Analyzing Bill Nye's March For Science Speech

Bill Nye’s March for Science Speech

On April 22, 2017, Earth Day, there were massive, organized marches for science all across the US. One of the most impassioned speeches delivered was given by Bill Nye in Washington DC. Nye is the CEO of the Planetary Society, but is famous for his 90’s television show, “Bill Nye the Science Guy” which aired on PBS. The show is adored and nostalgic to the millennial generation because of its humor and real world approach to science. He is extremely brilliant, influential, and a pop icon. Discussed below is a critique of his speech, in which he describes why science should mold public policy. Largely, he delivered an outstanding speech that ignited the audience.

First, the setting and audience are analyzed. The speaker was Bill Nye and that is the main reason I choose to listen to this speech: I admire him and

Overall, Bill Nye used consistent, concrete and concise language during his speech. He stood on a stage at a lectern in front of thousands of people. It was quite obvious that he was reading from the speech verbatim from his notes. Perhaps, because of who he is, this had no effect on how people received his message. He used pitch variations and good hand gestures when making a point. He used the word “science” repeatedly to solidify his point: “Science must shape policy! Science is universal! Science brings out the best in us!” The crowd went wild as he exclaimed these statements. He used a hand-held microphone, but it was not a distraction or hindrance for him. The speech lasted about three minutes and thirty seconds, was concise and informative. He used direct language to rally the people and to champion the common cause. Nye was nicely dressed, adorned in his blazer and signature bow tie, he stood still, but used his hands to make his points. He frequently looked up from his notes, and effortlessly connected with the audience, despite not delivering his speech