Ben Zander is a master at making the abstract both concrete and compelling. Let’s explore some of the things he does well:

0:14 While this opening vignette is well known, his delight in it conveys that it’s worth repeating.

0:36 The line “Glorious opportunity, they don’t have any shoes yet!” is punctuated with a gleeful expression, suggesting how the audience should receive the content.

0:38 Links opening vignette to his core topic.

1:05 “It’s not really an experiment because I know the outcome.” He’s barely into the talk’s second minute, and it’s clear he wants to have fun—and so do we.

1:25 He makes the abstract concrete by imitating a seven-year-old pianist. His exaggerations (tongue hanging out, head-bobbing, grunting, etc.) are playful and underscore his point.

1:52 As with time-lapse photography, we see and hear three years of progression in less than a minute.

2:18 Says the unexpected, but truthful: “At that point they usually give up.” His pause and smile create the space for the audience to enjoy the humour.

2:50 Here, Zander reveals his magic of how he made an abstract idea—the reduction of impulses—tangible.

3:31 “One buttock playing” is a vivid description and metaphorical lesson that is simple and inspiring. Notice how this sequence of demonstrations allows him to ratchet up his credibility.

3:53 How about this for audience interaction? He has already developed such comfort and trust with the audience, he can literally move them.

3:55 As he says, “Suddenly the music took off,” his voice and his hands do too.

4:05 He weaves in the notion that his work creates results, engendering more confidence in him and his ways.

4:12 “I wanted to tell you about you.” Talking about your audience is an instant way to capture their attention. He then keeps it by bringing to life the different segments, not in a dry academic way (As in “The demographic and psychographic composition of the classical music listener…”), but by creating rich composites of the various segments: “A little Vivaldi in the background doesn’t do any harm.”

5:22 He preemptively disarms the tone-deaf argument by providing a succession of simple and plausible counterpoints. This makes his assertion, “You have a fantastic ear” possible and therefore exciting.

6:21 Everything up until now has been stage setting for fulfilling his mission of having everyone love classical music.

6:24 He opens the hood on leadership: Conviction is important to inspiring followership.

7:47 He playfully confronts our drifting attention, “I don’t think we should go to the same place for summer holidays next year.” He pops up from the piano bench for some animated commentary and then sits.

8:45 “The job of the C is to make the B sad” pulls back the covers and makes classical music accessible and interesting.

9:23 More audience participation made possible by Zander’s trusting environment.

9:48 Specifically cites Act 1, Scene 3 in Hamlet, which subtly shows his command of Shakespeare. Uses the Hamlet comparison to underscore the need to postpone the anticipated ending and create the space for the rest of the piece to live.

10:54 Defines and demonstrates “deceptive cadence” with an animated facial expression.

11:18 Imitates the relief of the gentleman in the front row.

11:22 Simplifies Chopin: “This is a piece that goes from away to home,” and gives a simple roadmap for listening.

11:57 To join the B to the E requires the pianist to stop thinking about every single note. Similarly, great presenters don’t lose “the long line” of their presentation in the weeds of their bullets. He anchors the importance of being mindful of the long line by applying the concept to Mandela’s inspiring example.

12:29 “Bird and fences” metaphor is simple and vivid.

13:07 “You’ll hear everything that Chopin had to say.” Delivered with certainty to make us believers.

15:47 He summarizes by enumerating “listening, understanding, and being moved by a piece by Chopin.”

16:17 He uses the unexpected example of a boy’s reaction (”It felt really good to cry for my brother.”) to illustrate what is possible for all of us.

17:12 “How would you walk?” scenarios nicely bookend to his opening vignette.

17:22 Uses the conductor-as-leader metaphor to tighten the connection between classical music and his audience’s aspirations.

18:27 Repeats the question, “Who am I being that my players’ eyes are not shining?” to reinforce its import. And lo, man in the front row writes down the question.

Bravo.

Trevor Currie

Please forward The Joy of Presenting to anyone you think might be interested.

This TED talk ranks among the best I have ever seen. Sir Ken Robinson speaks about an important topic with humour and conviction. His message is bolstered with stories, metaphors, quotes, and a smidge of data. He is uncommonly calm, pleasantly conversational, and remarkably engaging. Find out how he earns a standing ovation and prepare to laugh out loud while you rethink your views on creativity.

0:35 He’s not in a rush to dive into his content. His demeanor is calm, and he is physically composed.

