TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

There’s an old formula for writing essays that says a good essay answers three questions:What? So What? Now What?

The most viewed TED speaker at the time of writing this book is Sir Ken Robinson. He told me that most of his talks follow this simple structure:

A. Introduction—getting settled, what will be covered
B. Context—why this issue matters
C. Main Concepts
D. Practical Implications
E. Conclusion

We’re strange creatures, we humans. At one level, we just want to eat, drink, play, and acquire more stuff. But life on the hedonic treadmill is ultimately dissatisfying. A beautiful remedy is to hop off it and instead begin pursuing an idea that’s bigger than you are.

If we can’t feel content here, today, now, on our journeys, amidst the mess and the striving that we all inhabit, the open loops, the half-finished to-do lists, the could-do-better-next-times, then we might never feel it.

Some stories are carefully designed as metaphors.

If you’re going to tell a story, make sure you know why you’re telling it, and try to edit out all the details that are not needed to make your point, while still leaving enough in for people to vividly imagine what happened.

best talks are anchored in storytelling.

They typically have a simple linear structure that makes them easy to follow.

Base it on a character your audience can empathize with.

Build tension, whether through curiosity, social intrigue, or actual danger.

Offer the right level of detail. Too little and the story is not vivid. Too much and it gets bogged down.

End with a satisfying resolution, whether funny, moving, or revealing.

When people aren’t prepared or ready to listen, communication can’t happen.