Potential Speakers

Introduction

If you are interested in being a speaker at TEDxManhattanBeach then we ask that you absorb the following information before you contact us. Selecting, inviting and preparing speakers is one of your most important and difficult duties of a TEDx organizer. Helping a speaker prepare, rehearse and present their talk requires a large commitment of time from the unpaid volunteers that run TEDxManhattanBeach. In addition the audience that pays money to attend expects a high quality event.

TED Commandments

These 10 tips are given to all TED Conference speakers as they prepare their TEDTalks. We also use them to help our speakers craft talks that will have a profound impact on the audience.

1. Dream big. Strive 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.
2. Show us the real you. Share your passions, your dreams … and also your fears. Be vulnerable. Speak of failure as well as success.
3. Make the complex plain. Don’t try to dazzle intellectually. Don’t speak in abstractions. Explain! Give examples. Tell stories. Be specific.
4. Connect with people’s emotions. Make us laugh! Make us cry!
5. Don’t flaunt your ego. Don’t boast. It’s the surest way to switch everyone off.
6. No selling from the stage! Unless 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.
7. Feel free to comment on other speakers’ talks, to praise or to criticize. Controversy energizes! Enthusiastic endorsement is powerful!
8. Don’t read your talk. Notes are fine. But if the choice is between reading or rambling, then read!
9. End your talk on time. Doing otherwise is to steal time from the people that follow you. We won’t allow it.
10. Rehearse your talk in front of a trusted friend … for timing, for clarity, for impact.

What Makes A Great TED Talk?

The views of another TEDx Organizer that presented at a TED Active workshop for TEDx Organizers.

5 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know About People

5 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know About People from Weinschenk on Vimeo.

Your Commitment as a Speaker at a TEDxManhattanBeach Event

TED’s format may be different to what you are accustomed to. TED does not allow long talks or podiums. TED discourages speakers from reading their talks. You will rarely see bullet points in TED Talks.

If you want to be a speaker then this is what we ask from you:

Send us an email outlining the idea that you want to present. (See Next Steps below for more details). Make yourself available to talk with our team (by phone or in person) months before the event. Our goal is to make sure you understand the format, know who the audience is and understand the event time-line.

Very early in the process you will provide an outline of the story that you will be presenting. This is not a request for slides, this is a written outline of the presentation and how you plan to build the story. Think of this as the first draft of the script and not the rough cut of the movie.

If we both agree that your idea is worth developing into a TEDxManhattanBeach Talk then remember:

Your talk should be directed at a smart general audience. (Avoid industry jargon).
Your talk should focus on one unique aspect of your story. (Don’t try to cover too much.)
Your talk should not be a sales pitch. Absolutely no corporate plugs. No corporate logos on the slides. If you are wanting to be a speaker because you are promoting your book then TED may not be the appropriate venue.
You will send a bio and a headshot by the agreed date so that they can be included in the program and on the website.
You will provide the final version of your presentation two weeks before the event so that we can review it, make suggestions and help make it as good as possible.
Before the event you will if at all possible attend a full dress rehearsal. (Probably the day before the event).
You will not go over the time that has been agreed for your presentation. The longest TED Talks are 18 minutes and many are shorter. We like 10 minute TED Talks.
You will sign the speaker waiver. Each speaker must affirm that they are the sole author of their presentation and that they own all rights to the content in their presentation.
At the event you will sit in the audience and enter the stage from the audience.
Your talk must not go over the allotted time and if the curator informs you that your talk has gone over the agreed time you will leave the stage. (We provide a countdown timer on the stage that you can watch). Our curator will signal when your time is up, he will then join you on the stage one minute after the end of your time and at two minutes over he will help you leave the stage.
After your talk we hope that you will remain at the event throughout the day so attendees can approach you and ask questions.
You will understand that if you do not work within these guidelines that you will almost certainly be dropped from the program.

Our Commitment to TEDxManhattanBeach Speakers

We will work with you to help you make the best presentation you have ever made.
We will provide you with the opportunity to rehearse.
On the day we will provide you an assistant to help you navigate the event.
When you are on stage we will do everything we can to make you feel confident and look great.
We will create a professionally video of your presentation and make it available to the world through YouTube and TEDx part of the TED website. If it is really good then it may be selected by TED to be shown on the main TED.com website.

Next Steps

If you are still interested in being a speaker then send us an email that outlines the following:

1. The idea that you want to spread and some background on why it is unique and interesting.

2. Links to your bio and any video of you presenting (e.g. YouTube).

We look forward to hearing from you.
How To Make A Great TEDx Slide Presentation

Selection Criteria Applied to TEDx Talks to be Considered for TED.com

Information about the criteria used by TED to select TEDxTalks for the TED.com website.