Dan Pink TED Talk Response

Dan Pink’s TED Talk, “The surprising truth about what motivates us” is a very mind blowing video. This video proves that the carrot-stick philosophy of motivation is not necessarily as effective as self-directed motivation. I take away a new appreciation for the average human. In the past it has been believed that what motivates people to perform better is incentive. Pink brings to attention that there is another drive. This drive is applied to work that Pink explains as “rudimentary cognitive work” and in these instances rewards lead to a lesser performance. Motivation for tasks such as these comes from the human urge to master a task and incentive cannot compete. Pink uses expression and passion as he speaks. His body expressions coexist with his words as he mesmerizes his audience. While presenting, Pink used visual aids to enhance his overall presentation. These techniques and styles create a great presentation that carries a powerful message. This message is what matters most. That incentive or punishment is not always a motivator and that can change the world. The public school system runs on a carrot- stick policy. By working hard, remaining on task, and completing assignments students are rewarded a great grade which mostly refers to an A. If students do not do this they receive poor grades and fail. After watching this video I personally see many things that can change in my own school that apply this new found discovery. If applied to schools, then the increase of student performance may be remarkable. Students would be learning for the sole purpose of learning and to master skills, a drive that a grade cannot compete with. Pink believes that this discovery can change the world and I agree. If the world embraced this idea business could achieve more such as Atlassian did with its own employees. The company challenges their employees to create something totally new in 24 hours and present it at a meeting. More software and devices have been created because of these meetings, where no one is rewarded or punished for what they produce. If the entire world did this, everything would change and that’s what ultimately matters, changing the world in a positive way.