Angela Lee Duckworth: The key to success? Grit

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Angela Lee Duckworth, Carol Dweck, education, grit, growth mindset, superteacher, TED, TED Talk, The key to success? Grit

Angela Lee Duckworth’s “The key to success? Grit” reinforces the theories of my favorite superteacher mentor: Carol Dweck.  Duckworth explains that learning is based not on natural intelligence but on hard work.  She references Dweck’s work around the 5:00 mark:

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Duckworth defines “grit” as “passion and perseverance for very long term goals; having stamina; sticking with your future day in and day out FOR YEARS; working really hard to make that future a reality; living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint” (Source).  The best part is that grit isn’t even related to natural talent!

Building grit in students is all about encouraging and nurturing the growth mindset.  When I first heard of Dweck’s work a year ago, I was blown away.  Dweck’s book highlighted everything I’d been experiencing as a teacher, and she helped me to put my teaching philosophy into words.

Dweck’s work also inspired me to teach my college students the growth mindset starting on the first day of every new class.  On Day #1, we write down three goals.  I have mine, and the students develop theirs.  I explain again and again that to be a great public speaker, to be a great presenter, you have to work hard.  It’s not about natural talent or charm or charisma… It’s about working your butt off.  You can see that all three of my goals encourage that growth mindset.  Most students embrace this because most people are comforted by and embrace the growth mindset.

With public speaking and presentation, a growth mindset is essential.  A teacher I worked with a few years ago claimed that “charisma” was this innate, natural quality that you were born with… She taught her students that some people had charisma and some didn’t.  I find this fixed mindset in the presentation field alarming and damaging.  The fixed mindset says you are either born with the ability to present well or you’re not, and if that’s the case, why bother taking a speech class?  Why bother taking any classes at all?  If you’re born with all the smarts you’ll ever have, education as a whole is pointless!

I highly recommend that you read Dweck’s book and watch Duckworth’s TED Talk.  Today, I will be searching for more of Duckworth’s work so that I can see her contributions to the field and learn more about teaching the growth mindset to my students.  Superteachers, is it possible to teach the growth mindset to college students?  How do we encourage that growth mindset to those super fixed mindset students?

Juan Enriquez: Your online life, permanent as a tattoo

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advice, communication, Juan Enriquez, permanent as a tattoo, social media, TED, TED Talk, Your online life

Another huge reason I deactivated my Facebook account was because I found the social networking site becoming more and more invasive and terrifying.  People complain about their work on Facebook; post really negative images and ideas; document personal details about their lives; and forget that their every move is behind recorded for eternity.

Juan Enriquez’s TED Talk “Your online life, permanent as a tattoo” explains the now-blurred lines between public and private life.  Everything we do on the Internet is our “online tattoo” that will live far longer than we will.  To me, this idea is scary.

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Of course, Enriquez doesn’t focus exclusively on Facebook, though, I would argue, this is the place people share the most about their private life.  Enriquez’s four lessons can help us navigate the online world: 1) be careful what you post; 2) don’t look too far in the past of those you love; 3) remember the purpose (don’t get distracted by those “golden apples”); and 4) don’t fall in love with your own reflection.  To be able to follow these lessons, we definitely need perspective.  Can you imagine being 13 or 14 years old and understanding the magnitude of what you’re doing online?

What did you think about Enriquez’s TED Talk?  How do you maintain your online persona?  Is your online tattoo largely positive or negative?

Janine di Giovanni’s What I saw in the war

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Janine di Giovanni, presentation, public speaking, TED, TED Talks, TEDxWomen, What I saw in the war

While I haven’t seen as many TED Talks as I would like, I try to watch at least one new Talk a week.  With the release of TED 2013 talks, I’ve been checking out a lot of brand new ones from the latest conference.  Today, however, I stumbled across a TEDxWomen Talk from 2012.  ”What I saw in the war” by reporter Janine di Giovanni is absolutely amazing from start to finish.  Watch it below:

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Janine di Giovanni has been all over the world: Bosnia, Rwanda, Syria… She uses storytelling to try to make the death toll real for her audience.  She says, ““My role [as a war correspondent] is to bring a voice to people who are voiceless [and] to shine a light in the darkest corners of the world” (Source).  If you can watch the presentation once to appreciate the content, watch it twice to appreciate di Giovanni’s delivery.  She is composed and poised despite the horrific, gut-wrenching topic.  I’d also like to point out her use of a single note card.  YES, you can use notes in a presentation and even on the TED stage.  Sometimes, my students feel that the use of notecards is weak.  I think it shows a commitment to your audience.

