B21:30
Defend an unpopular opinion
Pick a mildly unpopular opinion you hold and keep defending it for 90 seconds without stopping.
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Goal
Explain ideas clearly to a group.
A good short talk has a shape you can hear: a clear opening, one or two points with examples, and a close. Practise that shape out loud here, and get feedback on the things an audience notices first — pace, filler words, and whether you finished your sentences.
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Showing 25–36 of 43 exercises
Pick a mildly unpopular opinion you hold and keep defending it for 90 seconds without stopping.
Argue for a position for one minute, then against it for one minute, without a break between.
Define an abstract idea — fairness, luck, home, success — and explore it for two minutes, non-stop.
Explain how a beginner would start your favourite hobby, step by step, without pausing.
Invent a new game and explain the rules, equipment and how to win, non-stop for 90 seconds.
Give a two-minute lecture on something you know well, with an intro, two points and a close — non-stop.
Explain how something everyday works — a fridge, the internet, elections — non-stop for 90 seconds.
Answer 'what makes a good life?' for two full minutes without pausing to search for words.
Tell the story of how a series of tiny, unremarkable choices led somewhere you never expected.
Tell a real story from your life, then retell the ending as it might have gone instead.
Argue a position on city cars. Use: admittedly, that said, the flip side, a compelling case, it stands to reason, on the whole.
Describe how your field has changed. Use: a shift, gradual, dramatic, disruptive, adapt, a turning point, phase out, roll out.