1.2.1 Getting their attention

Figure 6

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Illustration of a shouting man emerging from a megaphone.

Figure 6

Think back to how Bill Davenhall started his TED talk [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   earlier this week. He used a very dramatic narrative device (as he compared his heart attack to a train crash), but what was the effect of this on his audience?

At this point, it’s important to be critical, which is not the same as simply criticising. Think of the story he told and ask yourself:

• Is that the sort of information you would want to hear from a complete stranger?
• Bill comes across as a very authoritative figure; but what exactly gives him that authority?
• Do you think he tailored it directly to the TED audience?
• How else might Bill have started his talk?