The Ted talk I will be reviewing will be "My Stroke of Insight". This talk is from Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist, as she explains her experience studying her own stroke. Dr. Taylor explains how a brain hemorrhage in her brains left hemisphere caused her to lose all of her reasoning skills. This report will review the talk and it's different presentation elements.
In the presentation Dr. Taylor uses many different visual aides to emphasize certain points and to keep the focus of the audience. She uses a projector to help illustrate certain concepts in her presentation. She uses diagrams of the brain to help explain brain chemistry and anatomy. There are a few pictures Dr. Taylor family she uses when making personal or emotional statements. The best prop used in the presentation was Dr. Taylor's use of an actual human brain to show the separation between the hemispheres of the brain. The use of the brain was a fantastic way to show what she was trying to teach but also to get the audiences attention.
Through the course of the presentation Dr.Taylor used many different methods to convey her message and keep the audience engaged. Dr. Taylor talks about how during her stroke she felt like her sense of self faded away and the barrier between herself and the rest of the world were no longer there. She says this was caused her the brain hemorrhage in her left hemisphere which controls reasoning, logic, and our sense of self. She will also use humor to contrast the serious tone of the rest of the presentation. Humor can be a good tool if used well.
Dr. Taylor was able to grab the attention of the audience while also sharing a informative and inspirational story. She used used visual aides and humor to great effect. Dr. Taylor was able to share a great inspirational story using some key presentation elements to engage the audience.
Source: http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight?language=en
