TED blog #7 Paul Gilding

            Paul Gilding delivered an intensely motivating TED talk called, “The earth is full.” The way he did that was by mastering the “what you say,” as well as the “how you say it,” part of a speech. If anyone tries to deliver a speech with imperfections in either of these categories, the speech is as good as dead. Gilding effectively moved, and used his body language and facial expressions to convey his message. In the middle of his speech, he decided to emphasize one sense, hearing, by cutting out another one altogether, sight. The lights went completely black and without their visual aid to help them, the audience had to use the only helpful sense left, hearing, to understand what Gilding was saying. This emphasized the listening of the audience and made them think really hard about what he was trying to say. Gilding had very smooth transitions to different points, and concluded with a very dramatic, very inspiring lasting impression.

            What Gilding spoke about in his speech was the basic fact that the earth is full. He points out that we have too much stuff for the amount of space, just like Graham Hill spoke about in his TED talk. The astounding fact is that we need 1.5 earths to sustain the economy we have in 1 earth right now. This means, if something doesn’t change, our economy and earth will be unsustainable. This means it will stop and die out. We can’t imagine an earth without an economy, so this is very concerning. Gilding says it is absolutely possible to do this; the problem is, we are heading in the wrong direction faster and faster every year. It seems pretty obvious, what with the 50 years of scientific warnings and dangerous looking data analysis, that we would turn things around; however, we are taking this matter so lightly that many people are not even aware there is a problem. Gilding points out that the sooner we start, the easier it will be to head in the correct direction. This is nothing we are not capable of, but we need to change how we think and feel about his situation in order to deal with it properly. Gilding says it will take every entrepreneur, every artist, every scientist, mother, and father, etc., to change the world, and he is 100% correct. So start now.

            I would like to model my speech after Gilding’s speech because he had a topic he was passionate about like me, and took his case to a point where action was inspired in the audience. That is what I want my audience to do. I want them to take away a simple idea, but an idea that could change the world.

Graham Hill TED talk Blog #5

           Graham Hill, in his TED talk, “Less stuff, more happiness,” tells us that we have three times the amount of space we had fifty years ago. You would think we’d be much happier. But unfortunately, no, this wasn’t the case. With strange results, like Daniel Pinks Motivation 2.0, we still have more stuff than space. This leads to debt, huge environmental footprints, and our happiness “flat lines.” Hill asks the audience to think of places with not a whole lot of stuff. For example, places like college dorms, hotel rooms, and campsites have very little extra room. He says we tend to experience not only more freedom in places like these, but also more time. His point is, by eliminating so much excess stuff, we will save money, lessen that environmental footprint, and most importantly, be happier. Our world can be a better place by fixing problems like these, and that matters.

            Hill opens up his speech by sitting on his only prop. A brown, cardboard box sat unopened and this captured the audience’s attention and curiosity. 

This box remained unopened the entire time until Hill explained its significance at the end of his talk. He refers to a symbol more than once during his speech. It is a less than sign, followed by and equal to sign, and then a more than sign. This was the theme of his talk. Less equals more. He shares am example of a 400 square foot area where he lived instead of a 650 square foot, and that immediately saved him over a thousand dollars. One thing I would have liked to see is a story. Daniel Pink talks about the significance of story in his book, “A Whole New Mind.” 

This would have made Hill’s talk even better. As he concludes his talk, he assigns three tasks for the audience. These are to edit ruthlessly, think small, and look for multifunctional stuff. This leaves the audience with a way to “do” something about what they have learned.

            I chose Hill’s TED talk because it was about the length of the ones our English class will be giving. It demonstrated a way to condense and deliver the key points without just spewing facts for 5 minutes. Hill shows how to gain the audiences attention, and keep it for those few minutes. He made good use of the short time he had, which is something each and every one of us needs to figure out how to do in order for our talk to excel. 

