Jane Goodall at Penn State!

Tonight I had the opportunity to see Jane Goodall speak. Jane Goodall, yeah that's right, the one who spent 50 years studying and living with the chimpanzees. Her fame and interesting life experiences were what drew me and almost 1,000 other students into Eisenhower auditorium to hear her speak tonight.  Her speech was interesting in two ways:  first, I went having no idea what she was going to speak about, and, secondly she delivered her speech in a captivating and compelling way that both captivated her audience's attention and conveyed her final message through a series of stories. Jane Goodall is more than just an expert in her field, she is a great communicator and storyteller and her delivery style sends her message to the audience in an effective way.

First, Jane Goodall's name carries a strong ethos appeal of respect and authority in her field.  This is evident by the crowd she drew for the event.  As I approached Eisenhower, I was confronted by a long line of people hoping to get in to see Jane Goodall who did not obtain a ticket in time.  Luckily, I was able to pass by this large line because I had a ticket I recently received from a friend who could not make the event.  People without tickets were walking up and down the line willing to pay money to get a ticket to "see Jane Goodall speak". As I stood in line holding my free ticket I wondered why I wasn't selling it for profit.  Then I realized that I, like most of the other people in line valued what Jane Goodall had to say even though most of us did not know the topic she was discussing.  Jane's pure ethos appeal from her experiences and accomplishments in her field have given her name a strong ethos appeal similar to that of Oprah or Donald Trump. Most of us would try to see them speak if they came to Penn State because we respect their experiences and achievements and would want to hear the perspective of a person at the top of their field.  This is also the case for Jane Goodall, I and most other people at Eisenhower had no idea what she was going to say, but valued her speech because of her ethos appeal and respected status.

When Jane Goodall appeared on stage and greeted us with a monkey call, I was glad that I didn't sell my ticket.  I was already hooked on this cool, little old lady with sweet British accent.  Then she began to tell her audience the story of her life as a series of struggles and opportunities to reach her ultimate dream of living in Africa with the wild animals.  She was a great story teller and spoke to her audience of 1,000 people as if she was sitting with just you talking over tea.  I found her ability to address a large audience in a captivating and intimate way very impressive and compelling.  I was extremely attentive to each story she told as she carried us closer and closer to her ultimate point of hope for humanity throughout each compelling story. She had the ability to make the audience laugh with ease and created a sense of intimacy and optimism in the crowd.  She effectively sent her message of hope and a call for action to address the problems of the world to her audience and people left feeling uplifted, and a few made their intention known to actively address the problems of the world through her program Roots and Shoots.  The audience's response to Goodall's speech is evidence of her intimate and compelling delivery style. Goodall was able to captivate the audience and deliver her point with good will and an effective call to action.  These are all qualities that make a good speaker and an enjoyable night for the audience.

I didn't really have the time last night to stop an hear Jane Goodall speak, but now I'm glad I didn't let my friend's ticket go to waste.  It was fun to take a break with friends and go hear a respected person speak, and her ethos appeal was what drew most of her audience.  However, after an hour of hearing her stories and her path to success I was truly happy I attended for more than just a study break. I was  happy because now I had a blog topic. haha:) However,  I was also informed, uplifted, and called to action.  These are three evidences of a great speaker and deliverer, and a great investment of time for the audience.