A profile portrait photo of actress and humanitarian Meghan Markle.
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A profile portrait photo of Meghan Markle, a smiling woman with light brown skin and long, wavy dark brown hair.

NOTABLE SPEAKERMeghan Markle

Actress and humanitarian Meghan Markle became a UN Women’s Advocate for Women’s Political Participation and Leadership in 2015. In this role, Markle has focused on ways to empower women throughout the world to become leaders in their communities. In her speech at the UN Women’s Conference in 2015, she encouraged the world community to embrace equality for women.

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To locate a video of this presentation online, enter the following key words into a search engine: Meghan Markle UN speech. The video is approximately 9:41 in length.

What to Watch For

[0:00–0:50] At the beginning of her speech, Markle conveys her appreciation for the opportunity to serve in the role of UN Women’s Advocate for Women’s Political Participation and Leadership. Her nonverbal communication conveys warmth, particularly as she touches her heart to express gratitude for the invitation to speak. She then offers an honest awareness of who she is by telling the audience “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.”

The beginning of Megan Markle’s speech at the 2015 UN Women’s Conference.
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Markle stands on a stage with a dark background as a spotlight behind her shines. She stands behind a podium with a white sign that says “UN WOMEN” written in blue text. There are about four microphones pointed towards her as she speaks to the audience in front of her. She is wearing a low-cut black dress and her dark hair is tied up in a bun. Her arms are in front of her with her hands out, fingertips facing upwards.

[1:15–4:45] Markle tells a story about seeing a commercial when she was in elementary school that promoted dishwashing soap only to women. She recalls feeling shocked, angry, and hurt when two of her male classmates responded to the commercial by saying that women belong in the kitchen. She uses the story to make a point about what it means to stand up for equality. Markle’s use of a personal story highlights her experience and helps establish her competence, trustworthiness, and likability.

Megan Markle shares a story in the middle of her 2015 UN Women’s Conference speech.
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The camera zooms in on Markle as she brings her hands to her chest, appearing mid-sentence while she addresses concern over an experience she shares with the audience.

[3:35–3:45] To further enhance her likability, Markle smiles frequently and appropriately, uses a sincere tone of voice, and maintains eye contact even though she is using a teleprompter. Despite the appearance of red splotches on her chest and neck, which may indicate she is anxious, Markle continues to engage the audience and show how deeply she cares about the participation of women in their communities and government.

Megan Markle smiles as she addresses her audience.
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Markle looks off to her right and smiles towards her audience. Her hands are resting upon the podium and she appears proud and confident.

[5:45–6:35] To establish her competence beyond her own personal experience, Markle cites statistics about gender inequality and the slow rise of female parliamentarians around the world. Doing so, she demonstrates that she has researched and thought seriously about the subject matter. By offering a heartfelt and directed “Come on!” in reaction to the statistics and examples, Markle demonstrates her belief that what she is speaking about matters.

The near end portion of Megan Markle’s speech.
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Continuing to stare towards her right at her audience, she continues to speak. She appears mid-sentence and has her hands raised up slightly while she urges her audience to take her words in.

EXERCISE

After viewing Markle’s speech, reflect on these questions:

  1. Which core value(s) of an effective speaker does Markle demonstrate most effectively?
  2. Would Markle have seemed less authentic if she hadn’t told the story about her fight to get Procter & Gamble to change its marketing slogan?
  3. To what extent does Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry and their relationship to the royal family affect your reactions to this 2015 speech?
  4. How does Markle demonstrate that she cares about this topic? How does Markle demonstrate empathy throughout the speech?
  5. Is Markle a dynamic speaker? Why or why not?
  6. Before hearing her speak, what was your perception of Markle’s credibility regarding women’s rights? Did it change after hearing the speech? If so, why?