. Specifically, Davison weakest areas as a public speaker include memory and delivery.

Memory, another aspect of the rhetoric of speaking is area that Davison need much help on. During his speech, Davison kept referring back to his stacks of paper. This is a heavy mistake because it interrupts the flow of the speech and disorganizes the thought of the speaker! Instead of having a stack of paper, Davison should try carrying one or two note cards. This will be more helpful during his speech because he will just have to glance at the keywords on the small note card and continue on to his speech without much trouble.

Paul Davison's delivery, more specifically his nonverbal delivery, is something that he can greatly improve on. During his speech Davison paced around the stage too much and this was obvious when he began panting. A more effective way of keeping the audience's attention would be to stand behind the podium and occasionally step out toward each side. Also, when behind the podium Davison could choose three people in three different parts of the audience and keep focused on those areas. This will help make the audience feel included and important.

Davison paused frequently during his campaign speech. To be a strong candidate, Davison needs to avoid pauses and vocal fillers. These things can be seen by viewers as being unprepared, nervous, or both. A way of incorporating this idea of flow, Davis should invest in a video camera and record himself beforehand. This will help him see which part of the speech he is having trouble on so he can practice on those