We’ve never seen a TED talk quite like Beeban Kidron’s TEDSalon talk on the Shared Wonder of Film filmed in London in May. It works kind of like synchronized swimming– her words merge precisely with a continuous reel of silent film and photographs. Her presentation matches up masterfully with the images on screen with an ease that belies much practice beforehand.
She stands behind a podium, and uses it liberally throughout the talk, sometimes overly so. In fact, at times she simply reads from the papers on her podium, but it’s easy to forgive her for this because of the importance of correct timing in her presentation. She doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to synching her words with visuals, which is a great feat unto itself. There’s a greater focus on the video accompanying her talk than herself as a presenter, which works well in this case as the main focus of the presentation is the wonder of film. It’s fun to see scenes from beloved films (To Sir With Love, 12 Angry Men, Wizard of Oz, Jaws, etc.) playing against the backdrop of this interesting, captivating talk.
Our ears perk up right away when we hear the soothing, lovely voice of Kidron. It’s the perfect voice for narration and the telling of stories. All bedtime stories should be read aloud in this voice. It’s lulling and melodic while remaining captivating and inflective.
She speaks with the syntax and vocabulary of an intellect. Complex, ten-dollar words punctuate the flow of her words amidst the backdrop of images and photographs gracing the screen. She speaks at a Bill Gates grade level rather than at a Steve Jobs grade level, and though we wouldn’t argue that her talk suffers because of that, it does require a certain level of knowledge and concentration that the average person may not be willing to dedicate.
Some of the highlights of Kidron’s talk come from when she divulges personal stories. Audiences always love to hear a good story, especially when it reveals something about the person who’s presenting. We get a better idea of what the topic means to you, and we learn more about why it matters to you personally, which triggers our mind to think about how it matters to us as individuals.
Though Kidron’s talk didn’t have much of a structure– it was more like a stream of thoughts and reflections– it was thoroughly engaging and had a clear main idea that it sought to prove. Her use of visuals alone is reason enough to watch the talk. She is masterful in her use of film and photography; the accuracy of her timing is remarkable. We didn’t notice one mistake.
Watch the talk in its entirety here, and try to channel Kidron’s exceptional use of visuals during your next presentation.
