Written by: Vickie Sullivan | April 07, 2015
Top 10 TED Talks 2015, Part 1
A friend of mine once told me “When I see a speech, I see a performance. When you see the same speech, you see a brand strategy.” She’s right. So here is the first part of my tope ten TED talks and the branding lessons we can all apply.
- Best use of story: New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas. You may not agree with him, so look past the details. Check out the narrow scope of the story, how he uses labels and how he wraps around insights with pulling the heartstrings. Great branding lessons on being memorable here.
- Best trip to the dark side: former Australian Kevin Rudd explores why we could easily get into a war with China. Check out how he compares history with what’s happening now to bust objections to his perspective. Also great glimpse on how China really feels about the U.S. And the way he ends with a hopeful message is a good lesson on blending good and bad news.
- Best visual of math (and story): Jason Padgett got mugged and turned into a math genius. His story was inspiring and his drawings showing math in action are beyond beautiful. Best use of juxtaposition, a fabulous branding tool.
- Best reframe of a well-known issue: human rights activist Gary Haugen shines a light on the biggest obstacle to global poverty that very few have thought of. And that reframe changes how we see any aid to impoverished countries. Great example of how putting a microscope on a big issue can differentiate our perspective.
- Best inch wide and mile deep perspective: neuroscientist (and stand up comic) Sophie Scott gave great insights about the role laughter plays in social interactions. Didn’t care about this issue until she talked about it. Great example of using just enough data to be credible but not so much data to be boring. Also made her findings practical, upping the interest factor.
The common denominator here: everyone represented a specific point of view. They were not just another voice using different words to say the same thing as everyone else. Folks, we can do this, too.
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