Inspirational Discourse in Steve Jobs’ Commencement Speech: A Multimodal and Interdiscursive Analysis of Motivational Language
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Abstract
This study adopts a qualitative approach to examine how inspirational discourse is constructed in Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech. Focusing exclusively on the first section of the address, video and transcript data were manually transcribed and coded for motivational language types (empathetic, meaning-making), multimodal features (prosody, gaze, gesture, pauses), and interdiscursive resources. Findings show Jobs predominantly employs empathetic and meaning-making language, embedding personal narratives that reinterpret uncertainty as purposeful or “connecting the dots.” High
modal density, energetic prosody, targeted gaze, subtle gestures, and timed pauses, foregrounds reflective
storytelling, while audience responses (laughter, applause, attentive gaze) co-construct the speech’s inspirational effect. The study demonstrates that inspirational meaning in commencement addresses emerges from the interplay of verbal content, embodied performance, and discursive layering. Although limited in scope, the analysis provides rhetorical strategies in commencement speeches and lays the groundwork for future comparative research across speakers, institutions, and cultural contexts.
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- ต้นฉบับที่ได้รับการตีพิมพ์ในวารสารวิชาการ มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏบุรีรัมย์ สาขามนุษยศาสตร์และสังคมศาสตร์ ถือเป็นกรรมสิทธิ์ของมหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏบุรีรัมย์ ห้ามนำข้อความทั้งหมดหรือบางส่วนไปพิมพ์ซ้ำเว้นเสียแต่ว่าจะได้รับอนุญาตจากมหาวิทยาลัยฯ เป็นลายลักษณ์อักษร
- เนื้อหาต้นฉบับที่ปรากฏในวารสารเป็นความรับผิดชอบของผู้เขียน ทั้งนี้ไม่รวมความผิดพลาด อันเกิดจากเทคนิคการพิมพ์
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