Simon Anholt, a British freelance policy advisor, gave a speech at a Ted event earlier this year. The topic was, “Who would the rest of the world vote for in your election?” He claims that he has built a website; Global Vote, through which people worldwide can vote in other countries’ elections. He says, “This is a simple diagnosis of what’s wrong with the world and how we can fix it.” Anholt gives the example of the recent Hillary vs. Trump election. He opened his speech by claiming that Hillary got 52 % of the votes, which went against the real statistics. He said, “Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton won a landslide victory with 52% of the overall vote Nevertheless, Donald J. Trump; the Republic candidate took the overall win.” Anholt explained that this data was from his website, and reflected the views of the rest of the world(Anholt).
There was an air of confusion among the audience when Anholt gave the United States Presidential Elections alternative results. The audience gave a slight laugh, thinking that he might be joking. However, he clears the air by asking the audience if they believe he lives in a parallel universe. Then he answers his question by saying that he doesn’t live in a parallel universe, but in fact, he lives in the world and would like to address issues related to the world. He claimed, “In a globalized, hyper-connected and massively interdependent world, most of these leaders will be talking about how they shall impact on people’s lives.”
Sam Anholt claims that there is an opinion that elections only affect the people who live in that particular country. However, the fact is that one country’s elections have a profound impact on the rest of the world. He says, “Apparently, it is no longer a dividing line between domestic and international affairs. Did you know that no matter how small a country is, it can still produce the next Nelson Mandela or the next Stalin? They can still cause pollution to the atmosphere and the oceans, which belongs to the majority.”
Sam Anholt was dressed casually and looked more like a college professor and less like someone who works in politics. However, the way he delivered his speech, it was clear that he had a solution to the world’s problems. He stood in the center of the stage and walked occasionally while discussing his website. Ted talks are timed, and the speaker has to limit his speech in the time allotted. But Anholt did not seem to be in a hurry. Interestingly, he was quite relaxed and talked in a matter-of-fact tone.
Even though politics seems annoying to some people, Anholt maintains the audience’s attention throughout his speech. The reason might have been the hook he used at the beginning of his speech: the example of the U.S. presidential elections. However, what seemed more fascinating to the audience was that they could log in to his website and vote for any political leader, in any part of the country. As Anholt said, “Many people would not want to vote in another country’s election.” This approach has also fascinated me and left me flabbergasted at the potential it holds for the whole world.
This speech was especially relevant for me because of the things I learned about giving a speech. From the Ted talk, I can understand that if the public speaker uses a hook at the beginning of the speech, something that might command the audience’s attention. Though the rest of the statement should also be interesting, it should be related to the hook and emphasize it.
The most significant reason I enjoyed watching this talk was its message. The news was that we the people can play an essential role in resolving world issues. Often, we think for ourselves, instead of the more important picture that is being painted because of our actions. If we think of the more substantial image, we would vote for the right people, who would solve the world’s issues and make it the peaceful planet it deserves. As Anholt claims, “Everybody is in a position of power and responsibility. That is the rule of the modern age. The best thing about globalization is how it stirs up that diversity, which makes something more creative.”
References
Anholt, Simon. Who Would the Rest of the World Vote for in Your Country’s Election? www.ted.com, https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_anholt_how_would_the_rest_of_the_world_vote_in_your_country_s_election. Accessed 21 Nov. 2017.
