Due: Monday, November 14
Your final presentation (Monday, Dec. 11, 6-8pm, location TBA) will be a TED Talk-style presentation. Generally, TED Talks have the goal of either persuading the audience to do or believe something, sharing a meaningful experience and the lessons learned from it, or introducing an innovative idea/object.
Your own short talk (5-6 minutes) might have any one of these goals, depending on what topic you choose and what you want to say about that topic. It could be something you feel passionately about, something you feel is important to share with others, something you really believe needs to be done in the world, etc.
To help you begin thinking, choose TWO of the following suggested TED talks. You may also choose different TED talks to analyze, but each should be no longer than 6 minutes.
- “How the News Distorts Our Worldview”
- “Try Something New for 30 Days”
- “Let’s Not Use Mars as a Back-up Planet”
- “For More Tolerance, We Need More…Tourism?”
- “The World’s English Mania”
Analyze and compare the TWO talks you selected by answering the following questions. Bring the questions typed/printed or handwritten to class:
- What is the overall goal (to persuade, to inform, to entertain) or message of each talk?
- What evidence and examples does each speaker provide to support his/her ideas and try to achieve the overall goal or message?
- How does each speaker attract the audience’s attention at the beginning of the presentation, and how does each speaker conclude the presentation?
- How does each speaker use visuals, gestures, and body movement? What do these elements contribute to each presentation?
- What is your overall impression of how effective each talk is? Could the speakers have done anything to improve the overall effectiveness?