You probably know her from the Harry Potter Movies. Or maybe Perks of Being a Wallflower. Or maybe any of the other 20+ movies she has been in. Emma Watson is a star, and not just because of her success on screen.

Emma Watson, who was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations just six months prior to giving this speech, stood in front of the United Nations to inform the world about her new campaign, HeForShe. She gave this speech to discuss why gender inequality is such a major issue, and to debunk the false ideas many people believed about feminism. The entire speech is about 15 minutes, but I am just analyzing the parts included in this 2 minute clip here:

The way Emma Watson delivered this speech helped her succeed in reaching the audience because she maintained eye contact the entire time she was speaking. She wasn’t reading from notes on a paper, nor was she reading from a teleprompter. The way that she spoke made the audience truly recognize and believe that she was speaking from the heart. Any audience member could feel the emotions she was feeling as she gave this speech, and that is one of the main reasons why it was so well-received.

In addition, Emma Watson organized this portion of the speech very well. The section where she details the moments in which she questioned gender roles at each age was perfectly formatted. It portrayed the routine-like messages that were sent to her, and girls everywhere, to enforce these typical gender roles of being a girl versus a boy. Had she not organized this segment of her speech the way she did, the point that she was trying to make would not have been so clearly heard. The point was that time and time again, girls are put in their place to accept the stereotypes and binding gender roles that society has created for them.

Lastly, she appeals to pathos. The tone of her voice, the look upon her face, and the syntax she used all contributed to this appeal to the audience’s emotions. She told stories of her childhood that other women in the audience could easily relate to and empathize with. By doing so, she showed the audience that she, as well as every other girl in the world, are human and deserve to be treated with equal respect.

This speech was incredibly effective because it addressed many issues relating to feminism through the successful use of speaking techniques. Using eye contact, organization, and appeals to pathos, Emma Watson effectively presented this speech to the United Nations.