TEDxEast
Nancy Duarte: The secret structure of great talks
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From the "I have a dream" speech to Steve Jobs' iPhone launch, many great talks have a common structure that helps their message resonate with listeners. In this talk, presentation expert Nancy Duarte shares practical lessons on how to make a powerful call-to-action.
Nancy Duarte - CEO, presentation designer
Nancy Duarte believes that ideas are the most powerful tools people have. Her passion is to help every person learn to communicate their world-changing idea effectively. Full bio
Nancy Duarte believes that ideas are the most powerful tools people have. Her passion is to help every person learn to communicate their world-changing idea effectively. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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It's really, really great to be here.
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You have the power to change the world.
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I’m not saying that to be cliché,
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you really have the power
to change the world.
to change the world.
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Deep inside of you,
every single one of you
every single one of you
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has the most powerful device known to man.
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And that's an idea.
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So a single idea, from the human mind,
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it could start a groundswell,
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it could be a flash point for a movement
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and it can actually rewrite our future.
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But an idea is powerless
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if it stays inside of you.
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If you never pull that idea out
for others to contend with,
for others to contend with,
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it will die with you.
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Now, maybe some of you guys
have tried to convey your idea
have tried to convey your idea
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and it wasn't adopted, it was rejected,
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and some other mediocre
or average idea was adopted.
or average idea was adopted.
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And the only difference between those two
is in the way it was communicated.
is in the way it was communicated.
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Because if you communicate an idea
in a way that resonates,
in a way that resonates,
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change will happen,
and you can change the world.
and you can change the world.
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In my family, we collect
these vintage European posters.
these vintage European posters.
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Every time we go to Maui,
we go to the dealer there,
we go to the dealer there,
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and he turns these great big posters.
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I love them. They all have one idea
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and one really clear visual
that conveys the idea.
that conveys the idea.
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They are about the size of a mattress.
They're really big.
They're really big.
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They're not as thick as a mattress,
but they're big.
but they're big.
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And the guy will tell the story
as he turns the pages.
as he turns the pages.
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And this one time
I was flanked by my two kids
I was flanked by my two kids
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and he turns the page
and this poster is underneath,
and this poster is underneath,
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and right when I lean forward and say,
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"Oh my God, I love this poster,"
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both of my kids jumped back
and they are like,
and they are like,
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"Oh my God, mom, it's you."
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And this is the poster.
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(Laughter)
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See, I'm like "Fire it up!"
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The thing I loved
about this poster was the irony.
about this poster was the irony.
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Here's this chick all fired up,
headed into battle --
headed into battle --
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as the standard bearer --
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and she's holding these
little Suavitos baking spices,
little Suavitos baking spices,
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like something so seemingly insignificant,
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though she's willing to risk, you know,
life and limb to promote this thing.
life and limb to promote this thing.
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So if you are to swap out
those little Suavitos baking spices
those little Suavitos baking spices
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with a presentation --
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Yeah, it's me, pretty fired up.
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I was fired up about presentations
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back when it wasn't cool
to be fired up about presentations.
to be fired up about presentations.
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I really think they have the power
to change the world
to change the world
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when you communicate
effectively through them.
effectively through them.
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And changing the world is hard.
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It won't happen with just one person
with one single idea.
with one single idea.
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That idea has got to spread,
or it won't be effective.
or it won't be effective.
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So it has to come out of you
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and out into the open for people to see.
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And the way that ideas are conveyed
the most effectively is through story.
the most effectively is through story.
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You know, for thousands of years,
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illiterate generations would pass on
their values and their culture
their values and their culture
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from generation to generation,
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and they would stay intact.
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So there's something kind of magical
about a story structure
about a story structure
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that makes it so that when it's assembled,
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it can be ingested and then recalled
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by the person who's receiving it.
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So basically a story,
you get a physical reaction;
you get a physical reaction;
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your heart can race, your eyes can dilate,
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you could talk about,
"Oh, I got a chill down my spine"
"Oh, I got a chill down my spine"
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or, "I could feel it
in the pit of my stomach."
in the pit of my stomach."
