This paper investigates the importance of pathos in TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks, which areudpopularising speeches aiming at Knowledge Dissemination. Drawing upon Dlugan's (2013) theories on theudenhancement of pathos as a communicative strategy, this work analyses how pathos is established in thisudrelatively new form of popularisation that breaches the typical ‘scientist-mediator-audiences’ triangularisation,udbringing scientists directly into contact with their audiences. In particular, the study will focus on an exemplaryudTED talk held by Dr Jill Bolte Taylor, ‘My Stroke of Insight’, a fascinating TED talk that recounts the speaker’sudfirst-person experience of a major stroke, and which has been one of the most watched TED talks so far, withudover 12 million views. The study shows how pathos techniques are used by TED speakers to establish on-thespotudconnection with their live and online audiences by appealing to emotions and values. The work furtherudsuggests that the success of these talks depends on how these speakers are listened to, remembered, andudperceived as credible promoters of knowledge dissemination, but also on how they contribute to audiences’udapproach to science not as something distant and separate, but as a heritage belonging to both professionalsudand laypersons.
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