I always say that a TED Talk delivery, at the highest level, is akin to watching a Cirque du Soleil solo. Think about the last time you watched a world-class performance — whether an acrobat soaring through the air or a musician lost in their melody. The best performers don’t just execute their craft; they embody it! When a Cirque performer steps on stage, they aren’t simply recalling choreography. They are living the performance: deeply connected to the moment and effortlessly adapting to...
2 months ago • 3 min read
This year I'm fortunate to celebrate a number of career milestones. A nifty one, tied to the first week of January is the tally of one million views of a TEDx Talk by Dr. Robert Waldinger. It was nine years ago this week when his talk released on YouTube (Nov. 2015). The TED headquarters team then re-edited and shared it on their website, the night before Christmas. By New Years... Dr. Waldinger was one of my 1st TEDx clients, back in the day. He was also the very, very first to reach those...
4 months ago • 4 min read
TED Talks have forever redefined public speaking — how we share and spread ideas on stage and screen. At the heart of this phenomenon is a distinct speaker prep approach that I’ve coined The Maximized Messaging Method™ (M3). The M3 framework distills core elements of successful TED Talk prep, emphasizing clarity, storytelling, and calls to engagement. A signature example of the M3 approach’s effectiveness is the TEDx Talk** by Harvard's Dr. Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons...
4 months ago • 6 min read
“I want my TEDx to go viral!” Whenever I hear that entreaty, my antenna twitch. While talks with one million views (or more) is my specialty, there must be more THERE there. "Viral" cannot be the end-goal — at least not for my team. Sure, 100K views (the official measure of “viral”) may be a win. But in the land of TED, there are 6 *other* equally valid definitions of success worth considering. For example, instead of mega-views, the goal may be an invitation to “sit at the table.” One of my...
5 months ago • 4 min read
Steve Jobs’ childhood memory about rocks and good ideas resonates with me, in the context of top-tier TED Talks. In an interview, he once shared a story involving a rock tumbler. He saw it as an analogy for the iterative improvement of ideas. Jobs explained how a truly great idea doesn’t simply appear fully formed: “We got some rocks — some regular old ugly rocks — and we put them in the can with a little bit of liquid and a little bit of grit powder. [My elderly neighbor] turned this motor...
5 months ago • 6 min read
Whenever I’m evaluating someone’s readiness for a TED Talk (or a major keynote), I use a mental checklist. I call them “the Four B’s.” Over the years, I’ve learned that these are essential commitments that every potential speaker should have if I’m going to work with them. Why? They need to truly be prepared for the intensity that a TED Talk or high-stakes presentation demands. 1. BENCH STRENGTH The first B is all about skills and experience. Speaking to an audience requires more than just...
6 months ago • 5 min read
On a TED stage, an animated conversational voice can make all the difference between a talk that merely informs and one that compels. As I work on my forthcoming book on storytelling, I’ve been deep in public speaking research. A study by Julia Hirschberg and Andrew Rosenberg, published in Speech Communication (2009), caught my attention recently, and seems work. Titled, “Charisma Perception from Text and Speech” the paper reveals how varying key elements of verbal delivery — pitch, volume,...
7 months ago • 4 min read
Connecting with your audience — whether for a keynote, pitch, or TED Talk — is an art that every speaker aims to master. To help you achieve this, here are 6 essential tips from top TED Talk speakers that can significantly boost your relatability and connection. These 6 proven relatability strategies will elevate your next presentation to new heights: 1. SHARE STICKY STORIES. Personal anecdotes can create a strong emotional bond with your audience. Share your experiences in the form of STICKY...
8 months ago • 4 min read
People ask me all the time, what book do you recommend to prep for my TED Talk? Frankly, there’s not one. There are three. No one book, alone, really offers the full TED and TEDx picture. But these three combined, come the closest, in print. That said, pick one of these and you’ll be ahead of the game. Read all three (in the order I’ve listed) and you’ll have woven the best insight set to exist in print. And yes, I know. There are many, many others. In this world of self-published,...
9 months ago • 3 min read