Assignment Task:
Your purpose in this assignment is to analyze and evaluate the speaker's presentation, not to simply summarize or to argue for your own position on the speaker's topic. Your overall judgement of the presentation will be stated in your thesis about whether or not the presentation is effective or ineffective.
You can choose your own TED Talk or video; however, be sure to check your choice with your professor. Here are some suggested TED Talks, categorized by subject.
- Personal Finance: "The retirement remedy: The plan to make your nest egg lastLinks to an external site."
- Cyber Security: "The top 20 cyber attacks on Industrial Control Systems (ICS) vulnerabilitiesLinks to an external site."
- Human Resources: "Putting the human back into human resourcesLinks to an external site."
- Network Administration: "Top challenges in managing networksLinks to an external site."
- Business: "How to fix broken supply chainsLinks to an external site."
- Climate/Gender Issues: "Climate action's hidden opportunities for womenLinks to an external site."
- Peace/Art: "A project of peace painted across 50 buildingsLinks to an external site."
- Air Pollution: "The tragedy of air pollution and an urgent demand for clean airLinks to an external site."
Organizing and Developing the Essay
Structure your essay with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Set up your essay in APA formatLinks to an external site. with title and reference pages.
In a two- to three-page essay (600-900 words), address the following questions.
1. Introduction (background information)
- Who is the speaker? What qualifications, expertise, and experience does the speaker possess?
- What is the title of the talk? When was it originally delivered?
- What is the primary topic?
- What is the speaker's tone, and from what angle does the speaker approach the topic?
- What is the speaker's main purpose? What does the speaker hope to achieve?
- How does the speaker introduce the topic and engage the audience?
- Overall, how effective or ineffective is the talk? Note: The answer to this question is your thesis statement.
2. Evidence (support for your thesis)
- What types of evidence does the speaker use: examples, anecdotes, statistics, facts?
- Evaluate the evidence: is it credible, timely, and relevant? Why, or why not?
- What presentation choices does the speaker make while delivering the message? Consider the use of images or other visual aids, vocal qualities, humor, body language, and their connection with the audience.
3. Conclusion
- How does the speaker conclude the talk in an effective and memorable way?
- What is your overall judgment of the argument's quality based on your answers to the previous questions?