TED Talk Analysis

TED talks are organized and highly-vetted public speeches that give normal people—people like you and me—a chance to spread their message to the world. Visit TED.com and watch several TED speakers. Note that you can sort by topic, speaker, and a host of other criteria. You can watch any TED talk you wish. If you’re looking a more concentrated list, you might also wish to visit this link, which highlights the 25 most popular TED talks of all time.

After watching a TED talk (or a few!), write a short 300-500 word (1.5-2 page) analysis of that talk. Please ensure that you cite the talk you watched in appropriate APA formatting. You should answer the following questions in your analysis:

What is the topic and who is the speaker?

How does the speaker get the audience’s attention in the introduction?

What are the main points of the talk? Are they easily identifiable?

What techniques of delivery does the speaker use effectively (e.g., emotion, vivid language, nonverbals, humor, etc.)? Please be sure to provide examples.

How does the speaker conclude the speech? Does it echo the themes in the introduction and “tie the knot” or does it go in a different direction?

Is the speech effective? Did it leave an impact on you? Tell us why or why not.

What did you learn about speech delivery after listening to this speech?