ETHOS IN TED TALKS: THE ROLE OF CREDIBILITY IN POPULARISED TEXTS

Abstract

This paper investigates the importance of credibility in TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks, which are popularising speeches aiming at Knowledge Dissemination.

Drawing upon Gili’s (2013) theory on credibility, which grounds credibility on the three roots of knowledge, affectivity, and shared values, this work analyses how credibility is established in this new tool of popularisation that breaches the typical ‘scientist-mediator-audience’ triangularisation, bringing scientists directly into contact with their audiences.

Through the analysis of the use of personal stories and anecdotes, familiar language, visuals, exemplifications, and reference to everyday life, this study shows how these techniques are used by TED speakers to establish on-the-spot trustworthiness by appealing to emotions and values, revealing that in this genre of popularisation, credibility is achieved more through trustworthiness and similarity, connected to Gili’s normative and affective roots of credibility, than through authority and reputation due to mere knowledge.

The work further suggests that the success of these talks depends on how the speakers are listened to, remembered, and perceived as credible promoters of knowledge dissemination, but also on how they contribute to the audience’s approach to science, not as something distant and separate, but as a heritage belonging to both professionals and layperson.

Key words: TED talks; Credibility; Scientists-Audience interaction; Communicative competence; Popularisation; Knowledge Dissemination