Introduction
CeCe Olisa is quite powerful in her TED Talk – “How to Build Self-Confidence,” when she summarizes that self-confidence is the first essential step into life and describes how it is achieved. The paper analyzes how Olisa used ethos, logos, and pathos to deliver her message effectively while asserting credibility, logical reasoning, and emotional connection to the audience.
Ethos
Olisa further solidifies her ethos with the audience by being transparent and vulnerable while sharing her personal experience. She created an instant connection with her audience by sharing how she had once dealt with insecurities and had to overcome them all. This makes her no longer any other professional but a relatable person who has gone through the same struggles and can thus give apt advice. Another layer of ethos in this speech is Olisa’s professional credentials or, rather, her professional affiliations and expertise on matters of body positivity (Olisa). She is one of the leading plus-size lifestyle bloggers and co-founder of Theurgy, which she has built her career around promoting body acceptance and encouraging all people to be unapologetically themselves. Therefore, this expertise and involvement in the body positivity movement credit her arguments and position her as the authority to speak on the subject matter. Certain members of the audience might be convinced that she has the knowledge and experience to guide them in their pursuit of building self-confidence.
Logos
Olisa communicates her logical reasoning through her speech. The author sets out a well-structured narrative with all the coherent ideas linked appropriately, first on how specific societal issues have influenced self-confidence and later on practical strategies for building it. Using statistical data and research findings, like the influence of media and social comparison on self-esteem, Olisa applies audience logic, thereby attempting to involve them in researching preconditions to perception (Olisa). Additionally, Olisa provides practical steps and initiatives such as moving towards self-compassion and goal setting in conclusion with the logical appeal of her arguments.
In her TED Talk, Olisa’s logical reasoning process dramatically enhances the effectiveness of her argument in building self-confidence. She introduces a clear structure, beginning with analyzing societal impacts and moving to actionable approaches. Using statistical data and scientific research results, she addresses the critical reasoning ability the audience has gained and calls them for the critical analysis of what moves them in their perception of themselves (Olisa). It boosts your appeal to pathos in addition to increasing your ethos appeal. She used a logical appeal for the argument throughout the test by including some actionable steps, including practicing self-compassion and setting more reachable goals.
Pathos
Effective use of pathos in Olisa’s TED Talk “How to Build Self-Confidence” creates an emotional appeal among the audience; hence, he can evoke empathy and understanding. She does this by sharing personal anecdotes of being body-shamed and feeling societal pressures herself, which taps into the audience’s emotions to bring forth a sense of shared experience where they collectively feel struggle (Olisa). The stories evoke a deep emotional connection that quickly makes the audience understand her message and ideally relate to the universal self-esteem problem. The atmosphere created by Olisa through storytelling evoked empathy, compassion, and understanding, which in turn assisted in creating an even stronger connection between her and the audience.
Besides personal descriptions, Olisa keeps the emotions of those present lively by incorporating humor and positivity. She creates an atmosphere of joy and hope by peppering her talk here and there with light moments and a witty remark. This humor helps to break the tension and keeps them in receptive earshot of her message (Olisa). In addition, Olisa’s language is encouraging and lures a sense of hope and motivation whereby the audience feels motivated and encouraged to turn their self-esteem issues into something positive. Olisa creates an emotional resonance with her audience, moving and inspiring them to understand and appreciate their confidence journey.
Conclusion
In her TED Talk “How to Build Self-Confidence,” CeCe Olisa expertly used ethos, logos, and pathos throughout her speech to drive home a powerful argument regarding self-confidence. She applies her persona through experiences in personal caring, logical reasoning, and emotional appeal to gain credibility, promote reflective thought, and establish rapport in her speech. Olisa tries to encourage the audience to exhibit self-confidence by providing the strategies they can use and reasons for them to act. In conclusion, this rhetorical analysis highlights how Olisa uses persuasive techniques very well, slipping under the radar of personal concurrence or discord to substantiate her argument and productively engage the audience in exploring self-confidence.
Work Cited
Olisa, CeCe. TED Talk “How to Build Self-Confidence,” (n.d) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivNNgdCsY7o
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