Influential Speakers

A very informational and fundamentally influential speaker that I have had the pleasure to listen to is Sir Ken Robinson. Sir Ken Robinson is renowned as a visionary cultural leader and a creativity expert. Robinson gave a public speech that is available online via Ted.com where he discusses the idea that our educational systems are hindering our children’s creativity. He goes so far as to posit that our educational system is not only hindering, but stifling or even killing our next generation’s creativity before they even begin learning how to become creative. His speech presents very well-reasoned arguments that are undeniable truths inherent with our society’s educational system. When I listened to this speech, I felt both moved by the naked truth presented in his arguments, as well as saddened by this very same revelation. Sir Robinson peppers the listeners with these rough hard truths about how the educational system is failing in their role. After revealing these truths, he does not allow the audience to wallow in this sadness, he tells a joke, or laughs at the apparent idiocy of the situation that, rather than polarizing the audience, actually unifies them in purpose. In contrast, one of the worst speakers I’ve ever heard was a gentleman on the college campus. This gentleman was so vulgar and rough with his words without any consideration of his audience that I can only remember my distaste for him speaking at all.