Garr Reynolds's Blog, page 9

Sir Ken Robinson gives best talk yet at TED Talks Education

Creativity and education expert Sir Ken Robinson delivered two amazingly popular TED Talks prior to 2013. His first talk—presented sans multimedia in the true Sir Ken Robinson style — was made in 2006 and is the most viewed TED talk of all time. His follow-up talk given in 2010 also has been downloaded millions of times. I have seen Sir Ken speak many times and he is always inspiring and engaging, but his latest TED talk, presented at TED Talks Education in April of this year, is my favorite yet. Good presentation is a balance of information, persuasion, and inspiration. Presentations related to leadership must necessarily light a spark and point the way. Sir Ken does not scream or jump up and down but he nonetheless ignites, provokes, and inspires his live audience, and anyone else who cares to listen to his presentation on line, in a meaningful and memorable way. Millions of people have seen his latest talk, but just in case you have not, please set aside about 20 minutes to watch this outstanding, albeit short, talk below.

One of my new favorite TED Talks: Sir Ken Robinson in 2013



Quotables from this great talk
I increasingly speak on the topic of 21st-century education in Japan and abroad so I have a keen interest in Robinson's ideas, and I know you do as well. To help me remember some of Sir Ken's key statements in this talk, I chose several of his statements and put them in slide form below (on Slideshare.net). I have shared videos related to Finland's great success in education before. Therefore, the passages I chose for inclusion below do not touch on his statements concerning the lessons learned from the Finnish system (you'll have to watch his talk or read the transcripts for those points). The slides are in PDF form and may be downloaded. On slideshare you can easily cut and paste any of the passages (scroll down the page on slideshare.) I hope these simple quotes help you share Sir Ken Robinson's message and get the conversation rolling.

Quotes from Sir Ken Robinson’s 2013 TED talk from Garr Reynolds

Alex Kerr's illuminating presentation on sustainable tourism

One of my favorite talks from TEDKyoto 2013 was the one presented by Japanologist and award-winning author Alex Kerr. If you have any interest at all in Japanese culture, design, and lessons in sustainability then I think you will find this talk fascinating indeed. Alex structured his presentation very simply, first illuminating the problem and then taking us on a journey exploring some solutions to that problem. Visually, I liked what Alex did by keeping text to an absolute minimum and using stunning images that were, for the most part, beautiful full-screen images that filled the 16:9 frame and helped take the audience along on his journey. Alex Kerr's low-key, thoughtful, and visual presentation is a good example of the modern short-form presentation zen style. And the content of his talk provides many valuable lessons in sustainable tourism and beyond.



The power of visual comparison: Before/After & Now/Then, etc.
A common mistake people make with visuals is that they include photos that are too small. One thing I liked about Alex's talk was that his visuals included high-quality photos of his work that filled the entire screen (there were some exceptions). Alex also used a simple technique of showing Before/After photos in a way that made things instantly clear, showing a great transformation. The examples below were not shown side by side, but rather a "Before" photo is shown and then the "After" photo fades in to illustrate the dramatic change.


 
The "after" photos on the right faded in (cross dissolve) which had a dramatic effect in this presentation.


Alex Kerr presenting on stage at TEDxKyoto 2013.

Kurt Vonnegut on why art matters for everyone.

Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) was one of the truly great American writers of our time. In 2006, when Vonnegut was 84, a few students at Xavier High School in New York sent letters to the the legendary author asking him to visit their class. The fact that Vonnegut actually replied shows what a thoughtful and kind man he was. Vonnegut politely declined the invitation with humor and with grace: "I don't make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana," wrote Vonnegut. However, his letter offered beautiful wisdom and advice for these young students. You can see the entire letter on the Letters of Note website. Below is the bit that spoke to me (emphasis is Vonnegut's):

"Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow."