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We actually physically react
when someone is telling us a story.
when someone is telling us a story.
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So even though the stage is the same,
a story can be told,
a story can be told,
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but once a presentation is told,
it completely flatlines.
it completely flatlines.
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And I wanted to figure out why.
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Why is it that we physically sit
with rapt attention during a story,
with rapt attention during a story,
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but it just dies for a presentation.
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So I wanted to figure out, how do you
incorporate story into presentations.
incorporate story into presentations.
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So we've had thousands of presentations
back at the shop --
back at the shop --
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hundreds of thousands
of presentations, actually,
of presentations, actually,
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so I knew the context
of a really bad presentation.
of a really bad presentation.
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I decided to study cinema and literature,
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and really dig in
and figure out what was going on
and figure out what was going on
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and why it was broken.
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So, I want to show you
some of the findings
some of the findings
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that led up to what I've uncovered
as a presentation form.
as a presentation form.
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So it was obvious to start with Aristotle,
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he had a three-act structure,
a beginning, a middle and an end.
a beginning, a middle and an end.
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We studied poetics and rhetoric,
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and a lot of presentations don't even
have that in its most simple form.
have that in its most simple form.
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And then when I moved on
to studying hero archetypes,
to studying hero archetypes,
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I thought, "OK, the presenter is the hero,
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they're up on the stage,
they're the star of the show."
they're the star of the show."
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It's easy to feel, as the presenter,
that you're the star of the show.
that you're the star of the show.
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I realized right away,
that that's really broken.
that that's really broken.
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Because I have an idea,
I can put it out there,
I can put it out there,
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but if you guys don't grab that idea
and hold it as dear,
and hold it as dear,
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the idea goes nowhere
and the world is never changed.
and the world is never changed.
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So in reality,
the presenter isn't the hero,
the presenter isn't the hero,
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the audience is the hero of our idea.
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So if you look at
Joseph Campbell's hero's journey,
Joseph Campbell's hero's journey,
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just in the front part, there were
some really interesting insights there.
some really interesting insights there.
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So there is this likable hero
in an ordinary world,
in an ordinary world,
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and they get this call to adventure.
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So the world is
kind of brought out of balance.
kind of brought out of balance.
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And at first they're resistant.
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They're like, "I don't know
if I want to jump into this,"
if I want to jump into this,"
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and then a mentor comes along
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and helps them move
from their ordinary world
from their ordinary world
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into a special world.
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And that's the role of the presenter.
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It's to be the mentor.
You're not Luke Skywalker, you're Yoda.
You're not Luke Skywalker, you're Yoda.
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You're the one
that actually helps the audience
that actually helps the audience
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move from one thing
and into your new special idea,
and into your new special idea,
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and that's the power of a story.
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So in its most simple structure,
it's a three-part structure of a story.
it's a three-part structure of a story.
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You have a likable hero who has a desire,
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they encounter a roadblock
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and ultimately they emerge, transform,
and that's the basic structure.
and that's the basic structure.
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But it wasn't until I came across
a Gustav Freytag's pyramid --
a Gustav Freytag's pyramid --
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he drew this shape in 1863.
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Now, he was a German dramatist ...
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he was a German dramatist
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and he believed
there is a five-act structure,
there is a five-act structure,
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which has an exposition, a rising action,
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a climax, a falling action
and a denouement,
and a denouement,
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which is the unraveling
or the resolution of the story.
or the resolution of the story.
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I love this shape.
So we talk about shapes.
So we talk about shapes.
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A story has an arc --
well, an arc is a shape.
well, an arc is a shape.
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We talk about classical music
having a shapeliness to it.
having a shapeliness to it.
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So I thought, hey,
if presentations had a shape,
if presentations had a shape,
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what would that shape be?
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And how did the greatest
communicators use that shape,
communicators use that shape,
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or do they use a shape?
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So I'll never forget,
it was a Saturday morning.
it was a Saturday morning.
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After all this study --
it was a couple of years of study --
it was a couple of years of study --
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I drew a shape.
