Laura Trice: The power of saying thank you

Link: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/laura_trice_suggests_we_all_say_thank_you.html

Who is she?: http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/laura_trice.html

In her words: “Why can I say I take my steak medium rare, I need size six shoes, but I won’t say ‘would you praise me this way?’”

In my words:

This sushi-style talk is compact and satisfying. Though Trice is a little on the awkward side, her point comes across crystal clear. Instead of getting sidetracked with the psychological implications of going through life without getting praised, she remains focused on getting her audience to say “thank you.” Every sentence relates back to that central idea. She’s able to maintain this focus with a series of anecdotes, analogies and directives. Each of these is bite-size, and directly relates back to the notion of “Thank You.”

She underemphasizes the importance of specificity when thanking someone. Though she addresses it, a listener may walk away from the talk thinking that saying “thank you” for a door held open, or for your sandwich at Subway. Though these are good things, they are not in the spirit of Trice’s “thank you” initiative.

This is another perspective altering talk, and one with serious upside in a viewer’s life.

Key Quotes:

“Now, get to your wheel truing.”

“Why can I say I take my steak medium rare, I need size six shoes, but I won’t say ‘would you praise me this way? And it’s because I’m giving you critical data about me, I’m telling you where I’m insecure, I’m telling you where I need your help.”

Noodle scratchers:

What do you want to be thanked for? How could she have emphasized the importance of specificity?