                                                                — Kurt Vonnegut

You'll never get a job doing that!
Around the world, mass school systems still do not understand the role of art in developing a child's mind. Yes, they sometimes pay lip service to the importance of art education, and then art is the first thing to go when money is tight. Participating in the arts—learning to play an instrument or to express yourself through painting, writing, acting, etc.—are valuable not because they allow you to tick a box on a job application ten years in the future, the arts are valuable in and of themselves. What is a life without art in it? What is a school worth without a deep commitment to the whole mind (and body) of the student, which includes art. "You'll never get a job doing that" is something I actually heard in high school when I spent so much energy on music. Later I heard the same thing from business or engineering students when I was getting a degree in Philosophy from OSU. Looking back, I do not regret spending so much energy on music, my only regret is that I did not spend *more* energy exploring other disciplines in the arts. I think I would be a much better public speaker today, for example, if I would have studied drama and put myself up on a stage acting in front of a large audience, one of the scariest things one can do. 

"You were probably steered benignly away from things at school when you were a kid, things you liked, on the grounds that you would never get a job doing that. Is that right? Don't do music, you're not going to be a musician; don't do art, you won't be an artist. Benign advice—now, profoundly mistaken." 

                                                                   — Sir Ken Robinson

The role of art & music in education
The advice from Kurt Vonnegut ties in nicely with a piece that came out a couple of years ago by Quincy Jones called Arts Education in America. Quincy asks "...can we really run the risk of becoming a culturally bankrupt nation

because we have not inserted a curriculum into our educational

institutions that will teach and nurture creativity in our children?" The most interesting part of Quincy's article were the words taken from the 1943 War Department Education Manual EM 603 that got its recommendations on jazz completely wrong. (Read it

— you'll be amazed.) Kind of makes you wonder what else — in spite of

good intentions — our educational institutions and leaders are getting

completely wrong today? If our recommendations are based on the

assumptions that science is not a place for creative thinking or that

the arts/humanities have no room for analysis and logic or that students

need to make a choice about what kind of person they

are — logical or intuitive — then something tells me we're getting it

wrong. We need both science and the arts...and we need to do better

teaching both.

"It

has been proven time and time again in countless studies that students

who actively participate in arts education are twice as likely to read

for pleasure, have strengthened problem-solving and critical thinking

skills, are four times more likely to be recognized for academic

achievement, four times more likely to participate in a math and science

fair...."
                                                         — Quincy Jones

Above: Slide with famous Picasso quote featuring a photo of my son banging on the drums before he was old enough to walk.

Related
• Bill Strickland makes change with a slide show
• Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
H/T Letters of Note website.

On sharing your own personal story to make a difference

Here are two wonderful examples of telling your own personal story on stage. These two examples below are from the recent TEDxKyoto 2013 event which I attended. In storytelling, the key is to make sure your message is about the audience, not about yourself. This may seem counter intuitive when you are telling your own story, when you are talking about your own life, but it's actually not so hard. However, when I say "about your audience," I really mean *for* your audience. Even when you are sharing aspects of your own life, it's in the spirit of contribution. The best presentations are always about contribution. The important thing is to choose a theme from your own life that is clearly relevant for the audience. Whether your aim is to inform, inspire, or to persuade—or a mix of all of these—your theme should be something which people can relate to, something they can take away with them and ponder. In both cases below, the presenters tell you what happened in their past to bring them to where they are today, but those details, however interesting they may be, are not the key theme. The particulars of the events are not the main point to takeway. For example, Patrick Linehan's point really has nothing to do with being a gay man. Similarly, Megumi Nishikura's message is not only for those in biracial/bicultural families. The themes of both presenters are really for anyone who has struggled with feeling "different" or feeling alienated and alone (which would include just about everyone at some point). The theme of embracing one's own difference—and the resilience needed to do so—is a message for almost everyone. These talks clearly resonated with the largely Japanese audience in Kyoto, I hope they resonate with you as well.

Embracing Different: Patrick Linehan at TEDxKyoto 2013
TEDxKyoto curator Prof. Jay Klaphake and I worked with Patrick a few times on his story and his delivery. Jay worked with Patrick more than I did. I created the slides to have a vintage photo album or scrapbook feel since Patrick simply wanted to show some old photos and project a few key words. So the visuals were kept minimal, large, and very simple. The screen was massive so all 1500 in attendance could easily see the old snapshots on the canvas behind Patrick. Although the video does not show it, the audience all stood and gave Patrick a very long ovation, one of the loudest and longest of the day. (YouTube link.)

























