Our third speaker, easily the most highly-anticipated of the season, did not disappoint. Dr. Rice was well received even by people who “absolutely disliked the Bush administration” and who were “negative about seeing her”. It is speakers like Dr. Rice who really are the pinnacle of what we look for in speakers for our Series. Although she is a political figure and may have been controversial while in office, everyone was able to enjoy her.Going into it, I was sort of overwhelmed by all of her accomplishments. I thought of her as an untouchable God-like woman with an air of intelligence so far above mine it would be like she was speaking in tongues. However in reality, I was amazed by how down to earth she was and how she casually glossed over her accomplishments with her childhood mantra of needing to be “twice as good”. I’m still trying not to compare my own feeble efforts with her daily gym routine.
Overall, I’d have to agree with the majority of the audience that she was nothing if not inspiring. It’s easy to see why she got the highest marks of the season in most categories.
The following illustrates how patrons felt about the Condoleezza Rice engagement:
(1=Low/5=High)
Lecture: 4.7 (highest of the season!)
Q&A: 4.7 (highest of the season!)
Moderator: 4.6 (highest of the season!)
Lighting: 4.3
Acoustics: 3.9 (we apologize for the sound problems; they have been taken care of for next engagement)
Overall: 4.6 (highest of the season!)
93% of audience polled felt the engagement was "money well spent".
91% of audience polled felt the night met their expectations.
Comments from our patrons:
“I am a charter member of the Speakers Series and my husband and I both thought it was the best event so far! All the other great ones just slipped to second place!”
“I did not like her very much when she was in Washington but after hearing her speak last night, I found her to be funny, forthright and honest. She is a great asset to our country.”
“[I] loved the non-personal politics she talked about. She was very natural and her manner gave everyone the feeling you were sitting on the couch with her talking…talent to be able to do that.”
“This was our first time attending a Speaker Series event and we were so impressed with Condoleezza Rice - such an intelligent, versatile, and articulate speaker. We were entertained, educated and inspired. Thank you!”
