The annual TED conference brings together some of the world’s brightest minds and thinkers to share their ideas on topics as diverse as entertainment, design, and science.
TED has distinguished itself by offering all of the presentations for free on its Web site, now numbering more than 500. The videos are inspiring, fascinating, and thought provoking. But beyond that, the presentations themselves are excellent. Viewers are beginning to notice. I’ve been contacted several times over the past few months by executives who ask, “How can I give a TED-worthy talk?”
I’ve analyzed many of these talks and have discovered that TED speakers share five common traits you can apply today to make your next presentation.
Stick to the 18 minute clock. TED is notable for limiting presentations to eighteen minutes. Eighteen minutes has been found to be an ideal amount of time to transfer information while keeping the audience engaged. If scientist Stephen Wolfram, the creator of Mathematica, can offer an 18- minute presentation on his quest to make all human knowledge computational and searchable, then you can surely deliver your team update in the same amount of time or less. Einstein once said that nothing is so complicated that it cannot be explained simply. TED talks prove it.
Talk about something you’re passionate about. One of the most distinguishing traits of TED speakers is the most difficult to teach. The presentations are exciting and inspiring because the speakers are passionate about their subjects. Whether it’s Al Gore talking about global warming or Ken Robinson discussing a new model for public education, the talks are powerful because they are delivered by people who care deeply about their topic and, in many cases, have spent their careers obsessing over the content. If you’re not genuinely thrilled to be sharing information, it will be very difficult to give a TED-worthy talk.
What does passion look like? In 2006, success guru Tony Robbins took to the stage to discuss his specialty, human motivation. Robbins has stage energy, and lots of it. His body is in constant motion, his hand gestures are large and expansive, he makes eye contact with every part of the room, and he even walks into the front row to high-five Al Gore. Great speakers bring all their energy to the stage.
Reveal a personal side. TED talks are often deeply personal. Activist Kevin Bales runs a non-profit called Free the Slaves. His 2010 presentation on modern slavery began with a personal anecdote about how he discovered that slavery still exists in many parts of the world (27 million slaves according to Bales). Bales was a sociology professor at a London University when he came across a leaflet that simply said, “there are millions of slaves in the world today.” Bales thought, “No way. I’ll also admit to hubris. How could I be a hot shot young professor who teaches human rights and not know this? It can’t be true.” Bales, curious and driven, visited five countries and talked to slaves and slave holders. His first person experience, stories, photographs and videos formed the basis of his talk. He received a standing ovation.
Design simple slides. Speaker slides for TED talks are strikingly simple. Talented and confident speakers know that the more complex the topic, the more important it is to make it easy to understand. I was particularly surprised by one speaker in the 2010 conference—Bill Gates. The former Microsoft CEO was never really known for visually simple slides while he ran the giant software company he co-founded. But as Gates has transformed into a global advocate for helping the world’s poor, his presentations have evolved—more photographs and less text.
In February 2010, Gates offered the bold proposition that the world must reduce its carbon emissions to zero in the next forty years in order to avoid environmental and socio-economic catastrophe. That’s a tall order for an 18-minute presentation. Near the end of his talk, Gates said if he only had one wish for the future of the planet, he would not want to pick the next President or create a new vaccine. Instead his “one wish” would be to reduce emissions globally to zero. As Gates talked about his vision and its implication, his slide showed a satellite photo of planet earth with the numeral zero in the center. The slides focused the audiences’ attention where it should be one—on the speaker.
Sometimes, lose the slides entirely. Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor was a 37-year-old Harvard brain scientist when a blood vessel erupted in her brain. As a brain scientist, she literally had a ringside seat to her own stroke and monitored as her brain functions began to shut down one by one. Her presentation in February 2008 was memorable, not for her slides, but what she did outside the slide deck. To best explain how both hemispheres of the brain work, she put on some latex gloves and displayed a real human brain. The audience squirmed but they didn’t forget the talk.
You may never be invited to give a TED talk and you may never decide to pay $6,000 to attend the annual Long Beach event. But if you follow the five principles, you will stand a much better chance of impressing your audience.