On the first day of the CAPS class, we watched a TED talk by Steven Johnson. His talk, on the subject of where good ideas come from, I found to be especially relevant to my topic. He referred to many historical events, and this helped me better visualize what I want my final talk to look like when I present my CAPS project in May. After discussing how to give an effective and captivating talk, I brainstormed a list of ideas and strategies to keep in mind for my final talk. The list is as follows:
Hopefully, keeping these tactics in mind as I pursue my internship will improve the final product of my talk.
- artifacts -- Steven Johnson used historical anecdotes and interesting facts to engage his audience and make his TED talk more relatable and relevant. These "artifacts" enhanced his talk and taught people while proving his point. Incorporating relevant artifacts into my talk will do the same.
- ask a question -- This will give my talk direction and focus, and it will help me outline the goal of answering the question that I pose.
- address a social "truth" -- My topic might not be interesting to everyone, but it's my job to make it interesting and relatable. I can do this by addressing a social concept that everyone can relate to and understand.
- weave my artifacts together with my ideas -- Make sure that everything fits into the scope of the question I posed. Relevance and being concise are key. If an artifact isn't adding to the presentation but is just "cool," cut it.
- answer the question -- This doesn't mean I need to come up with a brilliant answer for a huge social issue or big question, rather, I need to stay on the topic of my question and offer sufficient information in response to the question, as well as create a thesis that addresses the original question.
Hopefully, keeping these tactics in mind as I pursue my internship will improve the final product of my talk.