What did you like most about “What I saw in the war” by Janine di Giovanni?  Have you watched any great TED Talks over the weekend?

Kakenya Ntaiya: A girl who demanded school

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A girl who demanded school, education, Kakenya Ntaiya, TED, TED Talks

This morning, I watched Kakenya Ntaiya’s “A girl who demanded school.”  You have to stop what you’re doing and watch this presentation right now.  It is one of the most powerful stories of courage and determination that I have ever heard.

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As a fellow female, Ntaiya’s story makes me so unbelievably proud of what women work to overcome all over the world.  I feel angry and heartbroken by Ntaiya’s story, but I also feel so excited and optimistic about what women will continue to do my lifetime.

As a teacher, Ntaiya’s story makes me sad that so many people take their education for granted.  She says, “When I came to America, I learned that I did not have to trade part of my body to get an education” (Source).  But she did.

As a public speaker and presenter, Ntaiya’s speech resonated with me because of its use of story as the primary communication vehicle.  She could have used statistics and startling facts to promote her call to action, but her personal story and the stories of the young girls she works with helped her audience to put faces and people with the facts.

Be fearless!

TED 2013 Has Begun!

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presentation, public speaking, TED, TED 2013, TED Talks

Today begins TED 2013.  Learn more about this year’s presenters in the official Program Guide.  I am most excited to see speeches by Nilofer Merchant, Rich + Tone, John McWhorter, Orly Wahba, and Jinsop Lee.  I was excited to see that nearly 30 women are presenting at this year’s conference.  And can you believe Bono is presenting?!

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Follow TED’s blog here.  You can also check out all of the action as it happens on Twitter and on Facebook.

TED-Ed: The Place For Superteachers

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education, superteachers, TED, TED-Ed

This morning, I received an email from TED-Ed, an offshoot of TED.com that focuses on education.  The website’s “About” section explains: “TED-Ed’s commitment to creating lessons worth sharing is an extension of TED’s mission of spreading great ideas. Within the growing TED-Ed video library, you will find carefully curated educational videos, many of which represent collaborations between talented educators and animators nominated through the TED-Ed platform” (Source).

You’ll definitely want to visit the TED-Ed website and sign up for the email list.  The emailed newsletter includes a few sample lessons; a TED Talk Lessons section; a “Featured User Flip;” a featured blog post; and a “Get Involved” section.

Follow the TED-Ed blog here.

Markham Nolan: How To Separate Fact and Fiction Online

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How to Separate Fact and Fiction Online, inspiration, Markham Nolan, TED, TED Talks

Since my husband had to work all week, my mom flew to Orlando to spend the Christmas holidays with me.  We had such an amazing time shopping, dining, running, and screening movies.  Unfortunately, during all of the holiday fun, I haven’t been able to decompress by watching any TED Talks.  Today, after my mom’s plane left, I finally got a chance to sit around my dining room table and search TED.com.  I was instantly inspired by something new: Markham Nolan’s “How To Separate Fact and Fiction Online.”  Watch it here:

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I love the idea that with new technology and new media, there are more “reporters” than ever before.  Websites like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter break news almost instantly… and for free.  The way we received news in the past has completely changed.  This is something we talked a lot about in my Legal and Ethical Issues in Communication class at UCF.  My amazing professor, Dr. Voss, wanted us to really look at the laws of the past (especially the First Amendment) that are shifting under our feet with all of these new technologies.

Nolan urges us to think critically about the images, status updates, and videos that we see on the Internet.  We have to scrutinize the source of all of the information we receive and filter the fiction from the facts.  This relates directly to the class that I teach, Professional Communication and Presentation, because we focus on research and logos when building a speech.  A presentation has to be backed by credible, reliable source material… but how do you really know if your source is legit?

Do you think the widespread use of social media has changed the landscape of “the news” in a positive or negative way?  How do you separate fact from fiction online?

*PS: Be sure to check out the data visualization at about the six minute mark.  It’s amazing!

In Honor of TED Billion: 3 Essential TED Talks

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#TEDBillion, Ethos3, presentation, public speaking, TED, TED Talks

As I mentioned last month, Ethos3′s “3 Essential TED Talks for the Presenter” is a great read because the article considers 3 favorite TED Talks in accordance with the presentation stool: content by Jill Bolte Taylor; design by Al Gore; and delivery by Beeban Kidron.  That got me thinking about the 3 TED Talks I’d recommend for each “leg” of the presentation stool.  Inspired by Ethos3 and in honor of TED’s billionth view, here are my picks:

Best Content: LZ Granderson’s “Myth Of The Gay Agenda”

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You won’t see stronger content than the message in LZ Granderson’s TEDxGrand Rapids Talk.  This speech is rhetorically masterful.  Built around story and the Sparkline, Granderson uses humor and audience interaction to capture and keep his audience’s attention at first, but then uses storytelling and emotion alongside startling state maps to provide evidence to support his claims.  Read my initial review of Granderson’s TED Talk here.

