Lollipop Moments

I had a very hard time choosing a favorite TED Talk, I love Ted Talks and they are all different in their own way. All of the speakers, I believe are very intellectual and rather hilarious - but I have a weird sense of humor. I used this assignment as an excuse to lounge in bed and watch TED Talks. I watched 20 TED Talks today, despite already knowing which was my favorite. A video filmed in Toronto that I've seen on multiple occasions in high school and a few times since I've been to college. What makes this video my favorite, is well, we've all had “that” moment in our lives. It is called ‘Everyday Leadership’, however I believe a more befitting name would be ‘Lollipop Moments’. We've all experienced that moment in which someone has impacted our daily lives without them even knowing.

The most effective element in Drew Dudley’s ‘Everyday Leadership’ video is his ability to draw the audience in and make the Talk something most people were able to relate to. His tone was also very powerful. He draws the audience in immediately by beginning with questions, that at first glance causes a kind of skepticism - even from me. The questions posed were about leadership. Although often times starting with questions seems cliche, it was a very useful tool in creating a link to the relevance of the anecdote that was to follow. By incorporating this anecdote he personalized his speech which captivated the audience even more, without this personalization the talk would seem useless and boring. Additionally, the anecdote was used as the visual for this TED Talk. Throughout his speech he speaks clearly yet at a faster pace, he uses his hands at times to express his point, engages the audience in his speech and even causes them to laugh a bit. Although the pace of his speech is relatively fast, I believe this is done to get the audience to the meat of the speech faster and to see the connection. Also by keeping it shorter and even at a faster pace it forces the audience to pay attention closely to what is being said. Despite speaking faster, he still manages to speak clearly. Which is what every speaker should work on and perfect. He uses his hands throughout the speech which are ineffective and distracting; however, at certain times his hand gestures allow the audience to paint a better picture in their head of the story he tells. This Ted Talk has inspired me to pay it forward and to let the leaders in my life know, that they've helped me come a long way.