Although few business professionals will take the stage at the 2017 international TED conference being held this week in Vancouver, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn a few tips from some of the world’s best speakers. However, do not confuse a TED Talk with a “TED-like” presentation.
Last week I attended a conference of CFOs and finance professionals. One of the company leaders said he uses tips from this column to create client presentations to win more business.
Almost apologetically, he turned to me and said, “I haven’t figured out how to squeeze the presentation into 18 minutes.”
“Why do you feel like you need to keep it to 18 minutes?” I asked.
“Because that’s what you recommend. It’s the TED rule.”
While I appreciated this reader’s loyalty, it dawned on me that some business speakers might be confused. So let me clarify.
TED is the annual conference which has grown into a global phenomenon. This week, speakers will be giving talks on a variety of topics. Scheduled speakers include Elon Musk, tennis champion Serena Williams and chess Grandmaster Gary Kasparov. Their talks are limited to a strict 18 minutes, partly due to the fact that the conference includes more than 80 speakers over five days.
TED is the national stage. Every day there are smaller, independently managed TEDx events. These are held at corporations, hospitals, universities, schools, and even prisons. The length of these presentations varies greatly—anywhere from five minutes to ten minutes, depending on the venue or organization.
Yes, I do recommend keeping your presentation as tight as possible. Editing makes your argument stronger. But 18 minutes is only a rule on the TED stage. Otherwise, it’s an exercise.
Brevity is just one of several qualities of a “TED-like” presentation. I’ve watched 90-minute presentations from inspiring leaders at companies like Apple and Google which kept me as engaged as a well-constructed TED talk.
Most business professionals should strive for “TED like” presentations. The common elements of such a presentation include:
Stories.
Narrative is at the heart of TED talks. The most popular TED talk of all time has no slides, but it’s full of entertaining, humorous and insightful stories. Sir Ken Robinson’s talk on “How schools kill creativity” has been viewed 44 million times. In 18 minutes he tells five stories. One in particular is about Gillian Lynne, a girl having trouble at school. Her mother takes her to see a specialist. After spending time with the child, the doctor walks the mother out of the room and turns on the radio before leaving his office. Together, mother and doctor watch the girl dance. “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn’t sick; she’s a dancer. Take her to a dance school,” the specialist said. Gillian Lynne went on to choreograph Broadway blockbusters like Cats and Phantom of the Opera.
Robinson doesn’t need a slideshow to keep our attention. The stories are enough.
Pictures.
Picture superiority is a well-established concept in the neuroscience literature on persuasion. Pictures and images are easier to recall than text. Slide presentations that contain pictures and text are more engaging, entertaining and easier to recall than words and bullet points. There are no bullet points allowed on a slide at a TED conference. The same guidelines will make your presentations more engaging.
Videos.
We live in a multimedia world dominated by images and videos on social media. Your audiences have come to expect the same in your presentation. TED conference organizers work closely with speakers months ahead of time to craft presentations that include a combination of multimedia elements, notably pictures and videos.
Surprises.
When Bill Gates released non-infected mosquitoes on a TED stage in a presentation about the spread of malaria in third-world countries, he was obeying a TED guideline: “Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick.” Surprising, unexpected and novel moments grab an audience’s attention. Whether you’re on a TED stage or a business meeting, package the content in a way your audience will never forget. That’s what I call a “mosquito moment.”
Rehearse.
The best TED speakers practice their presentation over and over again. I spoke to one famous researcher—Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor—who told me she practiced her now famous TED talk about 200 times. That level of preparation is probably not necessary for your next business meeting, but it doesn’t hurt to practice like a TED speaker—in front of people. The closer you mirror the conditions of your actual performance, the calmer you’ll feel during the real event.
Enjoy watching TED talks for what they are—a fresh, contemporary style of creating and delivering presentations that engages and inspires audiences. Cut yourself some slack. Public-speaking is stressful enough for most people. It’s unlikely that your next business meeting is being recorded for millions to see on a popular website like TED.com. If you go over 18 minutes, you’ll be okay as long as you can incorporate some of the other stylistic techniques that have made TED talks so popular.