The modern world cannot be imagined without communication and the virtue of public speaking. Today, when communication has become easier and more accessible than ever before, people feel the need to define their identity to draw the audience’s attention (Schultze, 2020). The issue became especially relevant when platforms like TED had been introduced to a broad audience, giving people that chance to spread their vision of the world with the community. One of the most successful speeches ever given in terms of the project is Tim Urban’s speech on procrastination. During the presentation, the speaker was telling the audience a story of one’s personal experience with procrastination and ways of its perception (Urban, 2016). However, apart from the excellent content provided by the author, there were aspects like non-verbal communication with the audience that mattered during the speech.
To begin with, Tim Urban did not have a habit of hiding from the audience by avoiding any eye contact. On the contrary, he was willing to engage with the audience through eye contact supported by various non-verbal cues like facial expressions that conveyed confidence and benevolence. The speaker appeared quite prepared for the speech, as he did not look through any notes during the speech, and the speech structure was coherent and easy to perceive. This aspect also demonstrates that the speaker is not afraid of speaking in front of the audience, which makes the presentation even more engaging. The connection with the audience was conveyed through numerous jokes and relatable situations from the speaker’s life. As a result, it might be noticed how the audience kept nodding and reacting to specific parts of the speech. Urban appeared to look extremely competent in the field of the discussion due to his ability to explain the subject in a way accessible to everyone. Thus, taking into consideration the following observations, it might be concluded that the major speaker’s intent was to share a personal experience with a broad audience without making the subject too sophisticated for some spectators.
References
Schultze, Q. J. (2020). An essential guide to public speaking: Serving your audience with faith, skill, and virtue. Baker Academic.
Urban, T. (2016). Inside the mind of a master procrastinator [Video file]. Web.