So, You Want to Give a TED Talk?

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” ? ― Pablo Picasso

As soon as I announced to my community that I had been selected for TEDxChicago, I was flooded with requests from friends and colleagues who had always dreamed about doing a TED talk, but hadn’t yet taken the leap.?

Now that I’m on the other side of the stage, I wanted to share my lessons-learned in case they might be helpful to others who have a Big Idea they want to share with a larger audience.?

I’ve distilled my path down to 5 bite-sized steps you can take to land, create, and nail your first TED talk.?

Since my own talk was about the power of plants and culinary medicine to be your own best, first doctor, I’m fittingly envisioning the phases as: seed, germination, growth, reproduction, pollination, and seed spreading.

1. How I Landed It

The Seed: TED’s goal is to foster the spread of great ideas; what is the seed you want to sow to feed the minds of your audience.

But I think besides being really clear on articulating your idea, you need to bring some additional assets to the table.?

During my pitch - a 2 minute video submission (over 200 narrowed down to 20) and then a 2 minute live audition (20 narrowed down to 7) - I shared a capsule of our pioneering work at Northwestern teaching culinary medicine to future doctors, and why this is critical to the mainstream; shared some of the science and stats to show proof of concept, and gave my own personal story so the judges would feel connected and perhaps see themselves in my story.?

Germination: I was fortunate to be picked on my first try; I have colleagues who have submitted ideas for seven conferences before being chosen.?(So don't give up!)

Part of that success was due to the time I put into my presentation; all told I probably spent 15-20 hours preparing for just those two 2-minute chances, even though they were on a topic I’ve spoken about dozens of times to professional audiences.?

Realistically, part of being picked also comes down to luck. In crafting a rich day of learning, the TEDx organizers want a diverse range of topics, speakers and entertainment, so when possible, take into consideration how your idea fits into the program as a whole.

2. How I Prepared for my TEDx Talk?

Growth: Once notified I was “in” I had to think about how I was going to grow my 2-minute talk to a 6-10 minute one. (While famous for the 18-minute talk, many TEDs are now shortening the length, as even 18 minutes exceeds many people’s attention span).?

Having got this far, I knew I had to make the most of the opportunity and make it a priority for the next two months. I committed to investing my time, attention and resources so I could feel confident stepping on the stage for a talk that would live in perpetuity as my calling card.

While the TEDx program generously provided 4 coaching sessions with the organizer, I also hired my own coach: Sam Horn, who is renowned for her ability to help craft messages that POP (are Purposeful, Original and Pithy).?

For an hour a week for 6 weeks we met to fine-tune my message. In between our sessions I'd work on the next iteration of my script. As in most things, sometimes less is more. Some concepts were really catchy, but didn’t serve the story, so I pulled them out with a plan to reuse in a future social media post or book. I also added new phrasing during the last week before the show, based on feedback from my son and TEDx cohort during dry runs.?

Besides the actual script, I devoted time to my own research about presenting, watching popular TED talks like ones on public speaking, voice and even funny and practical guidance on how to give a TED talk. I googled relevant blogs. And I took time to plan my outfit and schedule hair and makeup for the day, so I wouldn’t have to stress the morning of the show.?

Reproduction: In medical school I needed to take propranolol to speak in front of 3 other students and my teacher; fear of public speaking was no joke for me.?

Over the years I’ve gotten very comfortable speaking to audiences of over 500 people, but realized quickly that giving an hour-long professional talk is a whole different animal compared with a memorized 10 minute edu-tainment performance.?

The following steps helped me learn my talk so I didn’t fear the dreaded blanking out on stage:

Script:?

• I “chunked” the text into concepts, each just a few sentences long so that learning the first few words of a section made the rest flow naturally.
• I added in cues like [pause….] and? [hold up a finger], and bolded, italicized and separated? ? ? the ? ? ? words to mimic the delivery.

