Earlier this year, a really great TED Talk was released called “Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality.” The speaker, Brian Little, enthralled all of us at Ethos3 – not just because of his public speaking demeanor and the relevancy of the topic to the presentation ecosystem (considerations of extroverted vs. introverted audiences remains top of mind), but because of his storytelling finesse. What we ultimately gleaned from Brian’s message is that any presenter or speaker should aspire to play these 3 parts in their performances:
1. A shrewd comedian
According to a 2016 study titled “Laughing Matters: Humor Strategies in Public Speaking,” the most effective humor in a presentation setting involves a variety of contextual elements – whether they be temporal, experiential, or physical. If the tone of your presentation narrative and topic allows for it, use humor to develop a greater connection with your audience. You could even open your presentation with a laugh like Brian did in his TED Talk:
“What an intriguing group of individuals you are … to a psychologist.” – Brian Little
Source: Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality
2. An engaging interpreter
Instead of opting for a more passive activity to make a point, illustrate it by making your audience move. Devise an action or experiment to emphasize a particular aspect of your messaging. Here’s how Brian did just that:
“With my classes, I sometimes give them a basic fact that might be revealing with respect to their personality: I tell them that it is virtually impossible for adults to lick the outside of their own elbow.” – Brian Little
Source: Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality
If you can include one or two activities like that in your presentations, you’ll be remembered for years. I mean, who could forget trying to lick their elbow in a packed auditorium. Not me.
3. A thought-provoker
When the energy from the humor and activities subside, ensure that you are dispensing a bit of wisdom and a lot of knowledge to your audience. Leave them with something they can use in their everyday lives. Leave them with something they can noodle on for days, weeks, months, and maybe even years. Brian, for example, introduced the concept of free traits and how they function as motivating factors in certain situations.
“What are these free traits? They’re where we enact a script in order to advance a core project in our lives. And they are what matters.” – Brian Little
Source: Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality
The next time an audience member starts a project for work, they will be more cognizant of their personality adjustments and how they impact the rest of the team – enhancing self-awareness.
Want to catch up on some more storytelling tips from some of our most-cherished TED Talks? Click on any of the links included below!
Storytelling Lessons from “The Agony of Trying to Unsubscribe” by James Veitch
Pitching Hope: An Analysis of Johnathan Tepperman’s TED Talk
