It’s been said that the number one fear in the world, even above death, is the fear of speaking in public. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has said that for most people, this means if they are at a funeral, they would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.
I can relate to this. I spent many of my early talks covered in sweat, knees shaking, often forgetting what I had prepared in advance, being forced to “wing it.” And winging it is something I highly discourage in the early days of your speaking career.Still, I showed up, delivered my talks and aimed to learn from every single moment on stage.
Today, with thousands of talks under my belt, and hot on the heels of delivering my second TEDx Talk, I thought I would share the four keys I have discovered when it comes to delivering a successful TEDx Talk — keys that apply to delivering any talk. After reading these tips, I encourage you to watch my talk, Crush Your Fears and Expand Your Comfort Zone.
1. Have an idea worth spreading.
This is actually the TED tagline — Ideas Worth Spreading. If you are going to deliver a successful TEDx Talk, it should be built around such an idea. It should also be either a fresh idea or one you have a unique perspective on. In my case, the unique perspective is that I have personally interviewed more than 4,000 influential leaders and can present ideas based on my exclusive findings.
To test if your idea is worth spreading, pitch it to some people you know will be honest in their feedback. Their feedback should go a long way toward determining if you have hit upon the right idea.
2. Content is king and emotional connection is queen.
I just watched a talk this morning where the speaker stumbled over her words, restarted multiple sentences and missed…