Introduction
An expert scientist in the field of intellectual technology, Astro Teller says that Great dreams are not just visions. Great dreams are visions coupled with pragmatic strategies to make them real. Teller, the head of X, earlier known as Google X, takes the audience on a journey through his ‘moonshot factory’ where big dreams are made real. Teller’s team of smart multi-disciplinary professionals takes up many challenging and risky projects through exploring many audacious ideas. Teller appeals to the intellectual youth of the current generation to take up challenging projects without fearing failure. He also views failure as a stepping stone to innovation and finding solution to highly demanding problems. In this inspiring talk that sarcastically challenges scientific talents Teller gives a rapid summary of a few projects that were closed down midway due to various reasons even as all the projects were initiated to solve certain key issues. For instance, the vertical farming project, which used only a tenth of water and hundredth of land for cultivation compared to traditional farming, and was focused on settling the issue of undernourishment, had to be abandoned because the method was not a viable option for cultivating staple crops like rice and other grains. Similarly, X tried a cheap alternative to shipping in countries that do not have sea coast since the initial investment was too high. Teller’s powerful lesson to the audience is about shifting one’s perspective that is all the more important than being intelligent. For instance, Teller uses Team X’s classic innovation The Makani wind power kites as a typical example of changing one’s perspective when the team came to the conclusion that there was no point in spending much time and energy on improving the designs of wind turbines; instead, the idea of climbing to a still higher altitude gave them a creative new opportunity to harvest wind energy (Teller). Teller proudly says that the X strategy that accepts failure is always safe and rewarding since failure gives room for further exploration and innovation.
Teller employs many powerful rhetorical devices to appeal to his audience. Teller adds credibility to his speech by quoting a famous incident in American intellectual history in which President John F. Kennedy vowed to put a man on the moon before the end of the seventh decade of the twentieth century. This is also a powerful attention getter that is capable of attracting the minds of the listeners. The prominent ethos evident in the speech is the author’s training and qualification as a scientist and intellectual driven by pragmatic thinking. He is proud of his opportunity to work alongside renowned engineers, scientists and military commanders and laser experts at his metaphoric ‘moonshot factory.’ The memorable brand name of their creative factory that is poised to find solutions to toughest problems faced by mankind ever, moonshot signifies a high and noble vision. Teller repeatedly uses the word moonshot to indicate that the individuals working on the project were go-getters and dreamers. It also reminds the audience that the project they were involved in was important and huge. Similarly, the metaphor ‘factory’ is often repeated to remind the audience that the team is working in an atmosphere known for hectic activities including tiresome hard work, turning points, innovation, and of course, failure. Teller also duly warns the audience that the moonshot factory is always a messy place, which signifies the fact that the individuals working in the ‘messy moonshot factory’ are always focused on the end result of their actions. Normally, individuals show keen interest in keeping their workplace neat and tidy unlike Teller’s team working in the moonshot factory to find solutions to certain pressing problems faced by the society at large. Therefore, usage of the phrase ‘messy workplace’ also indicates that the team of experts is not concerned about criticism as long as they are convinced about their life purpose.
Logos
Teller’s speech is strictly based on many real life facts since he tries to give solutions based on intellect and conscience to various problems faced by humanity. Thus, the speech is characterized with the application of logos throughout. Teller makes the most prominent logical appeal through revealing an important researched data. For instance, he says one in every ten individuals across the world suffers from malnourishment. He also gives a readymade solution to address the problem, strongly backed by proven scientific research when he adds that vertical farming that is water as well as land efficient is capable of feeding all hungry mouths on the planet. This dream project is also backed by thorough research and pragmatic thoughts as the author reveals that each family could cultivate their consumption requirements by themselves. Similarly, the author recommends a pragmatic solution to countries that are landlocked and hence cannot use ships to transport their goods even as the reality of spending 200 million dollars to develop a prototype lighter-than-air cargo ship. Teller diverts the attention of the audience to another important project that is viable when compared with the previous ones by revealing a shocking truth; revealing a bare fact that every year 1.2 million individuals die on roads globally is a powerful application of logos appeal to encourage scientific minds to act immediately. He also proudly declares the huge success of the moonshot factory: newly designed self-driving cars of the moonshot factory have driven more than 1.4 million miles since then and are popularly seen on the streets of California and Texas now. Pointing out a grand success of the moonshot team, particularly after experiencing a couple of setbacks, is sure to give the audience a hope that the messy moonshot factory is capable of delivering smart solutions to pressing problems.
Pathos
Teller begins his speech by sharing a great dream of former president JFK that was coupled to a clear strategic plan; and of course the whole world knows how Kennedy’s dream was achieved in the following years. Citing professionals belonging to various disciplines who teamed along with Teller in the moonshot project like engineers, scientists, military men and fashion designers touches the hearts of all the individuals listening to him irrespective of their educational background and profession. He emotionally appeals to his audience through indicating several pressing matters that require immediate attention. More importantly, he appeals to the scientists and learned youngsters listening to his speech to think big, act upon difficult things and get rewards and bonuses for their hard work. He wins the hearts of the audience while empathizing with them to approach professional challenges from their own points of view. For example, he understands the audience best while putting the common questions of his listeners: What if I fail in the project? What will others say when I fail? Will I be thrown out of the job? (Teller). His speech is quite persuasive towards the end when he openly confesses to the audience the secret of making individuals to work on hard things. The secret to make individuals aspire to take up risky and difficult projects is: facilitating a path of least resistance and motivating them to work hard by insisting failure is safe and a sign of improvement. It is as though he concludes the hunt of the treasure he promised to the audience at the beginning of his speech with a fulfilling and accomplished tone. Also, Teller’s strategy of including certain failures and stark realities in his speech rather than focusing only on the success stories increases the credibility of his speech.
Conclusion
Teller’s appeal to the intellectuals to find big problems that affect millions of lives and explore solutions to the same is quite inspiring. Also, his speech is motivating to youngsters who normally keep away from taking risks due to the fear of failure. In light of various global problems that threaten mankind currently requiring innovation and an integrated approach to solve, Teller’s speech has come timely to the intellectual audience who can lead a change. The speaker’s ability to capture the attention of the audience of diverse backgrounds through employing appropriate rhetorical appeals is worth mentioning. The speech contains a right mix of ethos, logos and pathos. The speaker, being a highly qualified and experienced professional himself, personally adds value to the ethos appeal or credibility of the speech. On the other hand, substantiating his statements through relevant data and studies enriches the logic appeal or logos of the speech. Similarly, Teller’s appeal to the young intellectual minds to identify the most challenging problems faced by human beings and finding appropriate solutions through employing their knowledge and expertise for finding creative solutions gives a strong emotional appeal to his audience. Metaphors like moonshot and factory adds value to the speech along with humor and empathy. Frequent use of the phrase ‘kill the project’ to indicate abandoning a project that is not economically viable gives the audience the impression that even though cost matters a lot, it should not be a deterring factor in trying new creative solutions to challenges threatening humankind. In short, the landmark speech is informative, appealing and strong enough to motivate the audience to act.
Work Cited
Teller, Astro. The unexpected benefit of celebrating failure. TED. Feb 2016. Web. 10 May 2016. https://www.ted.com/talks/astro_teller_the_unexpected_benefit_of_celebrating_failure
