Written by: Vickie Sullivan | April 09, 2015
Top 10 TED Talks 2015, Part 2
We continue our last post by rounding out the top ten TED talks and the branding lessons we can use.
- Best glimpse into new worlds: urban sociologist Alice Goffman inserted herself into a world few of us want to be in. Her slice-of-life stories show the impact of going narrow in storytelling. And her drilling down into the lives of two brothers makes her points come to life emotionally. You can’t help but feel the injustice in this situation. She leaves no room for blame at 30,000 feet.
- Best blend of visual and verbal storytelling: Stacey Baker and Alec Soth hilariously explore love and how we met stories. The photos and their commentary are just priceless. If this doesn’t compel speakers to get off of PowerPoint, nothing will.
- Best explainer: cancer researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee points out the one thing that changed everything. And focusing on the impact of a single development can shift how we approach a big issue like cancer and other diseases. Great tactic for setting up and for creating a framework for buying into unique solutions. We can do this too.
- Best formula for action: Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi says his talk is about anger. But that’s just a springboard for a formula we can all implement to make the world a better place. Ask yourself: what emotion can you start with and use as a conduit for a rallying cry? And…what’s your fomula for spurring action? Is it easy to implement?
- Best use of quirky characters: radio producers Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva highlighted the life of hardened criminal turned financial advisor in San Quentin. Great example of juxtaposition and surprising plot twists. Listen to this for tips on making a story (and inspiring message) come alive.
And bonus item: check out all the musical acts. These were so off the charts that I didn’t list any of them because I didn’t want to choose. Branding lesson here: see how performance is linked to a greater cause. These performances were all a personification of a bigger message.
The underlying theme of these great talks: they employ more than the spoken word. Ask yourself: how can I show more and tell less?
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