Best Delivery: Lisa Kristine’s “Photos That Bear Witness To Modern Slavery”

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Lisa Kristine’s TED Talk is serious, heart-wrenching, and important.  Her delivery matches the tone of her content.  Lisa Kristine’s delivery is strong because it follows TED Commandment #9, engages her audience through movement and steady eye contact, and communicates nonverbally in a regal, dignified way.  What I like most about her delivery is her verbal communication.  She has a beautiful, melodic voice that maintains her audience’s attention from start to finish in an authentic, natural way.

Best Design: Nancy Duarte’s “The Secret Structure Of Great Talks”

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Nancy Duarte‘s TED Talk had to have great slides.  Her company, Duarte Design, is responsible for creating some of the most impacting presentation slides on the planet.  Take Al Gore for example.  In fact, Al Gore’s TED Talk was Ethos3′s “Best Design” pick!  Nancy Duarte’s TED Talk had a lofty goal: to explain the Sparkline, the structure of a great presentation, to others.  Her slides were beautiful, reinforced her message clearly, and explained an abstract idea in a concrete way.

What TED Talks would you pick for Best Content, Best Delivery, and Best Design?

Inspiration: Paolo Cardini’s Case for Monotasking

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inspiration, monotasking, multitasking, Paolo Cardini, TED, TED Talks

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I love the idea of “monotasking,” and Cardini’s short talk really resonated with me on this beautiful Sunday afternoon.  After reading John Medina’s Brain Rules, I now understand that we can’t actually multitask.  Media says, “The brain is not capable of multi-tasking. We can talk and breathe, but when it comes to higher level tasks, we just can’t do it” (Source).  When we have several windows open on our laptop, we can’t type an instant message; watch Cardini’s TED Talk; listen to music; read an article; and grade a student paper at the same time.  We can switch between tasks rapidly; however, Media explains that switching back and forth between tasks actually causes problems for us.

Medina argues that we should think of our attention as a flashlight: “Think of attention as the beam of a flashlight. No matter how hard you try, you can never shine the flashlight on two separated objects simultaneously – all you can do is rapidly switch the beam back and forth between them” (Source).  It takes longer to re-focus on a task when we do the switching back and forth.  We must learn to focus on one task at a time so that we can actually accomplish more… more quickly.

The subject of Cardini’s TED Talk is hugely important to me.  I don’t understand most smartphone users because I find that they are never really there in the present moment.  My students are playing with their iPhones under the desk as opposed to listening to or participating in class discussion.  My friends are constantly texting, updating Facebook, and Tweeting during lunches or dinners instead of paying attention to our conversation.  People with smartphones are more wrapped up in taking pictures of their life to put on Facebook than in actually living that life.  Smartphones may help people stay connected, but that connection is 100% virtual.  Smartphone users prefer multitasking in the virtual world as opposed to living in the real one.

As opposed to embracing smartphone technology, I want to move backward.  I want to eliminate my smartphone from my life entirely.  In fact, I’d love a phone with one purpose: to call others and to receive calls.  This would help me resist “the ping” of email, social media, and texts.  It would also help me resist constructing a fake life as opposed to living my real one (read more about this in my previous post about Sherry Turkle).  I was strong enough to resist the pull of Facebook, and I’ve been Facebook free for a year and a half.  Cutting down on social media and on the smartphone will help me live a more simple and fulfilling life, and it will help me monotask on the important things.  Cardini’s TED Talk focuses on what I’d like to spend 2013 doing more of: monotasking.

Have you seen any TED Talks that help you solidify your goals for next year?  Have you started creating your resolutions yet?

Inspiration: Julie Burstein’s 4 Lessons in Creativity

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creativity, inspiration, Julie Burnstein, lessons in creativity, TED, TED Talks

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Although I first found myself distracted by the table of people behind her, Julie Burstein’s “4 Lessons in Creativity” is a mesmerizing TED Talk about creativity.  I love her impromptu speaking when her prop doesn’t behave as planned.  I love the multimedia storytelling from others Burstein incorporates into her talk.  I especially love her ideas about embracing experience, challenge, limitation, and loss… Creators must not be afraid to create despite the existence of these four in our lives.

What great TED Talks have you been watching lately?