What Public Speakers Can Learn From Ted Talks

Stacy and Clinton wowed the St. Louis fashion week crowd as they marched down the runway, announcing that What Not to Wear was there to collect a fashion victim, and eventually pointing out the girl in the "faux gorilla boots" and dreadlocks. Jessica was a good sport, saying yes to the $5000 and earning a huge round of applause from family, friends, and fashionistas.

So there have been times, especially recently, when I have felt like Cassandra, that character from Greek mythology. She was given the gift of prophecy with the agonizing caveat that she would never be believed. While my mother's health declined obviously and needlessly - in the hospital, where she should have been safe - I also fought to be believed. I like the following description of Cassandra because it is quite fitting: "She is a figure both of the epic tradition and of tragedy where her combination of deep understanding and powerlessness exemplify the ironic condition of humankind." Recognizing a precondition for trouble need not be ironic, however. Far from it: having the courage to act on potential problems is a gift.



OpenCulture - This is the motherlode of educational materials. They index hundreds of free downloadable audiobooks, courses from ivy league universities in video and audio formats, ebooks, hyperlinking to the TED chats, documentaries--you name it. The biggest downside to a website that redirects to every other website is that it can be difficult to search for specifically what you want. It's best to let yourself browse. You will never run out of interesting things from this site.

So when I held this ungainly fact up against his past behaviour -- of ignoring my messages -- it seemed to me these combined actions carried a message of their own, a message I was not happy to get. However, it was one thing for me to be unhappy; it was another to act on it. But the voice that spoke, just as I was about to cave and rent him the property anyway, said this: You are making a bad business decision. Be bold. And so I was. I spoke. I said no.

Examples of Lifeforce: Take your next presentation and after you have prepared all the content (including messages), practice delivering it out aloud a couple of times. When you feel you are starting to get familiar with the flow, take the opening one minute and deliver it as though it was the most boring topic in the world. Then, go straight into delivering the same one minute as though it is the most interesting topic to you. Record both rehearsals. Playback and observe the main differences in your delivery. Pace and intonation of your voice. Energy delivered. Which one would your audience prefer to listen to? Which one would be more engaging and persuasive?

But what about the idea of education for education's sake? Isn't that what college is supposed to be about - making you smarter, more savvy, more cosmopolitan? Ideally, yes. However, in today's world, anyone who wishes to become smarter and savvier does not need to attend college. The Internet can provide you with an amazing low cost or free education.

Interact with native speakers on a daily basis. It's one of the most effective ways to improve your accent, because it's easy and simple - you don't need to do anything complicated. Just speak with native speakers, listen to them closely and try to imitate them (pay close attention to their pronunciation and intonation).

Stacy and Clinton go through Jessica's wardrobe and find jeans with sequined embellishments, skirts with tulle layers billowing out, lots of funky prints, and flimsy polyester tops that "belong in a 13-year-old's closet." When they're done, there's nothing left--Jessica will be completely starting over.

'This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it'. -Psalms 118:24; 'Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.' -Philippians 4:4 13. Look at the trials of others. Look at others around you in the world and count your blessings. Consider how blessed you are as compared to the vast majority of the world who may not have what you have. Food, water, shelter, clothing-these are all luxuries in many cases-that many people do not have.