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And I was like,
"Oh my gosh, if this shape is real,
"Oh my gosh, if this shape is real,
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I should be able to take
two completely different presentations
two completely different presentations
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and overlay it, and it should be true."
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So I took the obvious,
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I took Martin Luther King's
"I Have a Dream" speech,
"I Have a Dream" speech,
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and I took Steve Jobs'
2007 iPhone launch speech,
2007 iPhone launch speech,
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I overlaid it over it, and it worked.
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I sat in my office, just astounded.
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I actually cried a little,
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because I was like,
"I've been given this gift,"
"I've been given this gift,"
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and here it is,
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this is the shape of a great presentation.
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Isn't it amazing?
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(Laughter)
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I was crying.
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I want to walk you through it,
it's pretty astounding.
it's pretty astounding.
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There is a beginning, a middle and an end,
and I want to walk you through it.
and I want to walk you through it.
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Because the greatest communicators --
I went through speeches, everything --
I went through speeches, everything --
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I can overlay the shape.
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Even the Gettysburg Address
follows the shape.
follows the shape.
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At the beginning of any presentation,
you need to establish what is.
you need to establish what is.
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You know, here's the status quo,
here's what's going on.
here's what's going on.
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And then you need
to compare that to what could be.
to compare that to what could be.
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You need to make that gap
as big as possible,
as big as possible,
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because there is this commonplace
of the status quo,
of the status quo,
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and you need to contrast that
with the loftiness of your idea.
with the loftiness of your idea.
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So it's like, you know,
here's the past, here's the present,
here's the past, here's the present,
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but look at our future.
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Here's a problem,
but look at that problem removed.
but look at that problem removed.
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Here's a roadblock,
let's annihilate the roadblock.
let's annihilate the roadblock.
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You need to really amplify that gap.
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This would be like
the inciting incident in a movie.
the inciting incident in a movie.
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That's when suddenly
the audience has to contend
the audience has to contend
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with what you just put out there:
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"Wow, do I want to agree
with this and align with it or not?"
with this and align with it or not?"
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And in the rest of your presentation
should support that.
should support that.
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So the middle goes back and forth,
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it traverses between
what is and what could be,
what is and what could be,
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what is and what could be.
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Because what you are trying to do
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is make the status quo
and the normal unappealing,
and the normal unappealing,
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and you're wanting to draw them
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towards what could be
in the future with your idea adopted.
in the future with your idea adopted.
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Now, on your way to change the world,
people are going to resist.
people are going to resist.
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They're not going to be excited,
they may love the world the way it is.
they may love the world the way it is.
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So you'll encounter resistance.
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That's why you
have to move back and forth.
have to move back and forth.
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It's similar to sailing.
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When you're sailing against the wind
and there is wind resistance,
and there is wind resistance,
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you have to move your boat back and forth,
and back and forth.
and back and forth.
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That's so you can capture the wind.
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You have to actually
capture the resistance
capture the resistance
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coming against you when you're sailing.
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Now interesting,
if you capture the wind just right
if you capture the wind just right
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and you set your sail just right,
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your ship will actually
sail faster than the wind itself.
sail faster than the wind itself.
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It is a physics phenomenon.
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So by planting in there
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the way they're going to resist
between what is and what can be,
between what is and what can be,
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is actually going to draw
them towards your idea
them towards your idea
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quicker than should you not do that.
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So after you've moved back and forth
between what is and what could be,
between what is and what could be,
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the last turning point
is a call to action,
is a call to action,
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which every presentation should have,
but at the very end.
but at the very end.
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You need to describe the world
as a new bliss.
as a new bliss.
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"This is utopia with my idea adopted."
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"This is the way
the world is going to look,
the world is going to look,
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when we join together
and we solve this big problem."
and we solve this big problem."
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You need to use that as your ending,
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in a very poetic and dramatic way.
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So, interestingly, when I was done,
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I was like, "You know what?
I could use this as an analysis tool."
I could use this as an analysis tool."
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I actually transcribe speeches,
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and I would actually map out,
how much they map to this tool.
how much they map to this tool.
