You must<\/em> know what TED Talks are.\u00a0 If you do, skip the rest of this paragraph.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t, please go to www.ted.com<\/a> and click on any one of the videos that you see.\u00a0 Or go to one of my favorites, such as any talk given by Hans Rosling or Rory Sutherland<\/a>.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll find your own favorites too if you wander around, watch, and listen.<\/p>\n

TED talks are 18 minutes long.\u00a0 Wisely, I think, because research suggests that 18 minutes is about the length of time that human attention can effectively sustain itself.<\/p>\n

I have attached below the instructions that invited speakers receive from TED.\u00a0 They are absolutely right on the money.<\/p>\n

If you read nothing else to help you become a better speaker, read TED\u2019s Ten Commandments.\u00a0\u00a0 Here they are, right here, right now!<\/p>\n

The TED Commandments<\/strong><\/p>\n

These 10 tips are given to all TED Conference speakers as they prepare their TEDTalks. They will help your speakers craft talks that will have a profound impact on your audience.<\/p>\n

1. Dream big.<\/strong>\u00a0Strive to create the best talk you have ever given. Reveal something never seen before. Do something the audience will remember forever. Share an idea that could change the world.<\/p>\n

2. Show us the real you.<\/strong>\u00a0Share your passions, your dreams … and also your fears. Be vulnerable. Speak of failure as well as success.<\/p>\n

3. Make the complex plain.<\/strong>\u00a0Don’t try to dazzle intellectually. Don’t speak in abstractions. Explain! Give examples. Tell stories. Be specific.<\/p>\n

4. Connect with people’s emotions.<\/strong>\u00a0Make us laugh! Make us cry!<\/p>\n

5. Don’t flaunt your ego.<\/strong>\u00a0Don’t boast. It’s the surest way to switch everyone off.<\/p>\n

6. No selling from the stage!<\/strong>\u00a0Unless we have specifically asked you to, do not talk about your company or organization. And don’t even think about pitching your products or services or asking for funding from stage.<\/p>\n

7. Feel free to comment on other speakers’ talks<\/strong>, to praise or to criticize. Controversy energizes! Enthusiastic endorsement is powerful!<\/p>\n

8. Don’t read your talk.<\/strong>\u00a0Notes are fine. But if the choice is between reading or rambling, then read!<\/p>\n

9. End your talk on time.<\/strong>\u00a0Doing otherwise is to steal time from the people that follow you. We won’t allow it.<\/p>\n

10. Rehearse your talk<\/strong>\u00a0in front of a trusted friend … for timing, for clarity, for impact.<\/p>\n

The great thing about TED is its commitment to big ideas from people who speak well. \u00a0Public speaking has historically been the tool for men and women of greatness to spread big ideas. \u00a0Virtue, freedom, justice, holiness, compassion–all these have been trumpeted into the listening world through the channel of public speaking. \u00a0And these 10 items are basic and sound instruction for anyone who wants to be a highly effective speaker.<\/p>\n

TED uses the power of public speaking to spread big ideas and light up the world.<\/p>\n

Go to www.TED.com whenever you feel the need to feed your heart, mind, and spirit.<\/p>\n

Sims Wyeth & Co.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0provides\u00a0<\/em>public speaking courses<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>leadership skills<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>presentation skills<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>voice training,\u00a0speech training<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>speech writing<\/em><\/a>, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, persuasive speaking, sales training, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact.<\/em><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You must know what TED Talks are.\u00a0 If you do, skip the rest of this paragraph.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t, please go to www.ted.com and click on any one of the videos that you see.\u00a0 Or go to one of my favorites, such as any talk given by Hans Rosling or Rory Sutherland.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll… Read More »Tips from TED: 10 Commandments of Public Speaking<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_ti_tpc_template_sync":false,"_ti_tpc_template_id":""},"categories":[144,24,149,1],"tags":[291,345,145,146,117,300,904],"yoast_head":"\n