I recently had the opportunity to design my first presentation for the TED Conference, held this past February in Long Beach. Jonathan Klein, the fascinating CEO of Getty Images delivered a talk entitled, “Photos That Changed the World.” If you’re not familiar with TED (Technology Entertainment Design), it’s a non-profit that runs regular conferences dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading.”
Imagine gathering together the smartest and most intriguing people (though not always famous) and asking the
m to give brief presentations on what they know best. For those who aren’t fortunate enough to attend and hobnob over dinners, the collection of videotaped TEDTalks on TED’s website, distributed under a Creative Commons license, are some of the best examples of effective and engaging presentations you’ll ever find.
Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Tony Robbins, Malcolm Gladwell & Richard Dawkins are just a few of the people who have given TEDTalks over the years. (Click the Tony Robbins link if you want to see a heartfelt face to face criticism of Al Gore. It starts about 6 minutes in.)
This year’s conference featured talks by James Cameron,Jaime Oliver, Sheryl Crow, Temple Grandin, Sarah Silverman, Valerie Plame and David Rockwell to name just a few. This kind of diversity is one of the wonderful things about TED. The only thing that group of people has in common is that they have something to say worth hearing.
TED Rules
The primary reason that I love TED is that it has helped elevate and bring attention to quality presentation. The conference has long been infamous for laying down a set of rules for its speakers that makes even the most accomplished presenter sweat bullets in preparation. The biggest rule is a strict adherence to time. Even renowned guests are often given no more than 18 minutes to speak. We were given 4 minutes. In that time, we had to present something compelling to a super smart audience that wanted to be taught something they didn’t know by an expert in his field.
The constraint of time is a wonderful tool for creating a good presentation. At Edelman, we are regularly given up to 2 hours to deliver a new business pitch. The client can, of course, afford this time since they’re often in the position of awarding millions of dollars of business. However, I often think that if we only had 10 or 15 minutes to pitch, we would distill our story and offering to a point where there would be zero fat. Of course, it often takes longer to write less than it does more. And that’s an indication that fewer words are more effective than many.
For Jonathan Klein’s TED talk, we spent a great amount of time pouring over every single word and image in order not to waste a single second of the story. There was not a sliver of fat in “Photos That Changed the World.”
Though we received our TED rules by email, supposedly some speakers actually receive a stone tablet with the TED Commandments. I’m not kidding:
- 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 Reveal thy Curiosity and Thy Passion
- Thou Shalt Tell a Story
- Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the Sake of Blessed Connection and Exquisite Controversy
- Thou Shalt Not Flaunt thine Ego. Be Thou Vulnerable. Speak of thy Failure as well as thy Success.
- 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.
- Thou Shalt Remember all the while: Laughter is Good.
- Thou Shalt Not Read thy Speech.
- Thou Shalt Not Steal the Time of Them that Follow Thee
How many presentations have you sat through which violated not just one buy all ten of the above?
I recommend to everyone spending some time on the TED site and viewing videos. They are all between 2 and 20 minutes long–perfect for watching during lunch at your desk or when you need a web surfing break. There’s even a free TED iPhone app for your commutes.
In no order, here are a few of my favorite TEDTalks:
Jamie Oliver “Teach Every Child About Food”
Michael Moschen “Rhythm & Juggling”
Clifford Stoll “On…Everything”
Hans Rosling “The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen”
Eric Giler “Wireless Electricity”
Jlll Bolte Taylor “Stroke of Insight”
And, of course, take a look at Jonathan Klein’s “Photos That Changed the World.”
