Ted Talk Research

Objective Summary When I initially began the process of choosing a TED Talk topic, I had absolutely no idea what I wished to talk about. I knew my subject had to be interesting, at least enough so I wouldn’t get bored of it, and that I needed my ideas to keep the audience’s attention. I just could not think of anything. The ideas I had would either be boring for my peers, or there simply was not enough research on the topic. As I listened to my classmates tell me about their grand ideas for their TED Talk ideas, I was even more clueless. Finally, one Tuesday my peer was adrenalized over a dream they had had last night and it hit me. Dreams are something that everyone can relate to and yet, many people have very little knowledge about them.
Then as I began to look through different websites and books for my research, this started to change. I came up with three different questions I wanted to answer in my TED Talk; “What is a Dream?”, “Why do we Dream?”, and “What do these Dreams Mean?”. I continued to find key information on my topic from sources like the book Sleep and Dream by Rosen Marvin and Dreams and Nightmares by Jennifer Parker. I also used website sources such as “Stages of Sleep” by Diana L. Walcutt, and “What do Dreams do for Us?” by Ilana Simons. These sources provided crucial information for my Ted Talk and helped guide my
I started to rethink my script, especially how I opened and closed the presentation, and with only 4 nights left until I presented I decided to change the structure of my script. I felt much more comfortable with this newly edited version, and it was also much easier for me to memorize because it felt more interactive and more engaging with the audience. I now enjoy talking with people about the research I found on dreaming and am much less nervous to give my TED Talk. Overall, my TED Talk process was long and difficult, but helped me to feel comfortable and at ease with my presentation.

Works Consulted
Rosen, Marvin. Sleep and Dreaming. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publ., 2006. nnnnnPrint.
Walcutt, Diana L. "Stages of Sleep." Psych Central. N.p., 17 July 2016. Web. 02 nnnnnJune 2017.
Lukeman, Alex. What your dreams can teach you. New York: M. Evans, 2001. nnnnnPrint.
Simons, Ilana. "What Do Dreams Do for Us?" Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 11 nnnnnNov. 2009. Web. 02 June 2017.
Parker, Jennifer. Dreams & Nightmares. Pleasantville, NY: Readers Digest Association, nnnnn2010.