TED is about sharing amazing ideas, inspiring people and changing the world one 18-minute talk at a time. We all know a fabulous TED talk when we experience one, but defining what makes it fabulous is illusive at best.
Chris Anderson, the curator of TED, gave this talk at TEDxGlobal 2013, where he outlined some of the elements that make a TED talk great.
Some key points from Chris:
- Take your audience on a journey.
- Start where they are, and give them a reason to come with you.
- Journeys happen step by step.
- Use rich examples, or you’ll leave them behind.
- Avoid jargon.
- Make your idea accessible.
- If the journey is too big, pick a mile, but make it an interesting mile.
- Don’t journey too far.
- Too much ego and arrogance can cause people to shut down and be less willing to follow you.
- Vulnerability can help draw an audience to you.
- Eye contact and a human connection matters a great deal in making people want to come with you.
- Humor done right is a seductive ingredient that can open people up to your core idea.
- Give people clues along the way and help them arrive at a conclusion.
- You can’t get emotion or inspiration by targeting directly or making people feel manipulated.
- There is no formula to a TED talk.
- Make it yours.