What I learned in giving a Ted Talk: Ideation, Writing and Delivery

So you have the opportunity to give a speech, presentation or talk, you feel that buzz of excitement mixed with nerves and then it hits you: “So what do I do now?”

Going through this process recently when giving a Ted Talk, it’s been a journey to say the least. Through it, I documented three questions and answers that helped to ideate, write and deliver the talk, which I hope through this article can be of some value to you too.

Question 1. IDEATION: Why should ANYONE listen to me? Keep the audience in mind throughout all of this section. When we go through answering this, think about three elements: 

• Your idea: It doesn't have to be brand new, it just needs to be from YOUR perspective. Spend time to reflect on your personal journey, dig in and make sure you’re the only person that can tell this story. Authenticity can go far
• 1 or 2 key messages: These are great references to keep in mind throughout the process. Think of it as, once your talk is over how would an audience member describe your key messages to a friend later that day
• 9 and 90 test: How would you explain your talk to a 9 year old or a 90 year old using two sentences? This essentially will boil your story down to a few lines and can be another great reference when writing

All the above is to help us prepare as best as possible. Slower (and sometimes painful) preparation early on, will lead to smoother execution later, so with any talk really take your time in preparing, once this is done lets answer the next question

Question 2. WRITING: How do I write a talk? This is the part where I procrastinated the most, but setting deadlines and having others keep me accountable, helped me to push through

• Stories and Simplicity: Stories are easier to remember vs reading lots of figures, if done well it can really help to get your point across. When doing so, keep it SIMPLE, in any talk you want people to understand what you’re saying, using big or complicated words doesn’t aid that
• Cut the BS: Anything that isn’t in tune with your answers in Question 1 above, remove it, it will just detract away from your key messages
• Check in with your Board of Directors: We all have our personal BoD - friends, partners, coaches and colleagues, who have opinions we seek and trust, all with different views to our own. Share your talk with them and let them give you UNFILTERED feedback. The tougher the feedback - the better the outcome, just don’t take it personally :-)

Congratulations, we’ve turned a simple idea into a full fledged talk, a story, kept simple, focused on key messages and with feedback gathered from people we trust. Now the final stage: delivery time

Question 3. DELIVERY: How do I deliver my talk? The most dreaded part for many people but practice can make it (almost) perfect

• Practice until you’re bored: Practicing well and with intention will eventually lead to boredom. But boredom means you’ve learnt it deeply, leading you to hopefully gaining confidence. Practice = Boredom = Confidence
• It’s a conversation not a presentation: SLOW DOWN, don't rush it. Imagine you’re talking to a group of friends or at a coffee shop, get comfortable, visualize your audience and how you want them to feel when listening to you
• Strong opening and closing: You want to get people's curiosity right from the start and close out strong with key messages. If you don’t start strong, it can become an uphill battle

Now by the time we reach this point, we should be ready for show time. Take a deep breath, feel all of your toes on the ground, big smile and really enjoy the moment

As mentioned at the start, the #TedTalk process was a journey, and one that ultimately never ends as it will continue to be an area that can develop further. I personally loved the challenge of it, and will recommend it to everyone - because we all really do have a story to tell.

I hope sharing this article can be helpful for you on your journey, let me know in case of any questions or feedback in the comments.

Wishing you a smooth end to 2020, enjoy the opportunity to recharge with your loved ones and I look forward to connecting with you again in the new year.

Shuwel

PS if you've made it to here, as a thank you some bonus tips below :-)

Writing: This is my first article on LinkedIn, but I've been sharing stories on Instagram for the last two years, check out the hashtag #60secondread or @Shuwel1 to read more

Book: TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking | Chris Anderson

Video: TED's secret to great public speaking | Chris Anderson  - Enjoy below!