Tedx Is On!

So I have about 5 weeks now before I'm due to deliver my first ever Tedx Talk. It's entitled "Why it's time to ditch the open door policy in the workplace". Granted this is not a title that will change the world but it could improve a lot of workplaces if I can it right and manage to reach a large audience.

Prep so far I have to admit has been light. Very light. I have drafted, however, a road map through my presentation and it looks a bit like this :

Big Opening
Story 1 (Show yourself, set off pictures, vary speed & intonation, five senses)
Story 2 (Use pause, power of 3s, direct speech over narrative, contrast)
Head for Finish

REMEMBER : Show don't tell, Keep it simple, Be on the Audience!

So far I've read a number of books relevant to this challenge which have been really helpful. They include :

How to Deliver a Great TED Talk: Presentation Secrets of the World's Best Speakers
TED Talks Storytelling: 23 Storytelling Techniques from the Best TED Talks
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds
How to Speak So People Really Listen: The Straight-Talking Guide to Communicating with Influence and Impact

The last one although not written specifically with a Ted Talk in mind I found to be the most useful.

What I've noticed in watching a good number of Ted Talks live now is that those that bomb or at least just don't connect with the audience are those that fail to come across as authentic. Overrehearsed  Talks or at least those that appear overrehearsed seem least authentic of all.But here's the rub. I talked to one speaker safely through the otherside of a Ted Talk who clearly had rehearsed her presentation to death. She admitted that she had even recorded her voice and would play it back to herself in the car whilst driving to and from work to check its pace and intonation. And yet she pulled it off big time. She came across well and everyone I talked to afterwards really took to her.

So my task is to rehearse my presentation well (as soon as I know what it is I want to say that is!) without it appearing overrehearsed.

Ken Robinson's Talk is the No.1 favourite with bar far the most views because he adopted a very natural, chatty style that really connected. What I've realised is that delivering a reasonable Ted Talk is hard enough but a brilliant one requires huge effort, time and I dare say a bit of luck too.