TED Presentation Skills 101

All public speakers (corporate, government, even PTA leaders) can take a page from the TED Conference speakers on best practices and how to thrill (not kill) your audience.

Garr Reynolds has a great post on the making of a TED presentation with lots of wonderful examples. http://ping.fm/MB8X4

He also shares the TED Commandments which should be posted in every green room, speech coaches office and conference room across the world.

1. Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick.
2. Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Hast Never Shared Before.
3. Thou Shalt Reveal thy Curiosity and Thy Passion.
4. Thou Shalt Tell a Story.
5. Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the Sake of Blessed Connection and Exquisite Controversy.
6. Thou Shalt Not Flaunt thine Ego. Be Thou Vulnerable. Speak of thy Failure as well as thy Success.
7. 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.
8. Thou Shalt Remember all the while: Laughter is Good.
9. Thou Shalt Not Read thy Speech.
10. Thou Shalt Not Steal the Time of Them that Follow Thee.

Our favorites are number 4 (everyone loves a good story) and number 9 (damn thee teleprompter and notes montior).

Happy Speaking!

The DoubleShot Team