The TED Talk “Why you should take a break: Prioritizing mental health in schools” was given by Hailey Hardcastle on February 2, 2020 at the Salem Convention Center. The speaker’s primary message is that states and schools should institute provisions to help students who are struggling with their mental health (TEDx Talks, 2020). Hardcastle relayed her message by first identifying a problem then proposing a solution to it.
The speaker proved her credibility by showing that she had experienced mental health issues as a teenager. Hardcastle narrates that she worried about many things when in school, which negatively affected her mental health. She was later diagnosed with trauma-induced anxiety and clinical depression (TEDx Talks, 2020). By narrating this story and sharing her experience, the speaker shows that she is qualified to speak on the matter. Additionally, Hardcastle says that she was part of the team that passed House Bill 2191, which grants mental health days to students. This position establishes her as an expert on teen mental health.
Hardcastle uses various techniques to relay her message, including stories, emotional appeals, statistics, and anecdotes. She began her talk by narrating personal stories about her experience with anxiety and depression, which captured the audience’s attention and established the speaker’s credibility. The speaker then uses emotional appeals justify the proposed solution. Death is a delicate subject that is bound to elicit an emotional response from the topic. The author appeals to the emotions of the audience by explaining that if schools do not institute mental health days, the rate of teen suicide will keep increasing. She also uses the statistic, “Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youths between ten and twenty-four years old in Oregon” to show that a real problem exists (TEDx Talks, 2020). She pauses after this revelation to give the audience time to internalize it. Finally, the speaker anecdotally compares life to a long-distance race. It is necessary to pace oneself and take breaks to avoid burnouts that could comprise one’s mental health.
The information provided by Hardcastle was organized and easy to follow. The main points of the speech were that the mental health of teenagers is important and schools can improve students’ mental health by giving them off-days to care for their mental health when needed. The speaker had a good delivery style as evidenced by her use of verbal and nonverbal components. Hardcastle had an audible volume and rate that was easy to follow. She also paused where necessary to allow the audience to follow her speech. The speaker also utilized nonverbal components of communication, including gestures, facial expression, and eye contact. For instance, she counted on her fingers the signs of a mental health crisis, including headaches and nausea (TEDx Talks, 2020). She had good eye contact and paid attention to people from all sides of the audience. Her face was expressive of the message she was communicating, and it was generally easy to follow her talk.
Hardcastle related the information to the audience by urging them to take action. A call to action is one of the ways to make a message relatable to the audience. The speaker was articulate and excelled at verbally relaying her message. However, she did not make effective use of the stage, and her delivery could have been enhanced by pacing a bit more. In general, Hailey Hardcastle gave a convincing talk utilizing various techniques and employing both verbal and nonverbal components of communication.
Reference
TEDx Talks. (2020). Why you should take a break: Prioritizing mental health in schools | Hailey Hardcastle | TEDxSalem [Video]. YouTube. Web.