“Are you a giver or a taker?”: A TED Talk for Presenters

Through his research and studies, TED Talk speaker Adam Grant unlocked information about the impact giving and taking has in the workplace, as well as life in general. Watch the TED Talk now!

According to Grant, givers lessen their individual influence on an organization. On the other hand, givers make the organization better by helping the whole, by encouraging and teaching other employees. Takers are more productive and successful individually, but do not necessarily provide that greater impact that givers typically provide. So, what separates a giver from a taker? He sums it up this way: a giver asks “What can I do for you?” while a taker asks “What can you do for me?” As you approach your presentations, consider these 3 flavors of giving and taking styles and behaviors:

1. Giving to your audiences

If you are a giving presenter, it is highly likely that your top priority is dispensing all of the knowledge you have and passing out all of the tangible resources you can create. While you absolutely should provide valuable takeaways for your audience, there needs to be a balance achieved between audience and presenter. If you are going to give away a ton of material, make sure you are asking for something in return. Produce a compelling call to action to capitalize on your audience-focused efforts.

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2. Taking time for yourself

No, this doesn’t involve relaxing and expecting your audience to do all of the work for you. But, it does require crafting individual and group activities that tie your core messages to a larger theme. Grant does this in his TED Talk by simply asking the audience to raise their hands – or not – after posing a question.

“So just out of curiosity, how many of you self-identify more as givers than takers or matchers? Raise your hands.”

Source: “Are you a giver or a taker?” TED Talk by Adam Grant

3. Making it a discussion

Finally, this last style of presentation delivery is characterized by a behavior that Grant terms “matching.”

“If you’re a matcher, you try to keep an even balance of give and take: quid pro quo — I’ll do something for you if you do something for me.”

Source: “Are you a giver or a taker?” TED Talk by Adam Grant

Instead of starting a one-off conversation by taking insight or information and distilling it on your own, formulate interactive components for your presentation. You’ll create memorable conversation and increase audience retention of your message.

Check out more of our TED Talk reviews!

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