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So I want to show you some of that today,
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and I want to start
with the very two people
with the very two people
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that I used when I first did.
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Here's Mr. Jobs,
has completely changed the world.
has completely changed the world.
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Changed the world of personal computing,
changed the music industry
changed the music industry
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and now he's on his way
to change the mobile device industry.
to change the mobile device industry.
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So he's definitely changed the world.
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And this is the shape
of his iPhone launch 2007,
of his iPhone launch 2007,
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when he launched his iPhone.
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It's a 90-minute talk
and you can see he starts with what is,
and you can see he starts with what is,
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traverses back and forth
and ends with what could be.
and ends with what could be.
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So I want to zoom in on this:
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the white line
is him speaking, he's talking.
is him speaking, he's talking.
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The next color line
you'll see popped up there,
you'll see popped up there,
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that's when he cuts to video.
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So he's adding some variety
and he cuts to demo.
and he cuts to demo.
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So it's not just him
talking the whole time.
talking the whole time.
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And these lines are representative there.
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And then towards the end
you'll see a blue line,
you'll see a blue line,
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which will be the guest speaker.
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09:44
So this is where it gets
kind of interesting:
kind of interesting:
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every tick mark here
is when he made them laugh.
is when he made them laugh.
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And every tick mark here
is when he made them clap.
is when he made them clap.
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09:51
They are so involved physically,
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they are physically reacting
to what he is saying,
to what he is saying,
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09:55
which is actually fantastic,
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09:56
because then you know
you have the audience in your hand.
you have the audience in your hand.
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10:00
So he kicks off what could be with,
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10:03
"This is a day I've been looking
forward to for two and a half years."
forward to for two and a half years."
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10:06
So he is launching a product
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that he's known about already
for a couple of years.
for a couple of years.
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10:10
So this is not a new product to him.
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10:12
But look at this,
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he does this other thing: he marvels.
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10:15
He marvels at his own product.
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He marvels himself
more than the audience laughs or claps.
more than the audience laughs or claps.
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10:19
So he is like, "Isn't this awesome?
Isn't this beautiful?"
Isn't this beautiful?"
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10:23
He is modeling for the audience
what he wants them to feel.
what he wants them to feel.
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10:26
So he is actually doing a job
of compelling them to feel a certain way.
of compelling them to feel a certain way.
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10:31
So he kicks off with what could be with,
"Every once in a while,
"Every once in a while,
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10:34
a revolutionary product comes along
that changes everything."
that changes everything."
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10:37
So he starts to kick in
and talk about his new product.
and talk about his new product.
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10:40
Now, at the beginning of it,
he actually keeps the phone off.
he actually keeps the phone off.
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10:43
You'll see that the line
is pretty white up until this point,
is pretty white up until this point,
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10:46
so he goes off between,
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10:48
"Here's this new phone,
and here's the sucky competitors.
and here's the sucky competitors.
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10:50
Here's this new phone,
and here's the sucky competitors."
and here's the sucky competitors."
255
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10:54
And then, right about here,
he has the star moment --
he has the star moment --
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10:57
and that something we'll always remember.
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10:59
He turns the phone on.
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11:00
The audience sees scrolling
for the first time,
for the first time,
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you can hear the oxygen
sucked out of the room.
sucked out of the room.
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11:05
They gasped. You can actually hear it.
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11:07
So he creates a moment
that they'll always remember.
that they'll always remember.
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11:09
So if we move along this model,
you can see the blue,
you can see the blue,
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11:12
where the external speakers are going,
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2016
11:14
and towards the bottom right,
the line breaks.
the line breaks.
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11:16
That's because his clicker broke.
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11:17
He wants to keep
this heightened sense of excitement.
this heightened sense of excitement.
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11:20
He tells a personal story,
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11:21
right there, where
the technology didn't work.
the technology didn't work.
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11:24
So he's the master communicator,
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11:25
and he turns to story
to keep the audience involved.
to keep the audience involved.
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11:28
So the top right
he ends with the new bliss.
he ends with the new bliss.
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11:31
He leaves them with the promise
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11:32
that Apple will continue
to build revolutionary new products.
to build revolutionary new products.
