The Danger of a Single Story

“The Danger of a Single Story” is one of the most popular TED Talks ever recorded. How do you explain this? Discuss the specific elements of Adichie’s speech that make it so interesting and appealing. Summarize your discussion in a list of tips for giving an engaging talk.

Teaching Suggestion: Students will likely identify Adichie’s use of compelling anecdotes to illustrate her points. She also uses humor and tells stories that express humility because they reveal how she has sometimes accepted single stories about others. You might encourage students to dig deeper into the elements they identify by asking questions: Why are anecdotes (stories) such a powerful way to convey ideas? Is it always important to include some humor in a speech about a serious topic? How would the speech have been different without Adichie’s anecdotes about her own mistakes?

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who might struggle to identify elements in the speech on their own, you might suggest that they look for examples of anecdotes, humor, and stories about the speaker’s own past mistakes and then discuss why these make the speech engaging or effective.