  


Patrick Linehan on stage at TEDxKyoto 2013.

Explorations into being Hafu: Megumi Nishikura at TEDxKyoto 2013
Megumi is a young filmmaker who grew up in Japan and the USA. She was born in Japan to a Japanese father and an Irish-American mother. Perhaps it's because I'm a member of a bicultural/biracial/bilingual family myself, but Megumi's talk very much resonated with me. I loved her delivery and her mix of snapshots of her past growing up in Japan and the USA. She was so inspired by her experience she created a feature film called "Hafu." Although Megumi's and Patrick's talks are very different in content, they share a similar and power theme that is relevant for everyone. (YouTube link.)

 


Megumi Nishikura's talk visually contained a mix of short bilingual messages and photographs (and her movie trailer).

• See more TEDxKyoto talks.
• TEDxKyoto on Flickr.

 

Talking about Presentation Zen with my publisher

In August, the family and I flew across the Pacific to California to see friends and family up and down the West Coast of the USA and Canada. On one of those beautiful sunny days, we were invited to drop by the new and very awesome studios of Peachpit Press, which moved from its longtime home in Berkeley to its new offices right on the bay in San Francisco. It's a gorgeous location. While my wife and kids were checking out the Americas Cup down the street, my publisher Nancy Ruenzel and I sat down for a chat in the Peachpit Press studio. We talked about presentations, TED talks, Japan, etc. It's hard to believe that it has been six years since Peachpit Published my first book, Presentation Zen. The 2nd edition of Presentation Zen Design is the 6th project I have now done with them. Really great people. (The photo above is at the front door of Peachpit Press. We were surprised to see the welcome message "いらっしゃいませ!").





Watch the interview (clicking above will take you to the interview on the Peachpit website).

Presentation on Resilience: Friday, Oct 4, 6:00pm (Hyatt Regency Osaka)

Next Friday (October 4) I will be presenting for the ACCJ (American Chamber of Commerce Japan) at the Hyatt Regency Osaka. This event is exclusively for members and for their invited guests. However, if you are not a member and would like attend — assuming you will be in Osaka, Japan next week — then you may contact the Kansai office of ACCJ directly here by email to request a seat. This is not a public event, but if you will be in Osaka next week, you may be interested in attending. The price for members is ¥8,000 and ¥10,500 for guests. You can find more information here on the ACCJ website. This interactive and visual presentation, which includes dinner in the beautiful Hyatt Regency Osaka's Sanctuary Kagayaki Hall, will incorporate some of the new findings in the science of resilience along with a look at the myriad lessons from the bamboo.





Title "Be Like the Bamboo: The Art & Science of Resilience"


6:00 - 6:30pm Registration starts, mingling, drinks


6:30 - 7:15pm Dinner & Networking


7:15 - 8:30pm Presentation & Workshop


8:30 - 9:00pm Discussion and Networking



Send email to:  kansai@accj.or.jp

360 degree visuals


Yesterday I checked out the venue down by the bay at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Osaka Hotel. The hotel is fantastic and the presentation room is quite special.The room will have a view of the gardens during dinner which are illuminated at night. Just before the presentation begins, the shades come down and video of swaying bamboo fills the entire wall, 360 degrees. There are four large 16:9 screens for the projected slides during the talk. Below you can see some of the pics we took during rehearsal (click for larger size). It's a remarkable place to present. Sort of like being in the middle of a bamboo forest. Hope to see you there next Friday.







 


Testing the projection systems at the Hyatt Regency Osaka's Sanctuary Kagayaki Hall for next Friday's presentation.  

