Peter Doolitle Ted Talk

In his TED talk, Peter Doolittle aims to inform the audience on the topic of working memory. As a speaker, Doolittle caters his speech to his audience which is illustrated by the organization of the speech and by the relation of the topic to the audience.
For instance, Doolittle humorously opens his speech with an anecdote to introduce the topic of working memory. The choice to make the humorous remark regarding a person’s walking speed, “well that wasn’t fast enough for me,” immediately allows the audience to relate to the speaker’s reaction. The positive effect of this choice is noted by the audience’s responding laugh as it indicates that they are not only enjoying themselves but also that the speaker already has their full attention. Doolittle continues to define working memory and what the goal of …show more content…
By explaining working memory in relation to mundane tasks, the speaker is able to maintain the attention of his audience. This method is continued as Doolittle explains what a person with a high memory capacity would be able to accomplish. By utilizing the statement, “People with high working memory capacity are able to…” Doolittle is using logos to appeal to the audience. This is an effective way to peak the curiosity of the audience because the reaction of the audience is to think, “Do I score high on standardized tests?” and, “How is MY working memory?.” Doolittle then chooses to address the audience by asking them if they’d like to play a game. As opposed to speaking in front of the audience, Doolittle chooses to speak to the audience which makes the speech less of a speech and more of a conversation. Doolittle then makes the decision to engage the audience in a test of their working memory. The speaker could have used charts to relay the same information that the audience would find by testing their memory, but