A521.7.3.RB - Secret Structure

Watch the TedX Talk by Nancy Duarte titled, “The Secret Structure of Great Talks.” In the video, Duarte describes a few different structures / outlines. She also discusses techniques used by Steven Jobs and Martin Luther King, Jr. For your reflection blog, share what of Duarte’s techniques you might use in your upcoming presentation and how you might use them.

In the lecture by Duarte (2012), the big message is that an idea from the human mind is the most powerful force known to man. The reason being is that it has the potential to change the world. However, the caveat is that the idea has to spread and become accepted by others in order to be effective. If an idea is kept inside the mind of an individual, then that idea has no way of being heard. The differences in the way that an idea is communicated can determine whether it is successful or rejected by the audience. This ties into the discussion that we have discussed in class in terms of message strategy. According to Whalen (2007), there are five effective speaking tools that are used in helping to convey a message being the tone of voice, facial expression, body language, word selection, and delivery. These components help us to communicate not only what we say, but what we intend to do as well. This can be further tied to the ideas of McKay, Davis, and Fanning (2009) in paralanguage, metamessages, and transactional analysis that also can determine the intention behind communication. For my presentation, it will be important to have the messages given for my idea to be as direct as possible so that my vision can be conceived by the audience in a clear way.

The most effective way to convey idea is through a story. Duarte (2012) asks the question why is it that a story is engaging, but typically fails during a presentation? She looks at various examples of story telling to include Aristotle and the three-act structure that includes a beginning, middle, and end and follows up with heroic storylines. In this case, she points out that most presenters take it upon themselves to be the hero of the story. What she found out is that it is actually the audience that has that role because they are the one that has the ability to adopting the idea given by the speaker. The goal of the presenter is to be the mentor for the audience in helping them become the hero of the dialogue. This idea can be used with my presentation as well. My goal will be to provide information on how automation technology in the home can help environmental sustainability, but it is up to the audience on whether or not they will take that call to action.

Duarte (2012) notes that at the beginning of every presentation there needs to be an establishment of the status quo or 'what is' followed by 'what it could be.' The gap between the two should be as big as possible in order to make a compelling case to the audience. This reminds me of the need to develop trust with the audience. According to Denning (2011), we should tell our story to others in order to stop being strangers and move toward becoming acquainted through a bond of trust. This allows a more personal connection to be made that makes the message more relatable because they can trust the message that the speaker is giving. After the initial bond is made, then it is in the capability of the speaker to traverse between these two ideas of 'what if' and 'what could be' to depict a call to action. Every presentation should have a call to action with an ending that describes what could be if the state is attained. For my presentation, the use of a future story helps to share a vision that can be adopted by the listeners. It will be important to tell a story that allows the listener to think about tomorrow's possibilities and to take action from this influence. This story will entail the current technologies that we have today and what it can do if people were to adopt automated technologies to save energy, time, and money. My focus on having a plausible story that is evocative will be an important feature to have in order to have listeners adopt this vision.

References

Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative (Revised and updated edition). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Duarte, N. (2012). The secret structure of great talks [Video File]. Ted Conferences, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks/transcript

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The communication skills book (3rd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Whalen, J.D. (2007). The professional communications toolkit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.