Ric Elias' incredible story

For my eighth and final TED talk blog, I chose to watch Ric Elias’ recount of his experiences on the plane that landed in the Hudson river (http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-15/us/new.york.plane.crash_1_air-traffic-controllers-bird-strike-pilot?_s=PM:US). I chose this talk for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was five minutes. Up to watching this talk, I didn’t know what a five-minute TED talk looked like. I think this will help with my own presentation greatly. Also, it was a story of survival. These kinds of stories really interest me personally. Ric’s brush with death really broadens my mind as to what my goals and aspirations are. It really makes you think about your purpose. Luckily, I already know what my purpose is. This TED talk, however, is a message that has been simpler to grasp and more clear than every other talk I’ve seen. This makes it a powerful message. I feel that this simplicity is part of what makes this message applicable to all. I will definitely incorporate simplicity into my talk, trying not to make it overly complex or confusing. Something that surprised me about Ric’s whole talk was his almost complete lack of fear. How could someone recount a near-death experience without talking about fear? All that I’ve heard so far have dealt with it in some way or another. For example, in Aron Ralston’s story, he felt fear nearly every step of the way, and told about it. It’s hard for him to even talk about his experience because his mind was in such a dark place. Ric’s ease of talking about his experience made it clear that his mind was not in a dark place. This really surprises me and changes my perspective on how certain peoples’ minds work.  During Ric’s presentation, he was never rushed to speak. He spoke slowly and coolly the entire time. I will definitely make my presentation less wordy to have this engaging effect. This presentation works because it is remarkable. Ric Elias’ views on what he went through are really unique. This unique message makes people care more. Also, I think emotionally connecting with people more creates a stronger message. I believe that an emotional connection can be made to an audience in five minutes, and this is exactly what I intend to do. This talk has really helped to inspire me to make my own better. His message is simple, his style is concise, and his vision is clear. Ric’s incredible story of survival can inspire all.

Food Revolution: More Than Meets The Eye

I have been very interested in Jamie Oliver’s work long before I saw his TED talk, so seeing it was very intriguing to me. His applications of his facts “to the room” really brings new light to his point. He states statistics that apply directly to his audience. I found this to be true throughout his presentation, and it made it very engaging. His style was what sold the talk to me. He made you notice it more, due to the way he presented the information. And that’s Jamie Oliver’s style. It makes you notice. You can also really see the passion in his presentation, enhancing it even further. His voice reflects his strong beliefs about obesity and diet-related disease. At the one point in the beginning where the audience laughed, he did not. This stood out to me as one of the most important parts of what made his presentation work. His complete lack of laughter or joy of any kind in the heat of his argument made it clear that he cared about his work. He meant business and that one moment made me see that. One thing I didn’t understand was how he got the number of obesity costing us 10% of our healthcare bills. How would this be calculated? This is one point that I would’ve loved more detail on. Overall, Jamie Oliver’s presentation is one of few that I’ve seen that seem to really utilize Daniel Pink’s right-brained attributes discussed so far in the book. I see especially large use of symphony and story in his presentation. He used symphony at the end to tie all of the facts together and make a point. He also used story by providing an emotional connection to his statistics that make them more memorable and meaningful. If you look at these attributes together, Jamie Oliver really has a powerhouse of a presentation. He has seemed to master the right-brained attributes already. It’s interesting to see someone understand them that you wouldn’t normally expect to at first. He seems to understand TED a lot better than many other presenters, which is  surprising. His point describing certain people as being at the “sharp knife edge” of this revolution really reminded me of the Civil Rights movement in many respects. The Civil Rights movement was also an uphill struggle, with many people being hurt or killed as a consequence. The Civil Rights movement also consisted of very influential leaders such as Martin Luther King. So, one could say that Jamie Oliver is the MLK of the food revolution. Imagine that. I also found it very ironic that Jamie mentioned the part about the purpose of school. Education’s purpose has been discussed in nearly every TED talk I’ve seen so far. This one kind of fits in with the rest, and I can see subtle connections between all 7 talks. The formula for each talk is relatively the same, but this one touches on specific points that they all share. His specific ideas for how to fix this issue also help his presentation’s legitimacy. He provides simple, effective solutions for all the problems affecting today’s world. If we simply listen to his message, change will be swift.

Dave Eggers: A Better World

Dave Eggers’ TED Talk was unique to me in a number of ways. Firstly, I was surprised by his presentation style. The irony is that he didn’t seem to have one at all. He has not been very involved in public speaking before, and it shows. One thing that bugs me about a lot of TED talks is the fact that some talk presenters rush through the opening/set-up too quickly, so that later, their point’s context is unclear. I definitely feel this to be true in this TED talk. I am still unsure of the context of his ideas. This entire presentation for me seems unorganized and confusing. In the end, I didn’t really understand why the audience was giving him the standing O. Why did the landlord at the building Dave wanted say that he had to sell something? Couldn’t it still technically have been a tutoring center? This is one of many things about this presentation that I don’t understand. All of his explanations seem to be circular and don’t seem to be very productive. He constantly comes back to the same point or doesn’t make a point. Much of this presentation could’ve been removed and it would not lose any meaning. His stories contain a lot of extra explanations that are unnecessary. If the fat is trimmed from this presentation, the message is pure. This message is one-on-one attention for students, which I believe helps them immensely. It is not a necessity, but it does do wonders when it is available. I’ve had great results with one-on-one attention in my academic career. Going to writing lab really helps my writing, and I think it is because there is one teacher concentrating on only you. Their undivided focus causes students to focus much more. Helping students in this way can change our education system forever. These one-on-one tutors can create a world where kids no longer stress about the heavier academic load being dumped on them every year. As Dave said, this can lead to a happy world. I very much agree with Dave’s views. I think that the writing the students did for the author led to much better writing in general. Why can’t we apply this to the rest of our lives? As a musician, I know that playing with people that are better than you makes you better. So if you want someone to improve a skill, pair them with someone who is a master of that skill. This is extremely beneficial because it raises the standard of the skill. After seeing the way someone else interprets a field, one gains new understanding of that specific field. This can be true of tutoring, writing for an author, or working with an incredible musician. If Dave’s message is picked apart, it can apply to more facets of life. The deconstruction and application of this presentation can help someone in every aspect of life. Transformative Partnerships can create a better world for all.