0:50 He synthesizes themes from previous talks by others and links them to his, showing he’s listening; he’s comfortable (not script-bound), and he will be relevant.

1:28 Uses self-deprecating humour delivered as an ad lib: “Actually, you’re not often at dinner parties.”

2:13 Establishes why the topic is important to the audience: “…it’s education that’s meant to take us into the future that we can’t grasp.”

3:07 He speaks with conviction: “All kids have talents, and we squander them.”

3:32 He responds to the audience’s response, creating an interplay which is rare and refreshing.

3:48 Two stories support an upcoming argument. The first story uses dialogue: “But nobody knows what God looks like,” which allows for a more animated use of his voice and a more colourful story.

4:45 Notice how settled his eye contact is. His eyes aren’t sweeping or darting around the room; they are connected to one audience member for a meaningful period before he looks at someone else. This combined with his measured pace contributes to his presence of calm and comfort.

5:33 Look at his raised eyebrows. He’s having fun and so is the audience, thus creating a feedback loop: He’s playful, they laugh, and he’s motivated to ad lib more.

5:55 He underscores his point with forceful gestures and repetition.

6:20 He quotes Picasso to support the credibility of his argument about kids and creativity.

6:54 A rhetorical question engages the audience: “Are you struck by a new thought?”

7:30 Builds layers of humour onto the idea that Shakespeare was once a child: one set-up, multiple jokes.

8:24 Says the unexpected, which is engaging and funny: “And we were rather pleased about that, frankly.”

11:33 He enumerates his points, adding clarity, visual reinforcement (hands), and subtly contributes to his authority. He does this again in a couple of minutes.

12:27 Striking statistic from UNESCO. Note: This is the only statistic he uses.

13:54 References Helen. It’s easy to reference the well-known speakers such as Al Gore. But he heard Helen, remembered her message and her name¾none of this prompted by notes. Referencing previous speakers is a great way to catalyze a relationship with an audience and endear them to you when you are a speaker.

14:30 More self-deprecating humour, amplified by the contrast between what he was making and his requisite cooking conditions.

15:12 Casually references his book. At this stage, the audience will likely like him, find value in his ideas, and might be inclined to buy his book. I certainly will.

15:29 He uses a story about Gillian Lynne to buttress his argument. It’s the desirable results, or what she accomplished, that make the vignette compelling. Would you be happy if your child entertained millions and made millions? Check and check.

15:35 “As you can see.” Cutting self-deprecation (he has polio, which also explains why he hasn’t moved since his entrance).

18:30 Uses a quote to set up his close, then links what TED celebrates back to his argument; i.e., if you buy into TED, then you’ve bought my argument.

19:06 Employs parallel construction: “…seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are and seeing our children for the hope that they are.”

19:23 Well deserved.

Trevor Currie

Please forward The Joy of Presenting to anyone you think might be interested.

+ 0:33 He wants to talk about what’s on the audience’s mind by answering their questions.  He speaks for less than ten minutes and then answers questions for the rest of his session. This degree of audience focus is rare.  He doesn’t just ask for questions, he encourages “hard balls.”  That’s confidence.

+ 2:04 Colourful quote to set up the importance of integrity.  ”If they don’t have integrity, you want them dumb and lazy, not smart and energetic.”

+ 2:39 He uses interesting hypothetical scenarios to make his point memorable and compelling.

+ 3:59 His anecdotal quote allows his voice and hands to animate.  He’s having fun and so is the audience.  If you tighten up as a speaker, the audience will be tight too.

+ 4:46 He his unfazed by a technical glitch.  And he tosses in some self-deprecating humour.  If you don’t make a big deal of technical glitches, the audience won’t either.

+ 5:45 His quote adds interest and levity while reinforcing his straightforward point.

+ 8:02 He periodically leaks in some technical detail or something that shows he has a deep understanding.  The casual way he calls up the ROE of Japanese businesses suggests he could do the same for many other countries.  People who load their discourse with technical jargon when addressing less sophisticated audiences often appear to be overcompensating for an insecurity.  Sages can speak simply.

+ 8:30 He uses analogy to simplify the complex while adding levity.

Throughout the whole session, he speaks in the same way he would to his family, his business partners and his friends, reinforcing his authenticity.

As with most presenters, Warren could improve.  Warren, if you are interested to learn how, call me.

Trevor Currie

Please forward The Joy of Presenting to anyone you think might be interested.