Clay Shirkey TED talk #4

            Clay Shirky effectively shares his interesting ideas through his TED talk, “How cognitive surplus changes the world.” He defines cognitive surplus as the ability of the world to volunteer, contribute, and collaborate on large and sometimes global projects. He says it is made up of the worlds free time, (1 trillion hours/year), and the way we like to create and to share. Shirky says it’s motivation, and the modern tools that allow this motivation to be joined up in large scale efforts, that are the new design resource. This means that by experimenting with cognitive surplus, we are capable of great and vast improvements in science, literacy, artistic and political areas. He uses an example of a girl in Kenya who had so much information to put online that she desperately needed a way to automate it. As a society who yearns to design, create, and contribute to large, sometimes global projects, we fixed that problem and what was created impacted people globally within three years. If in three years, a website can make a global impact using cognitive surplus, just imagine what we can achieve in the next fifty.

            Clay Shirky came about his TED talk with a more professional approach than other TED talks I have watched. There was little to no humor in his talk, but that certainly didn’t take away from it. He spoke matter-of-factly, dressed adequately, and made a clear impression on his audience. A connection I made was how he used the word automate like Daniel Pink talks about in his book, A Whole New Mind.” Shirky also talks about the media abundance, similarly to Pink. A technique Shirky used towards the beginning of his speech was repetition of an important fact to emphasize it. This was effective in making the audience take away what he meant for them to take away. Shirky does not pace back and forth, but he moves around and uses his hands to give another kind of visual instead of just pictures and maps. As an observant audience member, I noticed a few different things that I might incorporate into my personal TED talk. First off, I learned how to move around without pacing back and forth. Also, if I want my audience to take seriously a point I make, I might repeat it once or twice. Shirky delivered a powerful TED talk, and I hope to make mine just as powerful and effective.

Dan Pink TED talk blog response #3

Dan Pink’s TED talk, “Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us,” expanded my knowledge about humans and how we are most motivated. I learned about the main theme of the talk which is the fact that most tasks that are given follow the pattern of “higher reward, better performance.” Strangely, though, once the task requires even basic cognitive abilities, the previous statement is no longer true. Pink explains why that is during his speech. I learned about a technique called sticks and carrots which represents the statement, higher reward, better performance. I took away from the talk a new style of speaking that is quite effective.

I say this speaking style is effective, and what I mean by that is it is effective for visual learners mostly. Because the speaker chooses to have the listeners attention focused on a white board and not a person, people who enjoy visuals will benefit most from this talk. I’m not saying other learners cannot learn at all from the TED talk, but it would be more difficult than for a visual learner.

Using purely visuals is Pink’s main style. He communicates to his audience by drawing his words almost exactly. He draws actual words as well as pictures to communicate his message to the audience. This makes Pink’s talk very easy to follow. The disadvantage is that if you stop paying full attention for even 10 seconds, you will be totally lost and swept up in the next diagrams he has moved to. Another style of Pinks’ is humor, but that humor is more scarce than Sir Ken Robinson. He scatters funny images during his stories, like the image of his professor when he introduced an idea like Wikipedia to her. That has brought me to his final evident style, which is storytelling. He has personal stories and non-personal stories, but if you look at the big picture, his entire speech is a story. His story even has pictures!

Pink’s message is an important one for everyone to know. It is to our benefit to know how we are motivated as humans collectively as well as how we are motivated individually. Pink definitely shared an idea worth spreading, and it’s our job, and your job now, to spread it.

Susan Cain-The Power of Introverts

Susan Cain’s TED Talk, “The Power of Introverts” inspired me to be proud of the kind of person I am. My personality has always conformed to the person I’m expected to be, not the person I am. After listening to Cain, I feel like I can express my inner introversion in a way that will make me just as successful as any extrovert. Cain begins by telling a story of her summer camp experience as a child. She was an introvert, who came from an introverted family, and expected camp to be just the same. Little did she know she was expected to be outgoing, and “R-O-W-D-I-E!” I resonated with her when she felt like she had to put away a way of life, and meet the expectations of her camp counselors and peers. Cain goes on to tell how she became a lawyer, instead of the writer she aspired to be.