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11:36
And he says,
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11:38
"There's an old Wayne Gretzky
quote that I love:
quote that I love:
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11:40
'I skate to where the puck is going to be,
not to where it has been.'
not to where it has been.'
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11:43
We've always tried to do that
at Apple since the very beginning
at Apple since the very beginning
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11:46
and we always will."
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11:48
So he ends with the new bliss.
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11:49
So let's look at Mr. King.
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11:50
He was an amazing visionary, a clergyman
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11:53
who spent his life
working hard for equality.
working hard for equality.
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11:56
And this is the shape
of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
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11:58
You can see he starts with what is,
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12:00
moves back and forth
between what is and what could be,
between what is and what could be,
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12:03
and ends with a very poetic new bliss,
which is the famous part we all know.
which is the famous part we all know.
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12:07
So I'm going to spread it out
a little bit here,
a little bit here,
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12:09
stretch it for you,
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12:11
and what I'm doing here is
I put the actual transcript there
I put the actual transcript there
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12:14
along with the text.
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12:15
I know you can't read it.
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12:16
But at the end of every line break,
I broke the line,
I broke the line,
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12:19
because he took a breath and he paused.
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12:21
Now he was a Southern Baptist preacher,
most people hadn't heard that,
most people hadn't heard that,
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3336
12:24
so he had a real cadence and a rhythm
that was really new for people there.
that was really new for people there.
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12:28
So I want to cover up
these lines of text with a bar
these lines of text with a bar
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12:30
because I want to use this bar
as an information device here.
as an information device here.
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12:33
So let's walk through
how he actually spoke to the people.
how he actually spoke to the people.
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2880
12:38
The blue bars here
are going to be when he used
are going to be when he used
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12:40
the actual rhetorical device
of repetition.
of repetition.
301
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2096
12:42
So he was repeating himself,
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12:43
he was using the same words and phrases,
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1936
12:45
so people could remember and recall them.
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2120
12:48
But then he also used
a lot of metaphors and visual words.
a lot of metaphors and visual words.
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2736
12:51
This was a way to take
really complicated ideas
really complicated ideas
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12:53
and make them memorable
and knowledgeable, so people got it.
and knowledgeable, so people got it.
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12:56
He actually created very --
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12:58
almost like scenes
with his words to make it
with his words to make it
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13:00
so they could envision what he was saying.
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2000
13:03
And then there were also a lot of familiar
songs and scriptures that he used.
songs and scriptures that he used.
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13:07
This is just the front end of it
that you're seeing.
that you're seeing.
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13:09
And then he also made
a lot of political references
a lot of political references
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13:12
of the promises
that were made to the people.
that were made to the people.
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13:14
So if we look at
the very first end of what is,
the very first end of what is,
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13:16
at the very end of what is
was the very first time
was the very first time
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2376
13:19
that people actually clapped
and roared really loud.
and roared really loud.
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2616
13:21
So the end of what is
what he did is he said,
what he did is he said,
318
789640
2136
13:23
"America has given
the Negro people a bad check,
the Negro people a bad check,
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791800
2256
13:26
a check which has come back
marked insufficient funds."
marked insufficient funds."
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2616
13:28
Well, everyone knows what it's like
to not have money in your account.
to not have money in your account.
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13:32
So he used the metaphor
people were very familiar with.
people were very familiar with.
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13:34
But when they really charged up,
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13:36
the very first time
they really screamed was:
they really screamed was:
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13:38
"So we have come to cash this check,
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13:40
a check that will give us upon demand
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13:42
the riches of freedom
and the security of justice."
and the security of justice."
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2776
13:45
That's when they really clapped.
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1576
13:47
It was when he compared
what currently is to what could be.
what currently is to what could be.
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13:50
So when we move along
a little farther in the model,
a little farther in the model,
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13:52
you'll see it goes back and forth
at a more frenzied pace.
at a more frenzied pace.
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13:55
And this is when he goes
back and forth, and back and forth.
back and forth, and back and forth.
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13:58
Now the audience was in a frenzy.
