Ken Robinson's Ted Talk: "How Schools Kill Creativity"
Ken Robinson gives the Ted Talk speech to be discussed and it is entitled "How Schools Kill Creativity." Robinson promotes the ideology in this speech that modern public education has failed to foster the prosperity of innovative students. Mr. Robinson begins his speech by welcoming the audience and thereby establishing a bond with them. Then he proceeds to pose a rhetorical question: "It was great, wasn't it?" The audience is at peace at this time and can even afford to joke. This is the moment he introduces the theme of his talk and thus makes the audience aware of the content of his speech. The good thing about his introduction is that he manages to make the talk appear to be more of a conversation with the audience and less of a presentation to them.
How is the speech organized? Does it flow smoothly?
His speech is well organized and flows smoothly. To be exact, the speech is organized into 5 main parts. The first part is the introduction whereby he reminds the audience of the 3 subject matters that run via the presentation i.e. human creativity, talented kids, and an uncertain future. In the second part, of his speech, he shares stories related to the talk. In the third part, he provides statistics related to the speech, and a story about coming to America. In the fourth part of the speech, he gives a story of a girl who built a successful career out of dancing. The last part is the conclusion where he cites the climate crisis and quotes some few people.
How does the speaker particularly address a certain audience?
All through the talk, Robinson addresses the audience with humor. In his 19 minute speech, there are about twenty two laughs. The 1st 5 laughs originate from self-deprecation. By applying humor, Robinson has managed to put his audience in a wonderful mood thus making them more receptive to his ideologies.
What are the main points and are they clear?
The main points in Robinson's speech are about kids' creativity and how schools are killing the creativity. The points are very clear because he takes his time to explain how the contemporary system of education has been corrupted as a majority of the professionals are crushing creativity even without knowing it. According to Robinson (2006), the schools have failed to appreciate art and children are only being rewarded for being knowledgeable about a particular subject.
Which facts, quotes, statistics, expert opinions, or narratives does the speaker include?
Mr. Robinson has used some quotes in his speech. For instance, he quotes Picasso, a painter, and Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher. The speaker also presents some statistics by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with regard to education. Notably, Robinson narrates various stories to emphasize and demonstrate to his audience the importance of nurturing creativity.
How does the speech end?
Robinson ends his speech by giving a statement about the gift of the human creativity. He advises the audience to strive to utilize this gift in a wise way so as to avoid destroying it. He also emphasizes the importance of educating the children on how to use this gift. He is then applauded prior to leaving the stage.
Is the speech effective? Why or why not?
The speech is effective. This is because the speaker utilizes real-life stories to emphasize his main points. He uses a lot of humor as well and this keeps the audience alert and hence receptive to his ideologies. Moreover, he backs his points with statistics making them believable.
Did you learn something from the speech and did it maintain your attention? Why or why not?
Indeed, I learned something from the speech. For instance, schools and parents should strive to promote a culture of creativity because one’s talent is enough to make him or her successful. The speech maintained my attention and this is because I felt as if the speaker was conversing with me and not just presenting me with information. I also found the speaker's stories to be quite interesting and that is why I listened to the speech till the end.
Reference
Robinson, K. (2006). Do schools kill creativity? Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity/transcript#t-28159
