Conan OBrien Dartmouth Commencement Speech Clip (17:22 19:22)

Why did you choose this speech?

Conan O Brien is my go-to choice of late night host whenever Im in need of a
laugh. Although commencement speeches are not necessarily what hes known for,
his use of language as well as speech structure makes this performance in my
opinion a very effective one.


Why is this speech good?
Other than thoroughly enjoying this speech for the sheer comedic talent that is
Conan, I looked at this speech from the perspective of the Isaacson article that we
were told to read.

The evidence that corroborates his claims and makes this speech powerful mostly
stems from Conans own life story. This phenomenon is noted in Isaacsons article
as the resonance theory, which is the use of narratives and short stories to
establish common ground with an audience. In addition, Conan is a big fan of vivid
language. His extended metaphors sometimes (intentionally) get out of hand in a
hilarious sort of way, but aside from the shenanigans, he illustrates time and time
again with his expansive Ivy-league vocabulary that hes a masterful story-teller. Of
course, there is also his top-notch use humor, which is a great way to generate
empathy with the audience. Humor is a great device to build rapport with the
audience, and Conan is in his natural environment when it comes to getting people
to laugh. The punchlines or advice that he gives the graduating class could come
across as clich or generic, but due to the evidence and well crafted structure of the
speech, the phrases that would have been cheesy are instead quite profound. He also
talks about his life story in a very matter-of-fact kind of way without much emotion;
he lets the events and descriptions explain themselves. Ironically, I felt that this
technique allowed an even better connection of empathy. Last but not least, the
artistic construction and structure of this speech made it memorable. He carefully
tapered the formula of his style, going from facetious and strictly funny to becoming
more and more profound. It was great watching an artist at work.


How was he dressed?
How was his speech structure?
What vocabulary range?
How was it effective?

Do not focus on the content!

(Resonance Theory) Personal life story.
Use of vivid language.
o Plenty of imagery of all types
Obvious use of humor
o Self-deprecating at times
Empathy with audience
Use of generic clichs in a way that is somehow effective when tied in with
plenty of background information


Resonance Theory:
Use of narrative or short story to establish common ground experienced by
both speaker and audience

Lack or very scarce use of Emotional Appeal when talking about things that would
appear to elicit much emotion


Artistic Construction of Speech (starts with almost complete nonsense, and
gradually lays down the framework of actual, serious, and powerful message)

Humor (build rapport, reduces stress)

Influence of Organization Patterns of Speech (similar to Artistic Construction,
carefully crafted) makes the speech very effective