TED – Ideas Worth Spreading

To become adept at public speaking, we need to practise. However, we can also improve our skills by watching and learning from other speakers. Today’s post provides you with a great resource to do just that: TED.

TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design) began in 1984 as a conference to bring together people from these three areas. Since then, it has exploded in popularity and the range of topics covered has become even broader.

The annual conference brings together some of the world’s top thinkers and achievers. They are given a simple challenge: Give the talk your life in 18 minutes.  (Doesn’t sound too hard, does it?)

One of the best things about TED is that its “TED Talks” – more than 400 and counting at the time of this post – are available to you for free.

TED’s mission is to spread ideas. As the people at TED state on their website: “We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.  So we’re building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.”

The talks are fascinating. Watch a few. And note the different speaking styles. Do you see things that you like? Do you see things that you don’t like? Does a speaker use an interesting technique that you could try in your next presentation?

You will come away from most TED Talks enlightened and delighted.  And you might just pick up a good public speaking idea or two.

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  1. Another site like TED is Fora.TV. You make a good point. Up till now, I’ve used such sites as a resource for picking up all kinds of ideas except on public speaking. How would you categorise speaking styles and what interesting techniques have you identified from watching TED talks?

    1. Shuying, thanks for the comment and the tip about Fora TV.
      It is tough to answer your question because there are so many speaking styles on TED. Not everyone who appears on TED is a brilliant speaker – though many are – but they are each brilliant in their own way.
      One tip for watching TED Talks from a public speaking standpoint is to observe the way in which the speakers use props, PowerPoint and other audio-visual equipment. Some use it seamlessly; others less so.
      Enjoy!

  2. I “love” Ted Talks. They are mind-expanding expriences.
    Hi again, by the way. I found your blog through Mighty Mum’s blog. Can’t wait to wade through the archives.

  3. “One tip for watching TED Talks from a public speaking standpoint is to observe the way in which the speakers use props, PowerPoint and other audio-visual equipment.”
    … or even don’t use anything! I love watching those guys who can give a brilliant speech without anything else but – themselves.
    Very good blog, very good advice. Thanks again, John!

  4. John, I’m a Canadian, too. What prompted you to go to Switzerland? Are you a big Roger Federer fan?
    I did a talk on three reasons why Toastmasters should watch TED Talks, and I paraphrased a few of your lines here. Actually, I borrowed quite liberally from your paragraphs three and four!
    Here’s the talk, with video: http://www.kevinkane.com/2010/12/before-bed-watch-ted/
    I’d like to connect with other Toastmasters interested in TED.
    Best wishes, Kevin

    1. Thanks for the comment, Kevin. Glad that you found the post on TED useful. I came to Switzerland as a result of a great opportunity to work on some cutting edge international environmental law issues at the UN. My work has changed over the last 12 years but we still love living over here.
      Cheers!
      John

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Testimonials

John delivered a keynote address about the importance of public speaking to 80 senior members of Gore’s Medical Device Europe team at an important sales event. He was informative, engaging and inspirational. Everyone was motivated to improve their public speaking skills. Following his keynote, John has led public speaking workshops for Gore in Barcelona and Munich. He is an outstanding speaker who thinks carefully about the needs of his audience well before he steps on stage.

Karsta Goetze

TA Leader, Gore and Associates

I first got in touch with John while preparing to speak at TED Global about my work on ProtonMail. John helped me to sharpen the presentation and get on point faster, making the talk more focused and impactful. My speech was very well received, has since reached almost 1.8 million people and was successful in explaining a complex subject (email encryption) to a general audience.

Andy Yen

CEO, Proton Technologies

John gave the opening keynote on the second day of our unit’s recent offsite in Geneva, addressing an audience of 100+ attendees with a wealth of tips and techniques to deliver powerful, memorable presentations. I applied some of these techniques the very next week in an internal presentation, and I’ve been asked to give that presentation again to senior management, which has NEVER happened before. John is one of the greatest speakers I know and I can recommend his services without reservation.

David Lindelöf

Senior Data Scientist, Expedia Group

After a morning of team building activities using improvisation as the conduit, John came on stage to close the staff event which was organised in Chamonix, France. His energy and presence were immediately felt by all the members of staff. The work put into the preparation of his speech was evident and by sharing some his own stories, he was able to conduct a closing inspirational speech which was relevant, powerful and impactful for all at IRU. The whole team left feeling engaged and motivated to tackle the 2019 objectives ahead. Thank you, John.

Umberto de Pretto

Secretary General, World Road Transport Organization

I was expecting a few speaking tips and tricks and a few fun exercises, but you went above and beyond – and sideways. You taught me to stand tall. You taught me to anchor myself. You taught me to breathe. You taught me to open up. You taught me to look people in the eye. You taught me to tell the truth. You taught me to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. I got more than I bargained for in the best possible way.

Thuy Khoc-Bilon

World Cancer Day Campaign Manager, Union for International Cancer Control

John gave a brilliant presentation on public speaking during the UN EMERGE programme in Geneva (a two days workshop on leadership development for a group of female staff members working in the UN organizations in Geneva). His talk was inspirational and practical, thanks to the many techniques and tips he shared with the audience. His teaching can dramatically change our public speaking performance and enable us as presenters to have a real and powerful impact. Thank you, John, for your great contribution!

Sara Canna

HR Specialist, World Health Organization

John is a genuine communication innovator. His seminars on gamification of public speaking learning and his interactive Rhetoric game at our conference set the tone for change and improvement in our organisation. The quality of his input, the impact he made with his audience and his effortlessly engaging style made it easy to get on board with his core messages and won over some delegates who were extremely skeptical as to the efficacy of games for learning. I simply cannot recommend him highly enough.

Thomas Scott

National Education Director, Association of Speakers Clubs UK

John joined our Global Sales Meeting in Segovia, Spain and we all participated in his "Improv(e) your Work!" session. I say “all” because it really was all interactive, participatory, learning and enjoyable. The session surprised everybody and was a fresh-air activity that brought a lot of self-reflection and insights to improve trust and confidence in each other inside our team. It´s all about communication and a good manner of speaking!"

Jon Lopez

General Manager Europe, Hayward Industries

Thank you very much for the excellent presentation skills session. The feedback I received was very positive. Everyone enjoyed the good mix of listening to your speech, co-developing a concrete take-away and the personal learning experience. We all feel more devoted to the task ahead, more able to succeed and an elevated team spirit. Delivering this in a short time, both in session and in preparation, is outstanding!

Henning Dehler

CFO European Dairy Supply Chain & Operations, Danone

Thanks to John’s excellent workshop, I have learned many important tips and techniques to become an effective public speaker. John is a fantastic speaker and teacher, with extensive knowledge of the field. His workshop was a great experience and has proven extremely useful for me in my professional and personal life.

Eric Thuillard

Senior Sales Manager, Sunrise Communications

John’s presentation skills training was a terrific investment of my time. I increased my skills in this important area and feel more comfortable when speaking to an audience. John provided the right mix between theory and practice.

Diego Brait

Director of the Jura Region, BKW Energie AG

Be BOLD. Those two words got stuck in my head and in the heads of all those ADP leaders and associates that had the privilege to see John on stage. He was our keynote speaker at our annual convention in Barcelona, and his message still remains! John puts his heart in every word. Few speakers are so credible, humble and yet super strong with large audiences!

Guadalupe Garcia

Senior Director and Talent Partner, ADP International