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14:00
They were all excited,
and so you can actually do this
and so you can actually do this
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828200
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14:02
to keep them in a heightened
sense of excitement.
sense of excitement.
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2600
14:06
So he says, "I have a dream
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1480
14:08
that one day this nation will rise up
and live out the meaning of its creed.
and live out the meaning of its creed.
337
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4376
14:13
'We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal.'"
that all men are created equal.'"
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14:16
So he uses the little orange text there
to remind them of the promise
to remind them of the promise
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14:20
that the politicians had made to him
or that this country had made.
or that this country had made.
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848120
3176
14:23
Then he moves back and forth between
341
851320
1736
14:25
"I have a dream that one day,
I have a dream that one day,
I have a dream that one day,
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2715
14:27
I have a dream that one day,"
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855819
1397
14:29
and at the end,
it gets really interesting.
it gets really interesting.
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14:31
Because he uses --
you can look at the four shades of green,
you can look at the four shades of green,
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14:34
there's a lot of blue there,
which was a lot of repetition --
which was a lot of repetition --
346
862240
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14:37
he had a heightened sense of repetition.
347
865160
1936
14:39
And the green was a heightened sense
of songs and scriptures.
of songs and scriptures.
348
867120
3136
14:42
So the first batch of green
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870280
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14:44
was the actual scripture
from the Book of Isaiah.
from the Book of Isaiah.
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2536
14:46
The second batch of green
was "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
was "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
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3256
14:49
Now, that's a familiar song
that was specifically very significant
that was specifically very significant
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3296
14:53
for the black people at the time,
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1616
14:54
because this song was the song they
chose to change the words to as an outcry,
chose to change the words to as an outcry,
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4216
14:59
saying that promises had not been kept.
355
887120
1960
15:01
So the third batch of green was actually
a stanza from "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
a stanza from "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
356
889720
4016
15:05
And then the fourth was a Negro spiritual.
357
893760
2160
15:08
"Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!"
Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!"
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3143
15:11
So what he did is he actually reached
inside of the hearts of the audience.
inside of the hearts of the audience.
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899967
4369
15:16
He pulled from scriptures,
which is important.
which is important.
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15:18
He pulled from songs
that they'd sung together
that they'd sung together
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2216
15:20
as an outcry against this outrage,
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1656
15:22
and he used those as a device
to connect and resonate with the audience.
to connect and resonate with the audience.
363
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3416
15:25
Ending -- painting a picture
of this new bliss,
of this new bliss,
364
913920
2296
15:28
using the very things inside of them
that they already held as sacred.
that they already held as sacred.
365
916240
3440
15:33
So he was a great man.
He had a big, big dream.
He had a big, big dream.
366
921080
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15:35
There's a lot of people here,
you guys have really big dreams.
you guys have really big dreams.
367
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2936
15:38
You have really big ideas inside of you
368
926920
1936
15:40
that you need to get out.
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1216
15:42
But you know what? We encounter hardships.
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2000
15:44
It's not easy to change the world;
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932144
1632
15:45
it's a big job.
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15:47
You know he was --
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15:48
his house was bombed,
he was stabbed with a letter opener,
he was stabbed with a letter opener,
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2736
15:51
ultimately, he lost his life,
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939400
1416
15:52
you know, for what he cared about.
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1816
15:54
But a lot of us aren't going to
be required to pay that kind of sacrifice.
be required to pay that kind of sacrifice.
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15:58
But what happens is
378
946800
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16:00
that it basically is a little bit
like that basic story structure.
like that basic story structure.
379
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16:03
Life can be like that.
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951400
1376
16:04
You know, you guys are all likable people,
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952800
2256
16:07
you have a desire,
you encounter roadblocks,
you encounter roadblocks,
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3056
16:10
and we stop there.
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1376
16:11
We're just like, you know,
"I had this idea,
"I had this idea,
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959560
2096
16:13
but I'm not going to put it out there.
385
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1856
16:15
It's been rejected."
