A smooth script is a winning script. When Iβm working with hopeful leaders heading to center stage or center screen, I say imagine: Youβre steering the minivan. Your viewers are seated in the back. Youβre driving along the keynote highway. The overall goal is to ensure a smooth, jostle-free, interesting ride. A message thatβs free from distractions and disruptions. In crafting a next-level presentation, there are obstacles to navigate that can disrupt your messaging highway. These road...
3 months agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Joyce sat in the darkened theater, notebook balanced on her lap, heart pounding harder than it should for someone *not* about to go onstage. She was at TEDxCambridge β the largest TEDx venue in the country. But she wasnβt backstage. She wasnβt micβd. She wasnβt giving the talk she knew she was born to deliver. She was in the audience. Again. She watched, speaker after speaker stepping onto that iconic red stage, each one sharing a message that echoed across the auditorium. With every standing...
5 months agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Some stories land. Others miss the mark. But the ones that stick β the ones that make people lean in β hit the bulls-eye and are repeated. In my STICKY Stories training, I call it βBulls-Eye Storytelling.β That's because the closer you get to the center, the more powerful the connection. Weβve all heard stories that float somewhere out there in the narrative ether: βI heard from someone who read it somewhereβ¦β That kind of story is fine. It can teach. It might even inspire. But what grabs...
6 months agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
In an era flooded with content, authority has become the rarest currency. - Anyone can post daily on LinkedIn- Build a brand with AI "insights"- Launch a podcast But letβs be honest β views donβt equate value. And virality doesnβt mean credibility. And "thought leadership" isn't self-declared. The audience watching TED Talks by the millions each week isnβt looking for more noise. They want: - Ideas with depth- Leadership with proof- Results-driving frameworks Going viral shouldn't be the...
7 months agoΒ β’Β 5 min read
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 β whether an acrobat soaring through the air or a musician lost in their melody. The best performers donβt just execute their craft; they embody it! When a Cirque performer steps on stage, they arenβt simply recalling choreography. They are living the performance: deeply connected to the moment and effortlessly adapting to...
8 months agoΒ β’Β 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...
9 months agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
TED Talks have forever redefined public speaking β how we share and spread ideas on stage and screen. At the heart of this phenomenon is a distinct speaker prep approach that Iβve coined The Maximized Messaging Methodβ’ (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 approachβs effectiveness is the TEDx Talk** by Harvard's Dr. Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons...
10 months agoΒ β’Β 6 min read
βI want my TEDx to go viral!β 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 β at least not for my team. Sure, 100K views (the official measure of βviralβ) 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 βsit at the table.β One of my...
11 months agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
Steve Jobsβ 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 doesnβt simply appear fully formed: βWe got some rocks β some regular old ugly rocks β 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...
11 months agoΒ β’Β 6 min read