They say that money can’t buy happiness. Countless movies, books and music in popular culture revolve around the sentiment. It’s an adage as old as time, one that’s been ingrained in us from the time we’re children, and Michael Norton is here to tell us why it’s wrong. In his down-to-earth TEDxCambridge talk from November 2011, Norton discusses how money can in fact buy happiness.
Part of the strength of Norton’s talk relies on the contrarian thesis he proposes. His stance that, in fact, money can buy happiness runs contrary to what we’d expect to hear, which alone piques our interest. People are inherently interested in information that runs counter to our own established opinions and accepted norms. The title of Norton’s talk catches our attention and encourages us to think skeptically about what he’ll have to say in the upcoming 18 minutes. While your presentation’s main idea might not be as contrarian as Norton’s, it’s helpful to think of ways to turn expectations on their head. Think of ways you can surprise your audience by presenting something in a different light. Offer a unique way of looking at something ordinary.
Another strength of Norton’s talk is the clear, orderly organization he uses to prove his thesis. His argument is that people are happier when they spend money on other people rather than on themselves. The evidence he presents starts close to home (Canadian undergraduates), transitions to a far away and vastly different location (Uganda), and then goes on to include an all-encompassing study from 136 countries. He also presents similar data from a range of different organizations including companies and dodgeball teams. In short, Norton does a great job of supporting his central thesis with tons of supporting evidence. The audience isn’t left with much reason to doubt Norton’s argument, as he provides a wealth of evidence proving his argument.
Some of Norton’s slides tend to be a little too text heavy, but this reliance is understandable as he quotes from secondary sources extensively. If the alternative choice was to hold notecards, which is ostensibly distracting, he made the right decision by placing the quotes on slides. However, another possibility would have been to make the slides more visual-heavy. For example, Norton mentions a woman who bought shoes for her mother with money from the study. Rather than put that text on a slide, he could have placed a large photo of a woman buying shoes at a store. That visual heavy slide would be more engaging to the audience while still triggering Norton’s mind to recall the example. Overall, however, Norton’s slides were persuasive and uncluttered.
Lastly, a great aspect of Norton’s talk is that he concludes with a call to action. He recommends DonorsChoose.org as a trustworthy site for someone who wants to give to a charitable organization. This small inclusion is often underutilized in presentations, and it can be a real missed opportunity if not included. An excited, engaged audience member wants some kind of call to action at the end of a presentation. If you’ve given an impactful, compelling presentation, you’ve motivated the audience to care about the topic at hand. They want to do something to follow up on the information that’s been provided. Give them a way to express that feeling. Provide them an easy way to follow up. Don’t miss that last opportunity to further engage with your audience.
Watch the entirety of the talk here.
