There are many ways a TED Talk can go off the rails:

A stutter.
A sneeze.
A flubbed line.
A swapped word.
A second of brain freeze.

For most, it is nerve-wracking. When a speaker takes center stage, what’s delivered is what’s recorded.

The pressure alone can throw off a hopeful TEDster.

A TED Talk is a one-and-done recording. No 2nd chances.

But I train my clients to dodge these (almost) inevitable problems.

How?

I remind my speakers that a TED Talk isn’t a normal conference keynote. The talks are choreographed, word for word performances.

One. Live. Recording.

No reshoots.
No editing favors.
No audio re-records.

My answer?

Begin thinking of your TEDx auditorium as a recording studio. Sure the IRL audience matters. But their presence needs to be subordinate to the on-screen viewers.

After all, it is the YouTube viewers who will watch your talk — and share word of it on social media. (That’s where the TED Spread comes from.)

Speak to the live audience, but train for the virtual viewers.

By that I mean, if you flub a line, sneeze, take a water sip, or momentarily glitch...

(And we all do.) It will be OK *IF* you follow this formula:

1) PAUSE. Don’t “Ooooops” the moment. Simply stop speaking. Take as much time as you need. The cameras will record it. And that’s just fine. (It gets edited out.) Just zip your lips. No “Sorry, excuse me” fillers. Silence is golden here.

2. REORIENT. Use that silent moment to get your bearings. Reorient yourself. Mentally find your script marker. Again, take as long as you need. It may feel like an eternity, but that's fine. The live audience is rooting for you.

3. RESTATE. After you’ve recovered, fully restate your flubbed line. State it cleanly. That gives the video editors what they need to make easy, clean snips. They want to smoothly edit your audio track “under” the video footage. So help them!

Keep in mind, all of those cameras are just “footage collectors.” With some TEDx events running 9 cameras, they can’t use all those recordings. But there's only one audio track.

After the event, the team will go into post-production mode, with plenty of footage to allow generous angles and edits. A video producer will then make editing judgements, for each speaker. But it is that single audio track that all that video depends on.

So give them room to “Snip” during your PAUSE. Give them enough space and your flub will hit the proverbial cutting room floor.

Then they’ll slap an audience shot to "BandAid” over that audio edit. That’s what all those smiling, nodding, affirming audience reactions are for — in the best talks.

A perfectly delivered talk is not the goal. The standard is “a perfectly edited talk.”

So if you flub...

(Say it with me.)

Do it, and you'll ace your TED Talk delivery!

​

DEVIN D. MARKS is known as The TED Talk Whisperer. His firm, CONNECT to COMPEL, has served 100s of TED, TEDx, and TED-Style speakers. The result: 100s of millions of views. His team helps leaders, just like you, catalyze ideas.

You can reach Devin at 617.804.6020, or DM him here.

JOIN TED: Membership Matters!

SUPPORT TED BY BECOMING A MEMBER.

In 2020, TED rolled out a membership option for talk fans.

I hope you will consider supporting the work of TED by becoming a member. (Click here.)

It is an easy lift, starting at about $5 a month. And yet, if you consider the millions of viewers that digest talks each month, that modest monthly can add up to a big aggregate impact.

What's more, membership offers you...

[ ] The book club

[ ] Ad-free podcast listening

[ ] Access to key TED speakers

[ ] Members-only virtual events

[ ] A virtual happy hour or two!

​Join TED now.

​

One Client Story + 1M Views

Hearty kudos to TEDx-er Ocean Robbins on tapping the 1M mark with his first talk: Eating Your Way to Happiness​

The same applause goes to TEDster & Event Producer Darryll Stinson and the TEDxAlexanderPark team!

It is said that 100K views make for a "viral" talk. I'm not quibbling there, but those are really a dime a dozen.

What marks a BREAKAWAY in my way of thinking is a talk with 1M views.

I love to highlight and celebrate those (whether from my clients, or otherwise) that have just recently surpassed the one-million-view mark. They are outliers.

When Ocean and I were paired by Darryll, a mere 3 weeks from event... I think we both were a tad anxious. I asked a LOT from him, and his team at the Food Revolution Network. But sometimes a client leans in and my skill set meets the moment. What typically takes 3-6 months was pulled together in record time!

When a talk like this one hits the 1M marker within the first year... that's special. But when it does so at an accelerated pace (< 6 months?!) there's clearly something special going on.

It. Is. Spreading.

Many so-so talks can accumulate an impressive view count over years. But hitting the 7-figure marker within a concentrated timeframe is a signal that there's something truly extraordinary going on in the talk and around the topic.

So my equation is as follows:

PODCAST MOMENTS.

HOST Dallas Burnett: "To me, a TED Talk is just like any other work of art. You just were describing this masterpiece where the artist has refined their style and then lay out this canvas. And then everybody in the museum comes by and says, 'I just need to take that in.' And they just can't not take that in.

"I love the way you defined that. It's just powerful!"

Those words by show host, Dallas Burnett, added a new layer of understanding (for me) in our conversation on The Last 10% podcast.

A TED Talk is an action-inspiring canvas — a work of art!

Yes, TED-style communications has been systemized. But it isn't paint by numbers. Each canvas is unique and inspiring in a different way.

​Click here to listen to the episode.

FIND YOUR TED TALK TYPE. (There are 8 options.)

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌: 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐄𝐃 topic. (𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝟖 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬.)

January 1 came with a lot of new goals, right? Likely one of yours was to deliver a TED Talk? But where to begin...

After all, what are the nuances between an Idea Glow Talk and a Fresh Take Talk? What about a How-To Talk and a Tech Demo Talk?

Get the answers and your TED Talk Type worksheet. Click here.

In just 15 questions you’ll have your answer and a 15-page PDF with worksheets, TEDster examples, and more.

In fact, as a post-New Years mini-goal, do this:

​Drop me a DM with your results.

We can synch up and then explore which of your ideas fall within that category and have the potential to truly be TED-worthy.

There’s a great way to see a New Years Resolution to center stage!

[ADVERTISEMENT] WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT THIS THURSDAY?

Ever wish you had time to deeply think?

To pause — read a book, enjoy a conversation, write a letter?

Why not join a likeminded tribe on Thursdays and enjoy a bit of all that?

Each Thursday, THINKER THURSDAYS™ participants block out a portion of their day to read a book, connect with a deeper mind over lunch, and reflect on paper about the same.

1. READ. Crack open a real book. (None of that iPad e-Book nonsense.) We’re talking real, dog-eared pages. Make real margin notes: ask questions, add insights, argue. Save it on something called a book shelf… for generations.

2. CONNECT. Have a conversation over a long lunch. (Not a rushed half-hour grab-and-go.) We’re talking about that eye-to-eye and passion-connecting breaking of bread. iPhones off. A quiet (or virtual) corner. Listen. Share.

3. REFLECT. Take pen-in-hand. (Not a stylus or digital sticky note.) We’re talking writing cursive on a real piece of paper. Better yet, use an archive-friendly notebook. Pass it on to your kid one day. Reflect. Dream.

The result: perspective and serendipities—among two!

Hope you can join in on the #ThinkerThursdays fun.

P.S. A list of frequently asked questions can be found here.

Were you forwarded this newsletter? Every Tuesday (or so), another edition of TEDxTuesdays: Weekly TEDx Tips... from The TED Talk Whisperer is released. If you'd like to receive these directly to your inbox, click the button to subscribe. I want TEDx Tips!

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