Writing Homework Help

Step One – Find a TED Talk: To analyze a TED presentation, start by finding one that resonates with you. TED.com  allows you to search by topic or by speaker. Watch a few speeches until you find one that grabs your attention within the first 30 seconds and keeps you hooked from start to finish. Any TED or TEDx Talk will work for this assignment. Important Note: Please do not select a “Best of the Web” talk, as these presentations were not delivered on the TED stage.

Step Two – Take Notes: Begin your analysis by taking notes while you watch your chosen TED Talk from start to finish for the first time. What are the strengths of the presentation? What are the weaknesses?

Step Three – Develop an Analysis:After completing Steps One and Two, watch your TED Talk a second time. Create a thorough analysis of your chosen presentation by addressing the following five prompts in detail:

Identify the speaker, the title, and the purpose of the TED Talk.

Describe the storytelling in the TED Talk. What are the primary stories told? Where are these stories (introduction, body, conclusion)? Do the stories keep the audience engaged?

How does the TED Talk begin and end? Describe the techniques used to grab the audience’s attention in the introduction and to resonate with the audience in the conclusion.

Describe the speaker’s use of the following from Chapter 8: examples, statistics, testimony, and oral citations. Is the speech well supported overall? Which of these forms of support works best for the audience?

On a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), rate the TED Talk overall. Describe why you assigned that numerical rating 

and two responses for some Ted analysis

Response

Identify the speaker, the title, and the purpose of the TED Talk.

Theaster Gates presents, “How to revive a neighborhood: with imagination, beauty and art.” The purpose of this TED talk is to educate and inform individuals and communities of how Gates transformed abandoned buildings to create community hubs that connect and inspire those who live in South Chicago.

Describe the storytelling in the TED Talk. What are the primary stories told? Where are these stories (introduction, body, conclusion)? Do the stories keep the audience engaged? The longest story was placed in the introduction, here, Gates and his father made an art piece using their tar kettle, which was previously used in their construction projects. Another key story was Gates’ first neighborhood renovation which was placed in the body of the talk. These stories represented what is, which contrasted the what could be messages in the talk, keeping the audience engaged.

How does the TED Talk begin and end? Describe the techniques used to grab the audience’s attention in the introduction and to resonate with the audience in the conclusion.

Gates started off his talk with the statement, “I’m a potter”, along with a confused look and a trailing sentence. What could a potter possibly know about reviving a neighborhood? Anticipation lined his smile as he read the crowd’s confused looks. That was the plan. It was also planned to imply with his confused expression that he was right there with them, not leaving them behind, and if they could just stay with him a little longer, everything will make sense. Gates had successfully captured the audience by startling them.

In the introduction, Gates did a great job of grabbing the audience’s attention, but my attention quickly weaned, as it took him 3 minutes to start discussing anything sounding close to the title of the talk. The first three minutes was a very long background story, which built his credibility and underlying themes of the message, but again, this was hard to see until I re-watched the talk.

In the conclusion, Gates signaled that the speech was coming to an end by referring back to the first sentence of the introduction, “…It feels very much like I’m a potter. We tackle the things that are at our wheel and try with the skill that we have…” This brought the audience to his final message, this work can be replicated by others who are passionate, no matter what they start out with and if they are willing to learn. He passed off the figurative baton to the audience, which reminded me of the ‘Call to Action’ or ‘Return with the Elixir’, even though this isn’t a persuasive talk.

Describe the speaker’s use of the following from Chapter 8: examples, statistics, testimony, and oral citations. Is the speech well supported overall? Which of these forms of support works best for the audience?

Through the talk, Gates showed the audience four examples of the buildings that were restored in his community. He provides before and after shots of the buildings with descriptions of how they are being utilized today. I would have liked to see a few statistics included to show quantifiable proof that Gates’ community is beginning to be reformed. I do believe that providing examples was the best choice since Gates’ message does have an underlining theme of, ‘You can do this too.’

On a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), rate the TED Talk overall. Describe why you assigned that numerical rating.

I would rate this TED talk a 4 out of 5. I left the talk feeling inspired, which speaks for itself. Through critical analysis, I noted that there are many great features of this talk, but there are a few areas that can be improved, such as the length of the introduction.