Brené Brown’s June 2010 TedxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is a great example of how a presentation can make a significant difference in the life of the speaker as well as the audience. The talk has been viewed an astounding 4 million times making it one of the most viewed talks in TED history. Interestingly, Brown compared giving the talk to leaving a drunken, embarrassing message on your ex-boyfriend’s answering machine. She wanted to delete the evidence, and while suffering from her vulnerability hangover, she didn’t leave her house for 3 days after the talk.
So begins Brown’s second TED talk, given earlier this month, discussing shame. Brown is a funny, amiable speaker, and her biggest strength is storytelling. She relates stories with candor and wit, emphasizing dialogue and highlighting interactions with others.
It’s fitting that she opens her second talk discussing her momentous first attempt. She remembers thinking, “If 500 views turns into 1,000 or 2,000, my life is over. I had no contingency plan for 4 million.” After the talk went viral, she was offered countless opportunities to speak around the country and was approached by fans in public (“Vulnerability TED! Vulnerability TED!”) whose lives were changed by the talk. Such is the power of presentation, especially in this age of YouTube.
One of Brown’s strengths, and certainly a reason for her talks’ success, is that she gives a little of herself to the audience. She is self-effacing and generous in recounting her personal experiences, and she is honest about how those experiences relate to her study of vulnerability and shame. As a result, the audience connects with her, and is interested in and engaged with her material. In short, she gives a talk that’s fun to listen to.
Also, Brown connects further with her audience by involving them. She asks them to raise their hands if they felt this way or that way. She engages them, and uses them to strengthen and nuance her point. She asks, “How many of you think of vulnerability and weakness synonymously?” and then, “How many people, when you saw vulnerability up here (on stage), thought it was courage?” She asks these questions, allowing the audience to reflect for a moment, and then makes her point: Vulnerability is not weakness. Rather, vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, innovation and change.
Brown employs only three slides during her presentation, and all are heavily visual and do well to support her discussion. As we mentioned before, the strength of Brown’s talk comes in her use of storytelling and rich, visually stimulating language. It seems like she’s having a conversation directly with each one of us, personally, as she relates her stories.
She also speaks in metaphors to enhance her ideas. “Shame is the gremlin that says you’re not good enough…” “Shame has two tapes: you’re not good enough and who do you think you are.” Her speech is powerful in its conciseness and brevity. Stories exemplify her points specifically; they create a powerful and lasting impression on the audience. People remember stories and associate them with the message they intend to deliver.
A good instance of using effective examples is when Brown speaks about the difference between guilt and shame. She says shame focuses on the self whereas guilt focuses on the action. To make the difference even clearer, she says guilt is “I’m sorry for making that mistake,” while shame is “I’m sorry because I am a mistake.” This small inclusion of a succinct example of each reinforces and strengthens our understanding.
Never does an assertion go by that Brown does not support with a story or an example. This is the most effective way to present. Always, always, always support your statements with examples and evidence. Stories are the best way to leave an impression with your audience, so use them often and in abundance. “Empathy is the antidote to shame,” Brown concludes. “The two most powerful words when we’re in struggle: me too.” Storytelling is the best way to create and foster empathy in listeners. Give your audience a reason to think, “Me too.”
