“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...
23 days 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...
about 1 month 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...
about 2 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,...
3 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...
4 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,...
5 months ago • 3 min read
What's the most common TEDx mistake that hopeful speakers make? Settling for the 1st opportunity that comes your way. Not all TEDx events are created equal. With 3K+ annual conferences all around the world and all run by volunteers... There’s a wide gap in quality and know-how. Fact is that many, many event organizers are learning on the job. Often they don’t have the resources to properly vet speaker ideas or produce high-quality videos. Before applying to TEDxAnywhere, do your research and...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Today, let's dive into five dimensions of humor in TED Talks. After all, chuckles matter. Even TED Head Chris Anderson emphasizes the importance of humor in a talk. In his bestseller, TED Talks, he writes: “Audiences who laugh with you quickly come to like you. And if people like you, they’re much readier to take seriously what you have to say. Laughter blows open someone’s defenses...” Successful TED Talk speakers — about 60% of the top 100 — make generous use of humor. And laughter is...
7 months ago • 5 min read
Gearing up for a TEDx Talk? Before you take the stage, beware of these three common pitfalls that can derail your presentation. 1. DO NOT ASSUME YOUR IDEA IS TED-WORTHY. Your book thesis isn’t a TED topic. And not all ideas are really “spread-ready” or spread-worthy. Don’t assume the next step is focusing on scriptwriting and rehearsals. That idea likely needs a 2nd look. → There’s a proven and powerful framework for bringing discipline to an idea. Don’t just riff things to explaining it....
8 months ago • 2 min read