ELIZABETH GILBERT

Best known for her 2006 memoirs Eat, Pray, Love

American author, magazine writer, biographer and novelist

Your Elusive Creative GeniusSociety puts a lot of pressure on ‘geniuses’ to produce

great things. Rather than select individuals being geniuses, she introduces the idea that everyone has a genius.

* a guiding spirit that brings forth exceptional achievements out of us

Descriptive StorytellingElizabeth uses detailed descriptions and

personifies characteristics and qualities in her talk. It is easy to imagine and relate to the emotion she is trying to evoke from these

characteristics.

Her speaking to our imagination is what keeps us engaged.

Example: She describes poems and songs as a type of wind that flows through people and if

the poet/singer miss their opportunity, the song moves onto the next singer.

DYNAMISM SCORE:

3 out of 5Elizabeth may have been thought-

provoking and got a few chuckles out of the audience, bus she seemed not very animated or enthusiastic during

her talk.

Leave the Audience Feeling Smarter

Elizabeth changed the way peoplethink about being creative or aboutbeing a genius. If we think about ushaving geniuses rather than beinggeniuses, that pressure society exerts on us lessens. We would no longer feel worse about our failures or gloat about our successes.

What Have I Learned about Delivery?

Storytelling is a great way to keep the audience engaged. She always had an example for every point she was trying to make.

Both Elizabeth Gilbert and Sir Ken Robinson speak about how our current

society affects our abilities to be creative.

In speaking, Sir Robinson tends to use comedic elements more while Gilbert uses

storytelling techniques

TIPS ON SPEAKING LIKE ELIZABETH GILBERT

To keep the audience engaged, tell a story. Use a lot of examples

while being descriptive so we don’t have to try hard to imagine what it

is you are trying to convey.