ted

Technology, Design, Entertainment, or TED for short, hit its 30th anniversary in March. This highly sought after conference has hosted individuals from Bill Gates to an unknown 13-year-old African boy. It usually sells out in days after registration opens. And unlike any other conference I know of, it has the same rules of engagement from the highest ranking celebrity to the most obscure speaker.

Carmine Gallo, Author of Talk Like TED, analyzed 500 TED talks and interviewed TED speakers to find out how they prepare and what helps them take their audience into action. Here are seven tips that can be replicated in your conference environment.

TED Tip #1: Share Your Passion. 

When you speak from the heart regarding something you are passionate about, it shows on stage. The audience gets it. They start to share your passion because you…bring it. Bottle that energy and pour it out on stage.

TED Tip #2: Tell at Least 3 Personal Stories

I would add – start and end with a personal story and throw one in the middle. Nothing resonates with attendees more than stories. They stick.

TED Tip #3:  Make Your Title Twitter Worthy. 

After reviewing over 1,600 talks, Gallo found that all has titles of 140 characters or less. I would suggest to make your titles 70 characters or less so they can be included in the title tag – allowing the presentation to be easily found by search engines. The title of this blog is 38 characters. Here are some other great titles from TED:

  • How Schools Kill Creativity (29 characters)
  • The Power of Vulnerability (28 characters) and
  • How Great Leaders Inspire Action (37 characters)

TED Tip #4: Use as Many Senses as Possible. 

When event planning, it is very important that you use:

  • Sight and Sound: Can the entire audience see and hear the presenter? Having knowledgeable AV staff on hand can help with creative options, especially if your room is challenging.
  • Touch: If you rent iPads or have touch screen monitors, attendees will be more engaged in the content.
  • Smell and Taste: If possible, have coffee and sweet smelling food items in the conference room.

TED Tip #5: No Bullet Points. 

When developing PowerPoint presentations, use pictures, videos and a few words.

TED Tip #6: 18 Minutes is All You Have. 

As soon as a presenter steps on stage and begins talking, they can see a large red LED monitor that starts their countdown. Because they have rehearsed several times with that clock, they know when to end. If you only have 18 minutes to tell 3 stories, your message becomes very focused. It is truly amazing.

TED Tip #7: Teach Them Something New. 

We are constantly searching for innovation – teach your audience something they don’t know and they will stay with you for the entire 18 minutes or more.

Are you in charge of event planning? Call SmartSource Rentals for a complete quote on PowerPoint presentation equipment including Laptop rentals, LCD projectors and screen rentals.