As a presentation design and training company, we are fans of watching presentations about delivering presentations. They reveal the information we love to share with our audience, often in a totally fresh way. Take for example Chris Anderson’s TED talk entitled, “TED’s secret to great public speaking.” How could we resist a lure like that?
Anderson makes the argument that delivering a great speech isn’t about telling a funny anecdote or crafting a great call to action. What’s the secret? Check out this 7 minute talk before we dive into the many reasons we think this message is so powerful:
The “secret” of a great speech is much more complex than the jokes you tell or the way you behave on stage. True, it is a mixture of all of these things. But according to Chris Anderson, the core idea is everything. Here’s what we think you can learn not only from his delivery, but from his own methodology.
Limiting your main points
Most presenters think of their talk like a tree, with one central purpose surrounded by branches of different sub points. Pruning that tree is difficult, even for the professional speaker. Chris Anderson makes the fantastic argument that if you choose the topic or main idea you’re most excited about to speak on, the rest will follow. Write down a list of the different points you want to make, and play favorites. Choose only one that makes you feel excited to speak about, and that you would feel comfortable giving an elevator pitch about.
Practice what you preach
One of the reasons we believe this talk is so successful is because Anderson sticks to his own philosophy of sharing “one idea,” by sharing “one idea.” This talk is able to build to a conclusive argument for the concept in under 8 minutes. Take a lesson for your own presentation and make sure that you show in action what you describe in words.
Refining the “benefit”
Of all the nuggets of wisdom to be found in this TED talk, finding the benefit of your message for the audience is perhaps the most difficult of all. Sometimes your content is educational. Sometimes it’s a series of spreadsheets and ROI results. No matter what you are being hired to deliver, however, it is crucial that the audience has clarity about how the message affects them in a personal way. And not only that, but that they feel happier after your talk is finished. Or perhaps even motivated, encouraged, inspired, and etcetera. If you want to refine the benefit of your talk, then the main point itself needs to come from an altruistic place. How can the topic which excites you spread and help others? The benefit is hiding under your main point, you just need to find it.
Chris Anderson’s speech is a layered onion: a TED talk about delivering a TED talk. But the benefit is clear; you have everything you need to become a great speaker. You just need to find the idea, embrace the idea, and share it.
Want to read about more TED talks that inspire us? Check out these related articles below:
10 Tips for Becoming a TED Speaker
A Closer Look at Kathryn Schulz’s TED Talk: “On Being Wrong”
4 Presentation Lessons from Adam Driver’s TED Talk
