Think Global, Act Local
Why do documentaries about big global issues like war, poverty, global warming and human rights focus on individual people? How could they possibly represent such a huge global issue?
But if they didn't start with individuals, where would they start...
In fact, individual people, real stories often tell the whole story and more.
Auguries of Innocence
By William Blake
"To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
..."
Auguries are omens, signs, or portents that are believed to predict future events.
Think Global, Act Local
Your speaking task is to empower your listener.
You'll receive a big global problem abstract issue, bring it all the way down to earth. Take something enormous, and make it real, specific, and personal for your listeners - and give them a call to action.
- Why is this issue important for your audience?
- Empower them by telling them, what can they do about it in their lives?
What can one person do differently?
A single habit, conversation, action, moment.
End by making your listener feel they can actually do something about it. Not an order to obey, but a small action that feels worth doing. Leave us feeling we have some power, not guilt.
You have a minute or two. The skill we are practising is not persuasion or information. It is empowerment: taking a topic big enough to make people shrug, and handing them back the sense that they can act.
Example: Food waste
Discuss the Problem
"Every year the world throws away about a third of all the food it produces. Enough to feed billions. It is one of the biggest drivers of climate change..."
Bring it down to Earth
"But here is where it actually lives. It lives in the bag of spinach you bought with good intentions on Sunday and scraped into the bin"
Empower with a simple Call to Action
"Tonight, before you go to bed, open your fridge and look at what is about to go off."
Fast Fashion
Overconsumption
Loneliness
Deforestation
Overworking
Burnout
Screen Time / Phone Addition / Doomscrolling
People are too Polite (and not honest enough)
Decision Fatigue
Burnout / Feeling Guilty for Resting / Overworking
Comparisons
Fake News
Living Costs
Political Polarisation
People Keep Drowning in Floods
Ice is Melting
Nobody Can Afford Children
Birds are Waking People Up
People are Dying in Heat
England haven't won the world cup in 60 years
