“The Happy Secret to Better Work”

with Shawn Anchor

by: Roland Athouris III

Shawn Anchor

!   Author of the international best seller “The Happiness Advantage”

!   Founder of Good Think Inc.

!   Harvard University Psychology Graduate

!   Professor of “Positive Psychology” and “Intro Economics” at Harvard University.

In this Ted Talk:

Shawn discussed the secret to more efficient work. He believes that happiness is the key to better work. Instead of working hard for success and then trying to obtain happiness.

!   To capture the attention of the audience Shawn started off by telling a story about his childhood. He explained how one day he was playing war with his sister, and she fell off the bunk bed on all fours. He mentioned how he managed to sway her decision to cry and tell mom by telling her what she wanted to hear. Which was she looked like a unicorn.

!   He managed to keep his audience intrigued by adding jokes and keep them laughing. Therefore it wouldn’t be boring and the audience wont fall asleep.

Dynamism Rating 5/5 I feel Shawn did a very good job by being dynamic and Positive in attitude.

Throughout his whole lecture he was smiling, cracking jokes, interacting with the crowd. He maintained a professional speech and used a well put together slideshow to help

prove his point. Other than that I really couldn't find a way to increase his dynamism.

Shawn used a couple tips from Garr Reynolds. For example, he knew what type of audience he was up against so he customized his material to fit their entertainment. Also he added humor to his slides which is another tip from Garr.

On the other hand Shawn followed just about every tip from Nancy Duarte. He opened up his presentation with a story about his child hood. He made sure his thesis and his whole presentation was structured and contrasting. And last but not least, he finished powerfully.

Since watching Shawn Anchor present, I feel I’ve learned a lot about presenting and public speaking. For instance, keep the audience entertained and never try to bore them. Keep a positive attitude by smiling, joking, and even ask a question or 2 the audience.

Comparisons

Shawn Anchor and Ken Robinson have many presenting

qualities that are similar. For example, they both keep the audience

entertained. Ken starts out by making jokes and telling stories and so does

Anchor. They both also followed Nancy and Garr’s Tips and delivered very

successful presentations. Also Both Ken and Shawn use personal experiences and the experiences of others to get their points across. They both used

close family members and an occasional friend.

Contrasts

Although Ken and Shawn had many similarities, they had differences as well. For instance, Shawn used a slide show but Ken didn’t. Also Ken had his ted talk converted into the whiteboard darwings, and also used way more jokes and seemed more serious in his approach. Shawn seemed like the jokester by keeping a smile on, and having a fast pace to his presentation.

In Conclusion, my tips to students for public speaking is to stay positive and try to speak clearly. Have a well thought out and planned

presentation to deliver and try to make the audience for get they’re learning something important by making them laugh and entertaining them. Use funny

stories, pictures, or just anything you can think of just to make your presentation one ok a kind.