<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/67518e45-4db4-49a2-b993-50b1c1778e30/312fb718-f819-4b62-a72d-3deb81f95212/memo_1f4dd.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/67518e45-4db4-49a2-b993-50b1c1778e30/312fb718-f819-4b62-a72d-3deb81f95212/memo_1f4dd.png" width="40px" /> What words describe the highlighted terms? Choose the best answer. Then, read the article and check your answers.
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A couple of years ago, TED’s content director, Kelly Stoetzel, and I went on a global tour in search of speaking talent. In Nairobi, Kenya, we met Richard Turere, a twelve-year-old Maasai boy who had come up with a surprising invention.
His family raised cattle, and one of the biggest challenges was protecting them at night from lion attacks. Richard had noticed that a stationary campfire didn’t deter the lions, but walking around waving a torch did seem to work. The lions were apparently afraid of moving lights! Richard had somehow taught himself electronics by messing around with parts taken from his parents’ radio. He used that knowledge to devise a system of lights that would turn on and off in sequence, creating a sense of movement. It was built from scrapyard parts—solar panels, a car battery, and a motorcycle indicator box. He installed the lights and—presto!—the lion attacks stopped. News of his invention spread and other villages wanted in. Instead of seeking to kill the lions as they had done before, they installed Richard’s “lion lights.” Both villagers and pro-lion environmentalists were happy.
It was an impressive achievement but, at first glance, Richard certainly seemed an unlikely TED speaker. He stood hunched over in a corner of the room, painfully shy. His English was halting, and he struggled to describe his invention coherently. It was hard to imagine him on a stage in California in front of 1,400 people, slotted alongside Sergey Brin and Bill Gates.
But Richard’s story was so compelling that we went ahead anyway and invited him to come give a TED Talk. In the months before the conference, we worked with him to frame his story—to find the right place to begin, and to develop a natural narrative sequence. Because of his invention, Richard had won a scholarship to one of Kenya’s best schools, where he had the chance to practice his TED Talk several times in front of a live audience.
cattle= крупный рогатый скот
to deter= сдерживать
torch= факел
to devise= разрабатывать
to stand hunched= стоять сгорбившись
halting= запинающийся
coherently= связно
to be slotted alongside= стоять рядом
compelling= убедительный
This helped build his confidence to the point where his personality could shine through.
He got on an airplane for the first time in his life and flew to Long Beach, California. As he walked onto the TED stage, you could tell he was nervous, but that only made him more engaging. As Richard spoke, people were hanging on his every word, and every time he smiled, the audience melted. When he finished, people just stood and cheered.
Richard’s tale can encourage us all to believe we might be able to give a decent talk. Your goal is not to be Winston Churchill or Nelson Mandela. It’s to be you. If you’re a scientist, be a scientist; don’t try to be an activist. If you’re an artist, be an artist; don’t try to be an academic. If you’re just an ordinary person, don’t try to fake some big intellectual style; just be you.
You don’t have to raise a crowd to its feet with a thunderous oration. Conversational sharing can work just as well. In fact, for most audiences, it’s a lot better. If you know how to talk to a group of friends over dinner, then you know enough to speak publicly.
And technology is opening up new options. We live in an age where you don’t have to be able to speak to thousands of people at a time to have an outsized impact. It could just be you talking intimately to a video camera, and letting the Internet do the rest.
Presentation literacy isn’t an optional extra for the few. It’s a core skill for the twenty-first century. It’s the most impactful way to share who you are and what you care about. If you can learn to do it, your self-confidence will flourish, and you may be amazed at the beneficial impact it can have on your success in life, however you might choose to define that.
to encourage= поощрать, подтолкнуть
decent= пристойный, социально приемлемый
to flourish= процветать
to commit= придерживаться (принять решение)
capable= способный
to pluck up the courage= набраться смелости
If you commit to being the authentic you, I am certain that you will be capable of tapping into the ancient art that is wired inside us. You simply have to pluck up the courage to try and make your idea worth sharing.
<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/67518e45-4db4-49a2-b993-50b1c1778e30/31147298-1f4b-4cea-a36e-2e29466b80ac/memo_1f4dd.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/67518e45-4db4-49a2-b993-50b1c1778e30/31147298-1f4b-4cea-a36e-2e29466b80ac/memo_1f4dd.png" width="40px" /> Exercise 1: Match the words on the left with the correct synonyms.
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to commit
to flourish
to encourage
decent
compelling
capable
to deter
a) competent
b) to devote
c) to inspire
d) captivating
e) to put off
f) to thrive
g) adequate
