David Blaine (TED Talk 8)

His presentation style was much more serious that most of the other talks I have listened to, and I think that, given the topic I have chosen, I will have to stay quite serious as well. He did, however, use a minuscule amount of humor that did add a little to the presentation. As far as technique goes, he did use a slide show of pictures to back up his talk, but it went by rather slow and didn't add to his talk very much. I will have to make sure that my slide show contains more relative to the amount I am talking and that it adds to or supports my talk clearly and excellently. He also didn't use very much movement at all, not around the stage nor with his hands to  convey his point. I tend to do so, so I have to make sure I do because it will add to my talk. What I understood from his talk is that you can never give up. Anything is possible, you just have to apply yourself and stay motivated. At the beginning, he was able to hold his breath for three and a half minutes. By the time he was on Oprah, he did it for just over seventeen minutes. He had to do research and practice every day for a long time, but he did it, and it payed off, as he broke the world record by more than half a minute. This lesson can be used everywhere, from school to work to recreation. In school, kids will learn to keep trying to raise their grades, even when it looks like there is no way. At work, people will learn that perseverance can pay off in the form of a raise or promotion. Anything is possible, but you just have to try for it and never back down.

Dave Egger (TED Talk 7)

One thing that I didn't particularly think that he did an excellent job with his actual presentation. In many places he sped up to the point that I was beginning to have difficulty comprehending what he was saying. Also, he seemed to be using his hands to convey his point more than he was used to and comfortable with. I don't use my hands too much when I talk, so I have to make sure I don' t try to use them a lot and not to speed up. I need to take my time, and make sure that I speak clearly so that I convey my point. He did, however, do a good job of using pictures to reinforce his presentation and used comedy very well to keep his audience focused. In using his pictures, though, he did look at them more than I think he should have. He had notes in front of him, and he should have used that rather than looking back at his slides, facing his back at the audience. What I understood from his talk is that he wants students to have more one-on-one time with teachers or instructors. He is saying that after doing that, they saw vast improvement in the students performance and grades. He also says that instead of making it part of the school day, it should be separate and made fun for the kids. This directly impacts education in that it is a suggestion for students that are struggling in school to make a big improvement. The style of group tutoring has become useless against the one-on-one technique that Egger is advertising. It is far more effective for the time and effort required. All in all, I think that he was making a very valid and solid point, but his presentation could use some work. He had some stutters and spoke a little fast at times.