Analysis

This analysis of Diane Ridgway-Cross’ TED talk “Conscious Consumerism” is based on the rhetorical pentagram model.

In what follows, we will explore the topic of the speech – consumer power – looking at how the writer explores it from the perspective of women.

We will present the sender of the speech, Diane Ridgway-Cross, considering the information she conveys within the speech.

We will look at the receiver of the speech, formed by the live audience at the TED Talk, but also by the wider audience who has access to the speech, and the receivers that are explicitly targeted—such as women worldwide.

We will examine the language of the speech, focusing on choice of words, sentence structure, tone, anecdotes, rhetorical devices, and forms of appeal, all of which help Diane Ridgway-Cross engage her audience.

Finally, we will consider the circumstances of the speech and discuss the speaker’s intention of promoting conscious consumerism among women to influence the industry, showing them the power of the consumer.

You can find our full analysis of her TED talk in the next pages.