Presentation on Resilience

Next Friday (October 4) I will be presenting for the ACCJ (American Chamber of Commerce Japan) at the Hyatt Regency Osaka. This event is exclusively for members and for their invited guests. However, if you are not a member and would like attend — assuming you will be in Osaka, Japan next week — then you may contact the Kansai office of ACCJ directly here by email to request a seat. This is not a public event, but if you will be in Osaka next week, you may be interested in attending. The price for members is ¥8,000 and ¥10,500 for guests. You can find more information here on the ACCJ website. This interactive and visual presentation, which includes dinner in the beautiful Hyatt Regency Osaka's Sanctuary Kagayaki Hall, will incorporate some of the new findings in the science of resilience along with a look at the myriad lessons from the bamboo.





Title "Be Like the Bamboo: The Art & Science of Resilience"


6:00 - 6:30pm Registration starts, mingling, drinks


6:30 - 7:15pm Dinner & Networking


7:15 - 8:30pm Presentation & Workshop


8:30 - 9:00pm Discussion and Networking



Send email to:  kansai@accj.or.jp

360 degree visuals


Yesterday I checked out the venue down by the bay at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Osaka Hotel. The hotel is fantastic and the presentation room is quite special.The room will have a view of the gardens during dinner which are illuminated at night. Just before the presentation begins, the shades come down and video of swaying bamboo fills the entire wall, 360 degrees. There are four large 16:9 screens for the projected slides during the talk. Below you can see some of the pics we took during rehearsal (click for larger size). It's a remarkable place to present. Sort of like being in the middle of a bamboo forest. Hope to see you there next Friday.







 


Testing the projection systems at the Hyatt Regency Osaka's Sanctuary Kagayaki Hall for next Friday's presentation.  

UPDATE
Here are a few photos from the actual presentation. It was really a fantastic evening. Thanks very much indeed to everyone for attending.







 

TED Talk: A story of survival, resilience, and hope (redux)

Storytelling takes listeners on a journey of transformation. The journey is a progression that reveals a change and the unexpected. Story has logic and structure, but more than anything else story is the transfer of emotion. Story makes us feel something. It changes our state. The TED Talk below by Joseph Kim tells the evocative story of his life in North Korea. It's a moving story and a presentation well worth watching.







Painting images with your words
Storytelling is visual, but the visuals can be created with one's words. Projecting a powerful image for people to see—with their eyes and their hearts—does not necessarily require a projector. Joseph Kim's presentation is a good example of that. The beginning of his talk has necessary bits of exposition, but his narrative wastes no time in bringing us in and making us feel something:

"Hunger is humiliation. Hunger is hopelessness. For a hungry child, politics and freedom are not even thought of. On my ninth birthday, my parents couldn't give me any food to eat. But even as a child, I could feel the heaviness in their hearts."

In the beginning we hear of Joseph's father dying of starvation, where it is implied that though starving himself, the father gave up what little food he had to his children. Later in Joseph's narrative this deeply painful event is linked with the incident at the dinner table in America years later. An incident that would be an epiphany and an awakening for him, an awakening that leads to yet another new direction:

"But one day, I came home and my foster mother had made chicken wings for dinner. And during dinner, I wanted to have one more wing, but I realized there were not enough for everyone, so I decided against it. When I looked down at my plate, I saw the last chicken wing, that my foster father had given me his. I was so happy. I looked at him sitting next to me. He just looked back at me very warmly, but said no words. Suddenly I remembered my biological father. My foster father's small act of love reminded me of my father, who would love to share his food with me when he was hungry, even if he was starving. I felt so suffocated that I had so much food in America, yet my father died of starvation."

The message
Most people are unable to watch this talk without tearing up. It's hard. Loss and separation—especially from one's own mother or father— are the most painful elements of life, a type of pain to which most people can relate. This is Joseph's story, and it's one that in some ways is just beginning. In the end, he leaves us with a clear message: the smallest action of compassion can make an enormous difference.

"My foster father didn't intend to change my life. In the same way, you may also change someone's life with even the smallest act of love. A piece of bread can satisfy your hunger, and having the hope will bring you bread to keep you alive. ...your act of love and caring can also save another Joseph's life and change thousands of other Josephs who are still having hope to survive."

Joseph is an inspiration. We all pray that he will one day be reunited with his mother and sister.

