- Raneta Salecl started her TED talk off by introducing 3 quotes. I took interest to the first one by Samuel Johnson which was, “When making your choice in life, do not forget to live.” I believe this was a great tactic to immediately pull the audience in, because right from the start I found myself engaged with the speaker. Raneta then proceeded to link these 3 quotes which she shared to the “sweet anxiety of choice,” so this transition was very well done in my opinion. In terms of rhetoric, Raneta also used real life examples including her friend Manya and the woman she encountered at the wedding reception so by explaining these stories to the audience, we are provided with the knowledge that she actually lived through seeing others making choices and has great knowledge on this topic. In order to explain her ideas, Raneta additionally mentions other sources such as philosophers and professors from several universities to build off of her points. Several statements that Raneta made throughout her talk such as how self critique may often lead to self destruction, how many people have a passion for ignorance rather than knowledge, and that choice leads to individual and social changes are extremely raw and natural subject topics that I’ve never been confronted with. So for this reason, I believe Raneta presented her arguments in such a passionate way that really appealed to me.
- Building off of Raneta’s TED Talk, I believe she used evidence in various ways. Raneta uses outside sources to her advantage as a way of providing the reader with credibility that she’s well educated on what she speaks about. For example, the evidence of her personal encounters (such as Manya) gave Raneta leeway right into discussing how humans rarely make rational choices. Another specific example of this is when she told the story of the young woman at the wedding reception. This story wasn’t told for any specific reason; it was to emphasize her point that choice is linked to risks and unpredictability. An argumentation tactic that I found very effective was Raneta asking the audience questions. Rather than just providing the listeners with facts on top of facts, this way of presenting her subject matter forced the audience to take short moments of silence and actually think deeply about the questions. For example, a time when this happened to me was when Raneta asked, “We’re often choosing by guessing, what would other people think about our choice?” I thought that the strategy behind this question and connecting it to always having our decisions needing to be socially acceptable was very clever.
Writing and organizational cultures
I totally agree that the way Raneta introduced her TED Talk made me become engaged within the conversation. I think it was interesting how you noted how Raneta focused on self-critiquing and how it can be destructive to an individual. Her personal encounters with others also experiencing this same nervousness in regards to choice was great, and I agree that it was a great piece of evidence to use within her argument. I loved how she was also asking questions to the audience, as you noted, because it even kept myself interested with the conversation but also engaged in a way that I was able to answer the questions asked as the presentation went along.
Salecl also appealed to me in her TED Talk as I also felt the engagement in the way that she presented her ideas. Her passion was conveyed through the way she carried herself, and I also felt that because she included personal experiences it made me feel more connected to her and what she said.
I also liked how Saleci introduced her Ted Talk using the 3 quotes. I though that was a very effective way to get the viewers and audience involved quickly. That intro kind of led the way for the rest of her talk I feel like. As for the second question, Raneta’s use of personal anecdotes made her talk more compelling and it was an effective way of proving her point. It helped the audience really feel more connected and help understand what she was trying to convey.
I was quite moved by Renata’s Ted Talk. My wife often refers to the challenge of making the right choice as “analysis paralysis”. I could bore you with the number of times we’ve had conversations that end up going in circles about the potential impacts of our decisions. Whether its something like a bathroom renovation, or how to respond to something done by a friend or family member, the number of choices becomes overwhelming. “If I choose X, will that offend Y”, etc. We’re certainly lucky to have those choices available, but it doesn’t. make the process of deciding any easier!
Passion–emotional appeals–definitely play a big role in this TED talk, and it’s valuable to see that in action. Not only can this be a good way to engage the audience, but it can help to drive home the importance of the topic–we get most invested in things that really matter. Passion can drive academic inquiry, as well. It may not manifest in the same ways, but a person certainly has to be passionate about a subject to dedicate their whole career to studying it. Let’s not forget that 🙂
I felt the same way about Salecl’s introduction. Starting with the quote made me question how this would relate to her speech. I thought it was interesting you pointed out her use of quotes throughout, because I also felt like it was an integral part of her story telling. By referring back to herself she kept the audience at her level and helped them understand exactly where she was coming from.