The purpose of these examples in her own life was to show people “the power of introverts.” She wanted to make it known that introverts can be very successful and are critical to creativity and productivity. I feel like I can make a bigger change in the world after hearing Cain because I am no longer the outlier or the “different” person; no, I am a strong person with great potential who can make a difference just like Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and other famous introverts.

Cain had an effective way of speaking, but in a different way then Sir Ken Robinson. Although they both sprinkled humor throughout their speeches, Cain used her hands and facial expressions to emphasize points whereas Robinson tended to use his tone of voice. The audience knew when Cain was excited or when she was more serious because they could read her face like a book. She held the audiences attention by telling personal stories, as well as making references to famous people like Rosa Parks, Gandhi, and Dr. Seuss. Cain failed to make a huge lasting impression on her audience; however, she was able to wrap up her speech nicely by encouraging her listeners to follow three calls for action. She left them with a task, which was an effective way to close out because the audience can walk away knowing what they can do about their new knowledge.

Cain’s biggest points in her speech that she wanted to convey were as follows. Introverts are as equally important as extroverts. They have potential and are necessary to the flow of life. Next, we need to let introverts be introverts and respect them in institutions, school systems, and workplaces. Stop the constant demand for group work and collaboration. Not altogether, but relax a little bit. Finally, it is critical for us introverts to step up and show what we’ve got to show. Nobody knows our potential until we show it. So don't be afraid to step up, and certainly don't be afraid of failure, because you never know what you can do until you do it.

TED Blog #1 Ken Robinson

Awe. Curiosity. Shock. Fear for humanity. Many emotions spun through my head as Sir Ken Robinson delivered his Ted Talk, “Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity.” I’m not even kidding you; it was like hurricane, but in me. I could hardly sit still. The ideas Robinson conveyed throughout his speech provoked in me an honest concern for education. He makes a point early on that creativity is becoming just as important as literacy. Theatre and art classes are turning into classes that will benefit children just as much as math or science. The reality is, teachers are trying to prepare children enough to be able to thrive in the future world; however, by enforcing “L-Directed thinking” classes, to use Daniel Pink’s idea in his book, “A Whole New Mind,”

and not as much creativity classes such as theatre and art, teachers are, in fact, hindering the future success of their students. In Pink’s book, he displays the evidence that soon, right-brainers will rule the world. I believe teachers need to learn how to enhance creativity in their students in order for them to have success someday. Robinson, in a twenty-minute speech, showed me that teachers are not properly preparing their student for the future. Students, who are good with art, or music, or theatre, are looked down upon in some places. These talented people are considered “weird” or just plain different. Robinson quotes Picasso, who said, “All children are born artist’s. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” Robinson then states, “We are educating people out of their creative capacities.” I believe this is true. Robinson’s point is that school systems world wide are not helping children grow as individual artists, which is what needs to happen for their success in the future. I used to draw when I was little. All the time. As I reflected on my childhood, I couldn’t put my finger on why I can’t draw or think creatively today like I used to be able to do without trying. After hearing Robinson’s speech, I wonder if my own elementary education had a part to play in that. I never remember art class happening nearly as often as math or science, and never being valued as much. Robinson inspired me to think about the problems school systems have and how I can be a part of fixing them.

Robinson is one of the most effective speakers I have listened to. He has a message and knows how to draw in and keep the attention of his audience. He sprinkles humor throughout his speech, but not so much that the audience stops taking him seriously. He lightens the mood every now and then so that the atmosphere isn’t gloomy. This is critical to do with a pretty serious topic; however, if the topic was any more serious, joking around may have hindered the effectiveness of his speech. Robinson did a good job controlling the mood in the room. He also tells stories, which is an outstanding way of keeping the audience alert and interested. People tend to connect and relate to stories, especially personal ones. Robinson seemed like he was a kind of speaker who flat out stated his point, and then proved it in different ways. He would state facts, tell jokes, and relate stories. His speaking techniques were very effective and he put forth a very clear message for the audience to interpret. There is a problem in school systems worldwide, and it needs to be fixed.