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For my out of class speech critique assignment, I chose to review Mesmin Destin’s TED Talk: “How Everyday Interactions Shape Your Future”. Mesmin Destin is a psychologist and an associate professor at Northwestern University. His focus of study surrounds how experiences and environment have the ability to shape people’s perceptions and ambition further on in life. Destin began his speech by opening with a story from when he was 16 consulting his high school guidance counselor about his plans for the future. He explained how his counselor’s bleak outlook about his college plans stuck with him for many years to come. He was told that the school he wanted to go to was very expensive and hard to get into. He followed by giving an example of a fictional child named “Reggie” which was the name of his brother Throughout the speech, Destin references the story of “Reggie’s” life and connects it to his main ideas. This speaker did an excellent job of storytelling throughout the duration of his presentation. Destin highlights how specific experiences, environment, and identity all work together to shape our individual outlooks and motivation in life. He uses the story of Reggie to exemplify these topics as it gives a relatable representation that audience members can resonate with. Destin paints Reggie as a young kid that is family oriented, has good friends, and lives a modest life. He explains that Reggie aspires to be an architect one day and has big goals. He narrates how a hypothetical interaction that “Reggie” had with a speaker at school gave him hope that his dreams were in fact possible. Reggie was informed of the possibility of need-based financial aid and scholarships that could help him achieve this goal (Destin, 2023, 4:26). He later goes on to explain how this one interaction shapes Reggie’s work ethic and ambition by reinforcing that his
goal was attainable if he works hard enough. Destin used visual aids including graphs and charts throughout his speech that supported his thesis and kept the audience engaged. He explained how not only were these effects mental and internal, but they could in fact have an effect on physical health as well He included numerical data and studies that supported this claim and further established credibility (Destin, 2023, 13:35) One aspect that shaped this speech to be very influential was the speaker’s demeanor throughout the presentation. Destin spoke at a relatively slow pace, taking pauses in between sentences. This helped to sell the story he was telling and keep the audience engaged in this narrative. He used appropriate language that was easy to understand, yet was descriptive enough to paint a picture for the audience. The speaker stands still for the duration of the speech and uses only small hand gestures for emphasis on occasion. I believe that the verbal and nonverbal delivery that this speaker chose was a crucial aspect to why the audience remained captivated the entire time. The organizational structure of this speech was also a key detail in the success of the presentation (Lucas,2020). Destin used a chronological approach to this idea and storyline. In my opinion, I believe this decision kept the audience wondering what was going to happen next, and made the story feel more relatable and true. Destin did a good job of appealing to ethos, logos, and pathos throughout his speech. He established ethos by telling his own personal stories that supported his claim of interactions shaping the future This would help the audience to see him as a credible source of information and take comfort in what he is saying. The speaker appealed to logos by providing academic studies, statistics, and facts that directed supported his claims regarding the effects of said interactions (Lucas,2020). He explains how a positive message in school leads to a child being 7 times more likely to complete and turn in an assignment. He also gives data that shows how the need to overcome barriers in the system and fight prejudice or discrimination can lead to more
inflammation in the body, and increased risk for chronic diseases (Destin, 2023, 11:35). At the end of his presentation, Destin makes an appeal to pathos by revealing that his brother Reggie who the character was named after, had actually passed away after being struck by a drunk driver when he was only a few years older than his brother. He then clarifies the connection between his brother Reggie and his entire thesis. He tells how his brother was an inspiration to his life, but how he never got to ask him the questions he had about the struggles he faced and how it affected his life. Destin closes his speech by inquiring how different things could be if people, leaders, and systems were taught to foster ambition and help others to succeed rather than spewing negativity. He urges the audience to continue pushing for systemic change that will support these children financially and with resources that they need to succeed. He finally ends by stating that the audience can individually make an impact by being inspiring to others and allow them to keep reaching for their goals for even just one more day. When Destin end’s his speech, the audience erupts with applause and support. It is evident that the listeners thoroughly enjoyed his speech and were able to take something out of it. In conclusion to this speech, I personally completely agreed with the speaker’s stance on this topic as a whole. After listening to his story and evidence that he provided, I have no doubt that simple interactions can have a substantial impact on your future. I think the message of this topic was very powerful as it inspires people to have a more positive outlook on life and spread hope and ambition rather than negativity. I believe that this speaker did a fantastic job with the delivery of this speech in the decisions that he made. The way he truly told a story that listeners could connect to make this message feel more personal and accurate. By providing a mixture of logical and emotional reasoning, it allowed a diverse variety of audience members to interpret this topic in their own way, and apply it in however they see fit.
References
TEDxChicago. (2023, February 15) How our interactions with people can shape their futures | Dr. Mesmin Destin [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGxGBLFpKyQ
Lucas, S. (2020). The art of public speaking (13th ed.). Mcgraw-Hill Education.
https://prod.reader-ui.prod.mheducation.com/epub/sn_3247/data-uuid762a36f55ce1490c9c4bcf25c0cdfb22