Related
• Hyeonseo Lee's incredible TED Talk.

Interview with Tokyo-based interpreter & author Yayoi Oguma

Below is a 40-minute conversation I had today with Tokyo based interpreter and communications specialist Yayoi Oguma. Yayoi is a best-selling author and she has a new book on the way, which we talk about in the interview. She is a sought-after language interpreter in

Japan for various IT institutions, medical, and retail companies. She

regularly interprets on Fuji Television and on the radio as well. Yayoi was chosen to present at TED's Worldwide Talent Search in Tokyo last year, and she presented on the TEDxTokyo stage as well. Yayoi is heading off to Australia next week to interpret for Tony Robbins's Date with Destiny, the second time working with Tony's event. Our discussion touched on English language learning in Japan, the field of interpretation, issues related to presenting in Japan, and so on. We also spoke about her work very briefly interpreting for Tony Robbins.

Links
• Yayoi Oguma's website
• Yayoi's TEDxTokyo 2012 talk

Can (and should) scientists become great presenters?

It's not simply a question of whether or not scientists and other specialists can be effective communicators. For that answer is simple. Yes, of course they can. The real question is should they work on becoming effective communicators with other scientists and non-scientitsts alike. Does it matter? The answer to both of these questions is also an emphatic yes. The best presentation book ever written specifically for scientists is Jean-luc Doumont's Trees, maps, and theorems. It is a fantastic book with many good examples of what to do and what not to do. Jean-luc Doumont is an engineer from Belgium who holds a PhD in applied physics from Stanford University in the USA and he is the most rational voice out there today providing training and guidance for a whole generation of scientists, science educators, and students from around the world.



I recommned you take the time to watch this entire presentation by Dr. Doumont, which was delivered at Stanford University's Clark Center on April 12, 2012. In this talk he explains why scientists

are often perceived as being poor communicators, and he discusses

the challenges of communicating with lay audiences. In November, 2011 I was keynoting at the Creativity World Forum conference in Belgium, so Dr. Doumont gracioulsy volunteered to drive all the way over to Hasselt to spend some time chatting with me about everything presentation. We were like kindred spirits. It's one of the most enjoyable 90-minute conversations I've ever had. Absolutely inspiring. I remember that Dr. Doumont said then that scientists and PhD students attending

international conferences reported to him that they actually did not understand

much of the content being presented and they reported remembering even

less of the actual content once they returned home. He says something similar in the Stanford talk as well. If you ever have a chance to hear Dr. Doumont speak or attend one of his seminars, don't hesitate to sign up.

At a glance
I realize that an hour is a long time to

devote to watching a presentation online, so below I put a few of my

favorite lines from Dr. Doumont's talk above. There is much more great content in the talk so please bookmark it and

watch the entire talk when you have a chance. Some of the quotes may

seem quite provocative, but you need to watch the talk to get the

context

"People can only learn something new if they can relate it to something they already know. That's the only way."

"When

people like you [scientists & PhD students] talk about their

research, half of the time even your peers don't understand what the

hell you are talking about, and when they do understand they find it

boring. That's the sad truth."

"Scientists cannot communicate

very well with non-scientists, but in fact they cannot communicate well

with other scientists either."

"If you are a PhD student, a

post-Doc, or even a professor, where have you been all your life? In

School! And school is the worst place where you could possibly learn

communication."

"You see the problem here. We are learning to

communicate by explaining things to people [professors] who all ready

know [the material]. What kind of learning experience is that? It's the

wrong approach…..on top of that the purpose is being graded, which means

we have to prove to those people grading us how clever we are."

"Find a simple way to explain something complex."

As I mentioned, the book is excellent and well worth the money, but if you can not afford that at the moment, you certainly will find this 16-page and free pdf document called Traditions, templates, and group leaders: Barriers to effective communication quite useful indeed.

Links
• Principiae.be
• Other great resources from Jean-luc Doumont
• Jean-luc on Facebook
• Another great talk at Stanford in 2013. Creating effective slides: Design, Construction, and Use in Science