If you’re invited to speak at TED—the annual tech, entertainment, and design conference—you say yes. TED talks have become a rite of passage for thought leaders: You’re an expert in your field, and it’s time to tell the world. That’s a lot of pressure. But if you watch the most popular TED talks, you’ll notice that there’s a formula. So for you aspiring toastmasters out there, here’s how to optimize your moment in the spotlight.
Anatomy of a Winning TED Talk
We’re not sure who puts the D in TED—most of the best presentations favor tepid PowerPoint slide shows (sorry, Brené Brown), Pictionary-quality drawings (really, Simon Sinek?), or no props at all.
Remember the one about the shoe salesmen who went to Africa in the 1900s? That’s how Benjamin Zander opened his talk—which turned out to be about classical music.
Don’t overprepare. Tease the guy in the front row (“You could light up a village with this guy’s eyes”). Commend the stagehand who handles the human brain you brought.
People come for answers—give ’em what they want, as Shawn Achor did: “By training your brain … we can reverse the formula for happiness and success.”
The TED equivalent of “I have a dream.” Example: “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” Repeat 7x.
Be relatable.We want to know about that nervous breakdown. Or at least the time you didn’t fit in at summer camp.
Wait a sec—we should be playing more videogames? The more choices we have, the worse off we are? TED is where conventional wisdom goes to die.
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Wired 01.01](https://more-deals.info/magazine/2013/04/wired0101/)
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Dreams](https://more-deals.info/magazine/2013/04/dreams/)
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Titans](https://more-deals.info/magazine/2013/04/platon/%29%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK sjrqk grid grid-margins grid-items-2 PaywallInlineBarrierWithWrapperGrid-fyrGfS kLQIUk grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail">
