Handspring Puppet Co.:The genius puppetry behind War Horse

A TED Talk Review by Anali Lambrechts.

Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler of Handspring Puppet company share the stage for this TED Talk.

The Presenter’s

This talk is about the thought process and execution that went into the making of the puppet equine’s for War Horse.

The speaker’s also share a little history of puppet’s and how they work.

What it’s about

The speaker’s maintained the audience’s attention by changingup the pace and center of focus. Utilizing the following method’s of presenting:

-Quiet live demonstration.-Live demonstration with explanation.-Theory explanation.-Witty one line remark’s.-Anecdotal Stories, that were usually funny.

The speaker’s were able to transition from one type to another seamlessly and not in a predictable pattern, keeping the audience wondering what would be coming next.

Delivery Method’s

The speaker’s implemented almost all of the TED commandments. The single most important one

portrayed was to make the complex plain. Putting how puppet’s work in layman’s terms so that all of the

audience could follow along and understand the process.

It is difficult to tell if the speaker’s went over their allotted from an online video. Which leaves a little bit of a grey

area for this criteria.

The speaker’s also did not comment on any other speaker’s talks. Though this was also not a requirement.

The Ted Commandment’s

I gave the gentlemen a 4 for their dynamism.

Their speech was wonderful, well thought and planned. It had been practiced between all that appeared on stage. Their tone of voice and manner of speech was respectful

and polite.

The information was conveyed in an interesting manner, and used stories from the actual journey to make the

puppet’s to provide some background information for the audience. To keep it human.

Dynamism

It felt very much like a practiced speech though. What could have been done to improve it would have been

more inflection tovoice to give it more feeling, or emotion.

Dynamism Improvement

There was lack of gestural movement as well. The speaker’s spent the majority of the time at the podium, with their body mostly still. They did show how the hyena works though.

Dynamism Improvement

The forefront tip they used was the inclusion of story. And not just including stories, but walking that fine line of

balance to explain how the puppet’s worked, then using stories to bring the topic home. To make it more

personable to the audience.

They also used a clear framework, starting with introducing a

concept and building upon that adding layer upon layer until we have all of the

information.

Tips from Nancy Duarte

All of the speaker’s:

-Used funny anecdotes to break up theory.-Made quiet time work for them. (Not filling every

moment with words).-Use of stage, and spacing to emphasize their

different messages.-Were able to capture, and keep the audience

interested throughout the entire presentation.-Convey their information in an organized and

logical sequence.

Compared to Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson speech’s are formatted as if it were a one on one conversation you were having with him. He did not use any live demonstration’s, but made use of all the stage space himself. He made use of large hand gestures and his stories to make you feel as if you were in his living room for a dinner party instead of the venue.

Contrast

Both of Sir Ken Robinson’s speeches are unique as well. The talk on Changing Paradigms has a illustration to accompany the audio.

This way of delivery enhances the message of addressing the root’s of ADHD in the classroom and radically changing how our education system changes.

Contrast

Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler speech was more formatted like a lecture, with the purpose being to educate the audience on something they had created. They personally hardly moved on the stage, preferring to stay near the podium. This brought a constant reminder what you were in a large lecture hall.

Contrast

The single most important tip I can offer from this is to make use of quiet time. Let the audience pause for a moment, think about what you said, and react to it.

It is akin to swimming; if you are constantly under water or getting the information, then there is no time to come up for air and process it before you dive back down into the material.

First Tip For Classmate’s

Another crucially important tip is to start your presentation off with a bang. To have that great hook. In the case of this TED Talk, it began with jumping right into the demonstration with the hyena puppet.

This served two purposes actually; introduced the topic and how it worked on a small personable scale before jumping into the meat of the talk and caught the audiences attention with how it moved. It had them wanting to learn more right off the bat.

Second Tip For Classmate’s

Handspring Puppet Co.:The genius puppetry behind War Horse

A TED Talk Review by Anali Lambrechts.