How To Become A TEDx Speaker

How To Become A TEDx Speaker

If you read the Ethos3 blog regularly you know my passion for TED and TEDx runs deep. As a member of the TEDxNashville board I have the honor and privilege of transforming my passion into action; serving as a co-chair for the TEDxNashville Speakers Committee is one my many responsibilities as a board member and also one of my favorite activities for my spare time.

Because of my involvement with TEDxNashville, I often receive emails from people who want to know how to become a TEDx speaker. While I am always happy to respond to emails from TEDx enthusiasts, I also want to provide answers here, on the Ethos3 blog which is designed to provide helpful resources for speakers of all types. Without further ado, let’s jump into answers for the question: How can you become a TEDx speaker? 

1. The Idea

If you go to TED.com to learn about the organization, you will see that their mission is clearly articulated with these few words: Our Mission: Spread ideas. Understanding the TED mission is critical because it is the key to being selected as a speaker as well as succeeding on stage once you are confirmed as a speaker. The bottom line: to become a successful TED or TEDx speaker, you must have an idea worth spreading. 

Many TEDx speakers are asked to speak simply because they are interesting people or accomplished professionals, however even these speakers must eventually work to uncover one compelling, unique idea to serve as the foundation for their talk. If you are not invited to speak and therefore must nominate yourself for a place on the roster of speakers, developing a TED-worthy idea will be essential to being selected as a speaker. 

To help you discover and refine your big idea, review these suggestions from the TEDx Speaker Guide:

What makes a good idea for a talk?

Like a good magazine article, your idea can be new or surprising, or challenge a belief your
audience already has. Or it can be a great basic idea with a compelling new argument
behind it. An idea isn’t just a story or a list of facts. A good idea takes evidence or observations and
draws a larger conclusion.

Do I need to be an expert on my topic?

You do not need to be the world’s foremost expert on the topic, but you do have to be an expert. Please remember that the audience relies on you to give accurate information, so whatever you say in your talk, please fact-check — especially facts you may take for granted: statistics, historical anecdotes, scientific stats. If you’re drawing an example from a discipline that is not your main area of knowledge, use research from widely accepted and peer-reviewed sources, and, if at all possible, consult with experts directly.

Is my idea ready?

Write your idea down in one or two sentences. Ask yourself three questions:

1. Is my idea new?

Are you telling people something you’re pretty sure they have not heard before?

2. Is it interesting?

Think about how your idea might apply to a room full of varied kinds of people.

Who might be interested in it?

3. Is it factual and realistic?

If you are presenting new research, make sure your idea is backed by data and peer reviewed.

If you are presenting a call to action, make sure it can be executed by members of your audience.

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, refine your idea.

Ask someone you respect who doesn’t work in your field, and if they answer “no” to any of these questions, refine your idea. If your TEDx event organizing team answers “no” to any of these questions, refine your idea.

To further assist you as you work to find your big idea, here are a few of the TED 10 Commandments that help outline what makes an idea worth spreading:

–      Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick.

–      Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Hast Never Shared Before.

–      Thou Shalt Not Sell from the Stage: Neither thy Company, thy Goods, thy Writings, nor thy Desperate need for Funding; Lest Thou be Cast Aside into Outer Darkness.

If your idea fits within these general requirements, you probably have an idea worth spreading, and therefore you are ready to proceed to the next steps. 

Additional Resources

The TED staff answers: What Makes A Great TED Talk?

The Advice I Give To All TEDx Speakers

Want to be a Successful TEDx Speaker? Here’s How

2. The Application

Once you have discovered your idea and can communicate it in one sentence (or two sentences, if necessary), you are ready to apply to become a TEDx speaker. 

Every TEDx organization has a unique application process so you will need to review the application requirements for the TEDx organization to which you want to apply. With that said, there are still a few steps you should take, regardless of which TEDx is on your radar.

Speaking Samples

First, collect any videos, photos, or reviews from your previous speaking engagements. Including proof of your speaking skills can tip the scale in your favor if TEDx organizers are considering you for their event.

TEDx organizers are typically happy to gamble on an unexperienced speaker with a good idea, however if the organizers know in advance that you can successfully prepare for and deliver a talk to an audience, they will be much more enthusiastic about putting you on the stage in front of their audience.

Online Identity

TEDx organizers will likely search for you online to learn more about you as they review your application. Thus, you can improve your chances of being selected as a speaker by assessing your public online profiles, such as your LinkedIn profile, and ensuring your profile information is up-to-date, accurate, and includes all of your most noteworthy accomplishments and interests.

In addition, go ahead and search for yourself, and see what results appear. If you have bad press or negative reviews for some reason, you should work to clear your name, and you should also address all of these issues in your TEDx application. This step might seem overboard to some people however speakers have been removed from TEDx rosters at the last minute after community members contacted the local TEDx board and expressed concern over the speakers’ questionable actions. Don’t let the TEDx board find out about your bad reviews from other people. Go ahead and address their potential concerns up front so you can speak for yourself, instead of letting your negative press speak for you. And if you have good press, include links to those articles in your application if possible. The board will be thrilled to know you are a celebrated member of the community.

Network

Last, but definitely not least, be an active networker. Let people know you are interested in speaking at a TEDx event. Knowing someone connected to the TEDx organization is a great way to ensure your application is seriously considered. However, to be clear – TEDx is not a popularity contest. TEDx organizations do not select speakers simply because of who they know. With that said, most TEDx organizations receive an abundance of nominations and applications, and reviewing each of the nominations and applications with a consistent level of focused interest is sometimes a hard task. Thus, knowing someone who is involved with the TEDx to which you are applying does not guarantee your acceptance, however it can improve your chances of getting a thorough review.

In addition, if you can connect with past TEDx speakers you can learn more about how they were selected, and also what it is like to develop a successful TEDx talk. 

Conclusion

The most important step you can take on your journey to becoming a TEDx speaker is developing an idea that is undeniably worth spreading. After that, the rest of the process is comparably simple. If your idea is truly TEDx-worthy you will eventually be selected to speak at a TEDx event, and your talk will likely be a great success because it was built on an idea the world will want to hear.





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