The assignment for the Prezi + TED Contest was easy and the steps were as follows:
- Make a prezi that embodies the key messages of your chosen TED Talk.
- Explain the prezi in a unique way.
The complete description of the assignment, as quoted at prezi.com, is as follows:
Choose a TED Talk as the starting point for a prezi that you design.
TED Talks are driven by ideas, and so are prezis. Audiences are inspired by presentations that focus on big ideas with the potential to spread, inspire others, and change the world. When ideas are visual, they are even more memorable.
This is where Prezi comes in. Our invitation to you: Make a prezi that embodies the key messages of your chosen TED Talk and explains them in a unique way.
The prezi was judged on the following criteria:
- Creativity: Whether or not the prezi reflects a truly creative effort, and the prezi is unique and beautiful
- Clarity: Whether or not the message and format of the prezi is clear, understandable, and accessible to a broad audience
- Incorporation of TED Talk: Whether or not the prezi clearly follows, and even illuminates, the speaker's theme and message
There were the following five TED Talks to choose from:
- Elizabeth Gilbert's "Your elusive creative genius"
- Bryan Stevenson's "We need to talk about an injustice"
- Chip Conley's "Measuring what makes life worthwhile"
- Sarah Kay's "If I should have a daughter…"
- Matthieu Ricard's "The habits of happiness"
Take a look at the following screenshot:
The first thing I did was watch all five TED Talks. I also printed the full transcripts and read them. I wanted to make the right decision on the TED Talk. For me, that was the first important decision in the whole design process. I had to choose the talk that had the most impact on me. I could only design a prezi when I understood the TED Talk completely and when my heart was touched by the message.
For me, this wasn't an easy decision and it actually took me several days. I kept watching and reading the talks, putting it away, thinking about it, and watching and reading the talks again.
All the TED talks were truly amazing, but the one that made the biggest impression on me was the TED Talk We need to talk about an injustice by Bryan Stevenson, a Human Rights lawyer in the United States. The following information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Stevenson:
Bryan A. Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a private, non-profit organization headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, and is a professor at New York University School of Law. He has gained national acclaim for his work challenging bias against the poor and people of color in the criminal justice system. Stevenson has assisted in securing relief for dozens of condemned prisoners, advocated for poor people and developed community-based reform litigation aimed at improving the administration of criminal justice.
When I made the decision for the TED talk of Bryan Stevenson, I watched the talk a few more times. I also printed the transcript in Dutch, my native language, because I wanted to know what the talk was about in every detail.
My first task in the design contest was deciding which TED Talk I should choose. I didn't take this decision quickly. I watched all videos, read the transcripts, and thought it through. For me, it took several days. That's not necessary for you, but pay enough attention to the start off a new prezi. What exactly is the assignment? What's the goal, message, and audience?