The Late Sir Ken Robinson found his ideas on education resonate with the world when his 2006 TED Talk gradually became the most viewed talk in the history of TED, with more than 65 million views.
A gifted speaker, Sir Ken Robinson used his wit and charm, apart from humour and storytelling, to engage his audience without using presentation slides or visual aids.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Most Popular Ted Talk Of All Time

Communication

Sir Ken Robinson was a known voice in subjects like creativity, education and human potential even before the video “Why Schools Kill Creativity", but this famous TED Talk introduced his impressive public-speaking skills to an even bigger audience.
In his crisp, humorous and engaging speech, Sir Ken Robinson points out the glaring flaws in the current education system, which is only concerned about grading and conformity and does not nurture the creativity of children.

Sir Ken Robinson: A Story Told Well

<ul>
<li>“If they’re laughing, they’re listening,” Robinson replied to an interviewer. In his most famous TED talk, the laughs start early.</li>
<li>Social psychologists have found that humor scores points with an audience. The humor Ken Robinson’s used was mostly self-deprecating.</li>
</ul>

Sir Ken Robinson: Using Humor in Public Speaking

"I heard a great story recently of a little girl who was in a drawing lesson. She was six, and she was at the back, drawing…the teacher was fascinated. She went over to her, and she said, “What are you drawing?” And the girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” And the teacher said, “But nobody knows what God looks like.” And the girl said, “They will, in a minute.” "

Quote

<img src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f11a21fd14260c5948d3cd2bf33ba2b0?s=400&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g" alt="Carmine Gallo" width="64" height="64"><div><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/" dir="ltr">Carmine Gallo</a>Senior Contributor</div><div>I write about leadership communication to grow sales and build brands.</div><figure><img src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f42b923df4fa83d7116d0ad/960x0.jpg?cropX1=0&amp;cropX2=2736&amp;cropY1=180&amp;cropY2=1719" alt="School Library Makeover-D.C. Hill Event" width="374" height="210"><figcaption dir="auto">AP IMAGES FOR TARGET</figcaption></figure>Sir Ken Robinson, one of the world’s leaders thinkers on reforming the educational system, died on Friday. His ideas found a global audience after he delivered the most popular&nbsp;&nbsp;TED Talk of all time, a 2006 talk that has been viewed more than 65 millions.&nbsp;&nbsp;I featured Robinson’s now famous TED Talk in my book,&nbsp;Talk Like TED. In the talk, <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript?language=en" title="https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript?language=en" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript?language=en" aria-label="“Why Schools Kill Creativity,”" dir="ltr">“Why Schools Kill Creativity,”</a> Robinson addressed a big topic in just 18 minutes: reimagining the educational system so that it nurtures creativity instead of stifling it.&nbsp;Robinson was a talented speaker who kept his audience engaged without using slick animations or presentation slides. His public-speaking tools were humor and storytelling.<h2>Humor</h2>“If they’re laughing, they’re listening,” Robinson once told an interviewer.&nbsp;As an educator, Robinson knew that nobody will stick around for his ideas if they are mentally checked out.&nbsp;<div>Recommended For You</div><UL><LI><h3 data-ga-track="SEO Recirc Unit: 6">Explaining Agile To Your Boss? Here’s How</h3></LI></UL>In his TED talk, the laughs start early. Here are several portions of Robinson’s presentation that elicits the biggest laughs in the first five minutes.If you’re at a dinner party and you say you work in education—actually, you’re not often at dinner parties, frankly, if you work in education…PROMOTED<div dir="ltr">UNICEF USA&nbsp;BrandVoice&nbsp;| Paid Program</div><h3> Talking To My Black Kids About The Protests </h3><div dir="ltr">KPMG&nbsp;BrandVoice&nbsp;| Paid Program</div><h3> Considerations For Sourcing And Category Management </h3><div dir="ltr">Rocket Mortgage&nbsp;BrandVoice&nbsp;| Paid Program</div><h3> Detroit’s Vision To Be Fully Connected: Here’s How The City Is Bridging Its Digital Divide </h3>But if you are, and they say, “What do you do?” and you say you work in education, you can see the blood run from their face. They’re like, “Oh my God. Why me? My one night out all week.”I heard a great story recently of a little girl who was in a drawing lesson. She was six, and she was at the back, drawing…the teacher was fascinated. She went over to her, and she said, “What are you drawing?” And the girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” And the teacher said, “But nobody knows what God looks like.” And the girl said, “They will, in a minute.”&nbsp;In the first five minutes Robinson elicited about 10 laughs from the audience. At two laughs per minute, that made Robinson’s talk more entertaining than many comedy films.Robinson’s humor was largely self-deprecating. Although you have to be careful about poking too much fun at yourself and risk losing credibility, social psychologists have found that humor scores points with an audience.&nbsp;Robinson taught us to lighten up. <h2>Storytelling</h2>In his TED Talk, Robinson told the story of a woman he had met. Gillian Lynne was Broadway royalty. She choreographed “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera.”&nbsp;Robinson asked Lynne how she became a dancer. She said that when she was going to school in the 1930s, her school administrators believed she had a learning disorder because she couldn’t concentrate and was always fidgeting.&nbsp;Lynne’s mother took her to a specialist. After listening to Lynne and her mother for about twenty minutes, the doctor told Lynne that he would like to speak to her mother privately.&nbsp;But as they went out the room, he turned on the radio that was sitting on his desk. And when they got out of the room, he said to her mother, ‘Just stand and watch her.’ And the minute they left the room she was on her feet, moving to the music. And they watched for a few minutes, and he turned to her mother and said, “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick; she's a dancer. Take her to a dance school.”&nbsp;Robinson told the story to reinforce his theme that the educational system must nurture the unique creative capacity of each child. “Our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future,” Robinson concluded.Robinson taught us that stories capture our imagination and inspire us to see things differently. Sir Ken Robinson was a notable voice in creativity, education and human potential long before his TED Talk, but the video introduced his remarkable public-speaking skills to a wider audience.<div dir="ltr">Follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.twitter.com/carminegallo" dir="ltr">Twitter</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carminegallo/" dir="ltr">LinkedIn</a>.&nbsp;Check out&nbsp;my&nbsp;<a href="http://carminegallo.com/" dir="ltr">website</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;some of my other work&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Five-Stars-Communication-Secrets-Great/dp/1250181259/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" dir="ltr">here</a>.&nbsp;</div><img src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f11a21fd14260c5948d3cd2bf33ba2b0?s=400&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g" alt="Carmine Gallo" width="44" height="44">