Practice:

• My dog Bongo knew my talk by heart! Whenever I walked him, I’d carry my script and recite it to him, learning it piece by piece.?
• I learned (with initial dismay) that the TED standard for slides is minimalistic with only a picture or a few key words to emphasize a point. TED wants the audience's attention on you, not the slides. That being said, once I matched one slide to each key chunk and put it on my practice script the image became linked to each opening sentence so it still served as a crutch.
• I used the technique of adding other images to my practice script- like a school bus to represent the students taking a field trip- so I could visualize the story in my head while talking.
• I don't have a natural Sherlock Holmes mind palace,? but still used this trick of visualizing myself walking through different rooms of my home and linking a bundle of content to each stop on my route

Prep:

• I made sure I had everything planned out to minimize my stress the day of the TEDx event. My outfit was picked out from top to bottom- with a conscious decision to wear a belt to clip-on the lav microphone and have jewelry that wouldn’t create distracting noise.
• I scheduled someone to come do my hair and makeup early that morning so I could relax and not worry about how I’d look on camera.
• At the event space, leading up to my talk, I relieved my pre-show jitters by listening to a Spotify mix I’d made to raise my energy, walking around the hallway practicing some of the more “sticky” parts of my talk, and cheering on my cohort.

Ultimately, one of the biggest stress-relievers was learning that our videos would all be professionally edited prior to being submitted to the TED channel.?

Whew, what a relief! If I messed up in front of the live audience I was totally fine! I just didn’t want my mistakes memorialized for eternity.

Also as a side note- that editing and release process can take anywhere from a week to many?months. After giving the talk, you’ll want to share it with the world; the timing for when you can do so is completely out of your hands. It took 3 long months before my TEDxChicago talk,? “What if you could be your own, best, first doctor?” posted on the TEDx YouTube site. Also don't hold your breath waiting for a formal notification- my co-speakers and I were obsessively monitoring the site.

3. How I’m Leveraging It

Pollination: Whatever your goals are in doing a TED talk, there are ways to leverage the talk into new professional opportunities.?

Even if your talk doesn’t go viral (and the vast majority don't)? there is a cache to having given one that immediately raises your stature within your field and can open doors into new opportunities. Some of those may come organically- it only takes one right person to catch your video to lead to a new venture. And there are things I’m doing to maximize the chance that the right person sees it.?

• Social media: In the weeks after my talk, while it was in the editing and submission phase, I crafted social media posts for driving traffic to the TED channel.? I added a photo to my LinkedIn profile and added the TED credential to my bio.?
• Planning strategic events: I’m planning some speaking events to reach professionals both inside and outside of my genre. In the next six months I have four lectures lined up to health professional audiences, and am planning to co-host some educational events with new colleagues I met in my TEDx cohort to help us each scale our reach.??
• Outreach and awareness: besides sharing articles like this one, I shared my talk in our business newsletter, sent to friends and colleagues in personal messages and in community Facebook groups. And in a tip from a colleague who gave a talk, I added the link to my TEDx talk to the bottom of my email signature.

4. My Most Important Lesson Learned?

Seed spreading: For a lot of people giving a TED talk is viewed as the Holy Grail- once attained, riches will flow in abundance. But trite as it sounds- in this case, yes, the journey really is the destination.?

December 31, 2020 I sat around the dining room table with my husband and sons making vision boards for 2021- a great activity for a socially distanced pandemic New Year’s Eve. The intention I set for myself was to push myself outside my comfort zone. So when a notice came across my feed about calls for submissions for TEDxChicago, I was primed and ready.?

I’ve learned so much about crafting messages that say more with less.?

I bonded with amazing people in my cohort that I never would have met otherwise.??

But most of all, I gained the confidence to know that deliberately reaching for goals outside my current zone of genius is worth the effort.

Looking at a new year that we are all hoping will be one where we can emerge from the ground, I’m ready and willing to take on challenges that will continue to push me to grow, personally and professionally. I hope you will do the same.