Matter Over Mind: Carrie Poppy’s Storytelling Tactic

Can you trust your mind when it begins to wander? Or is there a scientific explanation for everything? That’s what writer Carrie Poppy questions in her TED Talk “A Scientific Approach to the Paranormal”.

Matter Over Mind: Carrie Poppy’s Storytelling Tactic

Throughout her talk, Carrie is effective with using her stories to prove a point. She opens with her own paranormal experience (or what she thought was a paranormal experience) and makes it relatable and humorous. But she uses this first story to make you believe what she truly believed: that her home was haunted. Once the audience accepts that idea, she then dives into the second part of her story where she disproves the haunting with rational: a carbon monoxide leak. All the symptoms she experienced from what she thought was a ghost was actually a very real, and very dangerous, occurrence. This is a strong point in her presentation because of her stress on how close she came to losing her life, and would have never known the real issue if she decided to believe in her ghost story instead.

Carrie then flows smoothly into how this impacted her career choice. This next section in her presentation is logical; she went on to become an investigative reporter who examines exorcists and ghost hunters to make sure they are not trying to pull off a stunt for their customers. This is how she developed her theory of the outer and inner truth. Carrie believes that there are absolute truths that are tangible and proven, and there are truths that are based solely personal beliefs. She uses a metaphor to better explain this. She also interweaves her story from the beginning back into her presentation. Because we now know there was a gas leak in her home, we cannot dispute the science and still believe there was a ghost.

Carrie uses storytelling once again to give her message a deeper impact. She tells the audience about an investigative group who challenge people to test their paranormal abilities up against science. A man went to this group claiming he could read minds. But he did not pass the test, and the group had to seriously discuss the man’s mental health and get him help. Her message behind this story is that science (or outer truth) can help people live better lives.

The last part of Carrie’s speech involves her calls to action, which includes ask questions, challenge others, never lose hope and get a carbon monoxide detector. The latter is the only physical task she asks of the audience. The rest are too ambiguous; I wish she had a deliberate action for the audience to take. But I admire her optimism and enthusiasm as she proclaims that somewhere, deep down inside, she wants to experience something supernatural.

Carrie Poppy’s TED Talk using storytelling to back up her point of view, with moments that are funny and inspiring. The is a great example of how far a story can take your message and impact your audience during your next presentation.

Related Posts:

5 Lessons from Adam Grant’s TED Talk

Presentation Storytelling Tips from Steven Johnson’s TED Talk

The Advice I Give to all TEDx Speakers

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