Ken Robinson's public-speaking tools were humor and storytelling

Sir Ken Robinson, one of the world’s leaders thinkers on reforming the educational system, died on Friday. His ideas found a global audience after he delivered the most popular  TED Talk of all time, a 2006 talk that has been viewed more than 65 millions.

I featured Robinson’s now famous TED Talk in my book, Talk Like TED . In the talk, <a aria-label="“Why Schools Kill Creativity,”" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript?language=en" dir="ltr" href="https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript?language=en" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" title="https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript?language=en">“Why Schools Kill Creativity,” </a>Robinson addressed a big topic in just 18 minutes: reimagining the educational system so that it nurtures creativity instead of stifling it.

Robinson was a talented speaker who kept his audience engaged without using slick animations or presentation slides. His public-speaking tools were humor and storytelling.

“If they’re laughing, they’re listening,” Robinson once told an interviewer.

As an educator, Robinson knew that nobody will stick around for his ideas if they are mentally checked out.

<ul><li><h3 data-ga-track="SEO Recirc Unit: 6">Explaining Agile To Your Boss? Here’s How </h3> </li> </ul>

In his TED talk, the laughs start early. Here are several portions of Robinson’s presentation that elicits the biggest laughs in the first five minutes.

If you’re at a dinner party and you say you work in education—actually, you’re not often at dinner parties, frankly, if you work in education…

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But if you are, and they say, “What do you do?” and you say you work in education, you can see the blood run from their face. They’re like, “Oh my God. Why me? My one night out all week.”

I heard a great story recently of a little girl who was in a drawing lesson. She was six, and she was at the back, drawing…the teacher was fascinated. She went over to her, and she said, “What are you drawing?” And the girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” And the teacher said, “But nobody knows what God looks like.” And the girl said, “They will, in a minute.”

In the first five minutes Robinson elicited about 10 laughs from the audience. At two laughs per minute, that made Robinson’s talk more entertaining than many comedy films.

Robinson’s humor was largely self-deprecating. Although you have to be careful about poking too much fun at yourself and risk losing credibility, social psychologists have found that humor scores points with an audience.

Robinson taught us to lighten up.

In his TED Talk, Robinson told the story of a woman he had met. Gillian Lynne was Broadway royalty. She choreographed “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera.”

Robinson asked Lynne how she became a dancer. She said that when she was going to school in the 1930s, her school administrators believed she had a learning disorder because she couldn’t concentrate and was always fidgeting.

Lynne’s mother took her to a specialist. After listening to Lynne and her mother for about twenty minutes, the doctor told Lynne that he would like to speak to her mother privately.

But as they went out the room, he turned on the radio that was sitting on his desk. And when they got out of the room, he said to her mother, ‘Just stand and watch her.’ And the minute they left the room she was on her feet, moving to the music. And they watched for a few minutes, and he turned to her mother and said, “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick; she's a dancer. Take her to a dance school.”

Robinson told the story to reinforce his theme that the educational system must nurture the unique creative capacity of each child. “Our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future,” Robinson concluded.

Robinson taught us that stories capture our imagination and inspire us to see things differently.

Sir Ken Robinson was a notable voice in creativity, education and human potential long before his TED Talk, but the video introduced his remarkable public-speaking skills to a wider audience.

Bite‑sized knowledge
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your career

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Sir Ken Robinson: The Most Popular Ted Talk Of All Time

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Sir Ken Robinson: Using Humor in Public Speaking

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Sir Ken Robinson: The Most Popular Ted Talk Of All Time

Sir Ken Robinson: A Story Told Well

Sir Ken Robinson: Using Humor in Public Speaking

SIR KEN ROBINSON

9 Public-Speaking Lessons From The World's Greatest TED Talks

3 Public Speaking Lessons From the World's Greatest TED Talks

Why dance is just as important as math in school

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career