Life+Lessons+From+an+Ad+Man

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Of all the TED talks I have seen, Rory Sutherland's message about salesmanship and added value is the most potentially useful to an educator. Jamie McKenzie has written:

"In many cases, the warmth we see in a particular classroom was probably kindled over several months as the teacher greeted the students each day, showed interest in their lives outside the classroom, discovered their personal concerns and passions and demonstrated an appreciation and empathy that seemed genuine. Chances are this foundation was then amplified on a class by class basis by the teacher building a bridge for the students between their concerns and the content at hand, bringing the history or the math to life in vivid terms."

This kind of teaching "magic" has nothing to do with content, yet it greatly enhances a student's learning outcome. Relationship building, both anecdotally and according to ample research, is crucial to any form of teaching. And there is more to this "magic" than just relationship building: teachers must use showmanship to capture and hold the students' attention. TED talks as a whole are an excellent model for how to keep and hold an audience for a 20-minute lecture (and lectures should probably not extend beyond 20 minutes).

Sutherland and McKenzie both end up combating the notion that this kind of salesmanship adds nothing to the product. Sutherland's examples are extremely convincing and entertaining, and it is clear why his is one of the most popular TED talks ever.