Effective use of simple contrast: do this, don't do that
Hello again!
I have a thing for "classic" TED talks, because they always show us how much can go into constructing a persuasive and engaging presentation: a mixture of strategies and details whose end result, however, looks deceptively simple.
And the thing is, maybe it looks so simple because it is simple? Granted, there are many ingredients to a successful mix, but each one of those ingredients is simple enough that it can be grasped and understood by the audience--who wants a complex, muddled idea? We want to be inspired, and inspiration usually comes in a flash. A flash of simplicity.
What is not simple, I will admit, is the cooking. It takes a lot of ingredients with a very clear purpose to produce a really good talk. But each one of the ingredients, taken one by one, are usually simple enough that we can replicate them. The ingredient I want to tell you about today is contrast.
Maybe the word simple is sometimes not the most accurate one to describe what's going on in many classic TED talks, but rather minimalist, a structure stripped to its bare essentials. That is, to me, the beauty of this talk in particular, called How Great Leaders Inspire Action.
If you feel inclined to watch it, I suggest you try to notice how a simple structure of contrast (do this, don't do that) is both at the centre of the idea and also at the centre of many sections and examples.
- Could you list all the examples and illustrations of Sinek's ideas that are expressed using contrast? It can be "look at this, not that", or "that was bad, this is good", or "that happens there, this happens here". I'm sorry to be so abstract, but you need to think in abstract terms to notice just how pervasive his use of contrast is, and ultimately, how coherent in the overall structure of his talk.
Enjoy! And share with us in the comments what you find in this talk (including the contrasts!)
I have a thing for "classic" TED talks, because they always show us how much can go into constructing a persuasive and engaging presentation: a mixture of strategies and details whose end result, however, looks deceptively simple.
And the thing is, maybe it looks so simple because it is simple? Granted, there are many ingredients to a successful mix, but each one of those ingredients is simple enough that it can be grasped and understood by the audience--who wants a complex, muddled idea? We want to be inspired, and inspiration usually comes in a flash. A flash of simplicity.
What is not simple, I will admit, is the cooking. It takes a lot of ingredients with a very clear purpose to produce a really good talk. But each one of the ingredients, taken one by one, are usually simple enough that we can replicate them. The ingredient I want to tell you about today is contrast.
Maybe the word simple is sometimes not the most accurate one to describe what's going on in many classic TED talks, but rather minimalist, a structure stripped to its bare essentials. That is, to me, the beauty of this talk in particular, called How Great Leaders Inspire Action.
If you feel inclined to watch it, I suggest you try to notice how a simple structure of contrast (do this, don't do that) is both at the centre of the idea and also at the centre of many sections and examples.
- Could you list all the examples and illustrations of Sinek's ideas that are expressed using contrast? It can be "look at this, not that", or "that was bad, this is good", or "that happens there, this happens here". I'm sorry to be so abstract, but you need to think in abstract terms to notice just how pervasive his use of contrast is, and ultimately, how coherent in the overall structure of his talk.
Enjoy! And share with us in the comments what you find in this talk (including the contrasts!)
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