In the online video, “Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image of Women”, Jean Kilbourne lectures about the subversive effects of today’s advertising on young women in America. Her arguments are not only sound and logical, but she also uses visual aids. Overall, her arguments were very effective, and she got her point across.
Kilbourne delivered her speech in a way that was both professional and fun. Her occasional humor lightened up a considerably heavy subject, making the presentation more fun for the listener. She used several different oral presentation strategies, such as memorable opening and closing statements and also timing her presentation, so as to make sure her presentation was not too long. The listener could also tell that she was well versed in her material, because of the quiet confidence she emanated while speaking.
Throughout the lecture, Kilbourne kept herself from using circuitous language, which not only helped the listener better understand the material, but also better held their interest as well. Her use of signpost language made the lecture transition from topic to topic very smooth. After citing some statistics, she would revert to the core issue, which was advertising, and then move on with the rest of her argument.
Her use of visual aids really made her argument so poignant. One could drone on and on about the transgressions of the advertising industry and not convince a single person, but as soon as that same skeptic is given actual evidence to see with their eyes, and it is put into context, then the strength of the argument becomes so much greater. The visual elements were both effective and well integrated into the lecture. She never skipped a beat; the pictures really drove the point home that she was trying to make. She would continue talking about the subject while the pictures were on the screen, but they were never irrelevant to the subject. The pictures were also the most memorable part of the presentation. The advertisements were created to be eye catching in the first place, but as soon as Kilbourne puts them into context with how they can perpetuate an unhealthy stereotype, they sear into the listener’s brain.
Certain aspects of Kilbourne’s tone, eye contact, and movement really underscored her overall statement. Her tone was confident, yet not overly so. She did not come across as a militant feminist, whose main goal in life is to make sure that men never get the upper hand against women; quite the contrary. Rather, she emitted a calm, confident understanding, and she seemed to say that this phenomenon in advertising occurs far too often and is far too widespread, and if it takes root in the minds of the young women of America, then they risk losing the ability to have “authentic and freely chosen lives”, whose only future is to become a slave to the media.
The way in which Kilbourne addressed the audience was straightforward and easy to understand, and the way in which she conducted herself onstage served to enhance the audience’s understanding. Both her dress and the background of the stage were subdued and casual, but not so much as to appear sloppy and unprofessional. That ensured the audience didn’t get distracted and had an easier time focusing on what was said. Her tone was steady and confident throughout the presentation. She made nearly constant eye contact, except when she was looking at her notes, and her movement up on stage was low key, so as not to distract from her topic. With all of the aforementioned factors combined, the listener could easily appreciate what was being said.
Overall, the presentation was very effective at convincing its audience of the evils of the advertising industry. Through her use of visual aids, knowledge of the subject, and her quiet confidence, she really drove home the point. Professional dress, stage set-up and presentation skills added to the presentation’s effectiveness. I was convinced of the presenter’s sincerity and validity of subject matter and I plan to be more aware in my assessment of advertising motives in the future.
