After watching a few TED talks, it’s easy to see that they have a genre of their own. A TED talk is focused upon one central theme or idea and it can be a discussion over a variety of topics, from science and nanotechnology, to anthropology and human behavior. A TED talk is more or less, a speech with occasional graphics and use of a large presenter screen with images, videos, statistics, etc.
When I was watching all these TED talks, I noticed how the speaker tried to truly engage with the audience whom they were speaking to, and considering how large the TED audience is, that is quite impressive. The speakers do not speak from a podium or from their paper, but rather they walk around the stage and try to remain on the little red dot on the stage to be in the center and allow the audience to see them. They do not hide behind any sort of barriers and are completely exposed to the audience, which honestly scares me, but then again that’s just me. These speakers speak in a way that is not only engaging the audience, but they try to show their passion for the subject. With some speakers, you can tell that they are actually interested in what they are trying to say because they try to make it appealing to the audience by inserting anecdotes, showing images of well known sources of media, and by revealing their humorous side. The speakers are not your usual lecturers whose main goal is to convey their message to the audience and reveal something that people like us, may not notice in our everyday life.
TED talks give us a dynamic medium in which to learn new things in a friendly environment. There’s no test, there’s no grade, there’s just the love for loving and click of a mouse.
I really like TED talks. The ones I watched for class were actually very interesting and focused an great topics. They are delivered in an engaging and entertaining manner. It’s great to observe someone who is really passionate about their topic deliver a TED talk on the subject. I really enjoyed our class’ TED talks too. Many of the student presenters actually had very engaging TED talks. Though, it was nerve racking to actually give a TED talk, I really enjoyed watching them.
I really like the concept of TED talks and typically find them more interesting than an average lecture. Like you said, you can really tell that the speakers love what they are talking about and are very good at engaging with the audience. I find that when speakers are more engaging, I tend to pay more attention to them and learn better. One of my favorite high school teachers was my AP US History teacher, who was probably the most engaging teacher that I have ever had. You could really tell that he had a deep love for history, which made him such a good teacher.
Like you, I was scared by the thought of not having a podium to hide behind since I usually end up doing that when I give speeches. However, once you get over the initial fear and get through your intro, you begin to forget that there is no podium and just deliver your talk like any other speech.