386
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1256
16:16
You know, we self-sabotage our own ideas,
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3896
16:20
we just butt up against the roadblocks
and butt up against the roadblocks
and butt up against the roadblocks
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3456
16:24
instead of choosing
to let the struggle transform us
to let the struggle transform us
389
972240
2456
16:26
and choosing to go ahead
and have a dream and make it real.
and have a dream and make it real.
390
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3240
16:30
And you know, if anyone --
if I can do this, anybody can do this.
if I can do this, anybody can do this.
391
978400
4256
16:34
I was raised in an economically
and emotionally starved environment.
and emotionally starved environment.
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3696
16:38
First time I got to go to a camp
with my sister, I was abused.
with my sister, I was abused.
393
986400
3656
16:42
Wasn't the first time I was abused,
it was just the most aggressive.
it was just the most aggressive.
394
990080
3216
16:45
And my mom and dad --
they married each other three times,
they married each other three times,
395
993320
2736
16:48
(Audience murmurs)
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1216
16:49
Yeah, that was tumultuous,
and when they weren't fighting
and when they weren't fighting
397
997320
3016
16:52
they were helping sober up
some alcoholic that was living with us
some alcoholic that was living with us
398
1000360
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16:55
because they were both sober alcoholics.
399
1003480
1936
16:57
So my mom abandoned us
when I was sixteen years old.
when I was sixteen years old.
400
1005440
2456
16:59
And I took on a role of caretaker
of my home and of my siblings.
of my home and of my siblings.
401
1007920
3336
17:03
And I married. I met a man.
402
1011280
3136
17:06
Fell in love. I went to a year of college.
403
1014440
2256
17:08
I did what every single,
bright, young girl should do --
bright, young girl should do --
404
1016720
2686
17:11
I got married when
I was eighteen years old.
I was eighteen years old.
405
1019440
2216
17:13
And you know what?
406
1021680
1256
17:14
I knew, I knew
407
1022960
2495
17:17
that I was born for more than this.
408
1025480
2016
17:19
And right at the point
in the story of my life I had a choice.
in the story of my life I had a choice.
409
1027520
3056
17:22
I could let all these things push me down
410
1030599
2816
17:25
and I could let all my ideas
die inside of me.
die inside of me.
411
1033440
2176
17:27
I could just say, you know,
life is too hard to change the world.
life is too hard to change the world.
412
1035640
3055
17:30
It's just too tough.
413
1038720
1215
17:31
But I chose a different story for my life.
414
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2080
17:34
(Laughter)
415
1042839
1336
17:36
Don't you know it?
416
1044200
1399
17:38
And so I feel like
there's people in this room --
there's people in this room --
417
1046760
2336
17:41
you got those little
Suavitos baking spices
Suavitos baking spices
418
1049120
2096
17:43
and you're just like,
"You know, It's not that big a deal."
"You know, It's not that big a deal."
419
1051240
2776
17:46
"It's really not
the whole world I can change."
the whole world I can change."
420
1054040
2216
17:48
But you know, you can change your world.
421
1056280
1905
17:50
You can change your life.
422
1058209
1207
17:51
You can change the world
that you have control over,
that you have control over,
423
1059440
2456
17:53
you can change your sphere.
424
1061920
1536
17:55
I want to encourage you to do that.
425
1063480
1667
17:57
Because you know what?
426
1065680
1256
17:58
The future isn't a place
that we're going to go.
that we're going to go.
427
1066960
2840
18:02
It's a place that you get to create.
428
1070360
2880
18:05
I want to thank you.
Bless you. God bless you.
Bless you. God bless you.
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1073953
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18:08
(Applause)
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1076120
1320
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nancy Duarte - CEO, presentation designerNancy Duarte believes that ideas are the most powerful tools people have. Her passion is to help every person learn to communicate their world-changing idea effectively.
Why you should listen
Nancy Duarte is an expert in presentation design and principal of Duarte Design, where she has served as CEO for 21 years. Nancy speaks around the world, seeking to improve the power of public presentations. She is the author of Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations as well as Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences and the recent HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.
Watch Duarte's recent webinar on making presentations remotely >>
Nancy Duarte | Speaker | TED.com