The Art of Giving a TED Ta lk

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2 The Art of Giving a TED Ta lk This two- in- one TED talk bundle contains two of my bestselling books, Captivate: Public Speaking Secrets from TED Talks and TED:ology. Inside the book, you will discover tools to help you master the art of public speaking. Whether you plan on giving a TED talk or keynote or just a business presentations, The Art of TED will prove to be an indispensable resource! Let s get started with the first book in the series...

3 CAPTIVATE! Public Speaking Secrets from TED Talks All rights reserved. Akash Karia #1 Bestselling Author of How to Deliver a Great TED Talk Martha Lanaghen President of Sparrow Group Donna Hook Public Speaking & Leadership Coach Note: This book makes use of small portions of copyrighted material from TED in accordance with the fair use rule for the purposes of criticism and commentary of the speeches.

4 INTRODUCTION CAPTIVATE! UNCOVER THE KEYS TO DELIVERING A CAPTIVATING TED TALK Captivate! Public Speaking Secrets from TED Talks is a short, invaluable guide that uncovers the secrets to delivering a captivating TED talk (or any other speech or presentation). Full of rich insights into the art of public speaking, the book breaks down the TED talks of four captivating speakers and provides a roadmap that you can use to deliver a powerfully persuasive presentation. 50+ PROVEN TOOLS FOR CAPTIVATING ANY AUDIENCE After reading this book, you will be able to: Give a captivating TED talk (Case study: Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend ). Craft an opening that makes your audience lean in to hear more. Harness the power of storytelling to move your audience emotionally. Connect with your audience using conversational language. Engage, educate and entertain your audience (Case study: Sir Ken Robinson, How Schools Kill Creativity ). Put statistics into context for your audience. Avoid the mistakes most speakers make.

5 Create rapport by referencing common experiences and beliefs. Use the magic word to keep your audience engaged. Invoke emotions in your audience using Power- Words. Mesmerize your audience using the conflict in the story (Case study: Jack Andraka, A Promising Test for Pancreatic Cancer from a Teenager ). Create knowledge gaps that keep your audience curious. Add organic humor to your talk. Add an element of newness to your talk. Deliver a powerful and persuasive presentation (Case study: Seth Godin, How to Get Your Ideas Spread ). Go beyond sharing information to sharing emotion. Focus externally, not internally. Conclude using the signal, summarize and sell formula. Inspire your audience to action. Let s get started... Akash Karia

6 YOUR FREE GIFT As a way of saying thank you for your purchase, I d like to offer you a free bonus package worth $297. This bonus package contains ebooks, videos and audiotapes on how to master the art of storytelling, design sexy presentations, overcome procrastination and triple your productivity. You can download the free bonus by clicking here. Get your free gifts worth $297 here: P.S. The bonus also contains access to a FREE 47- week public speaking, persuasion and peak performance course designed to help you achieve twice as much success in half the time!

7 RAVE REVIEWS FOR AKASH S BOOKS pithy and perfect...his tips coupled with a review of excellent presentations, are consumable (usable right away) and valuable! Eric Laughton, Certified John Maxwell Trainer...tips for energizing not only your speech, but also your audience Angela Avery...perfect book for those who want to dominate the art of storytelling Alci Aguilera Must- read for time starved professionals! Sean P. Graham "The best speaking wisdom I have had in years" Sandeep Gupta "World class speaking tips that you can start using today..." Michael Davis, Certified World Class Speaking Coach Maybe one of the clearest books on presentations I've ever read Javier, Verified Amazon Reviewer

8 CHAPTER ONE HOW TO GIVE A CAPTIVATING TED TALK Case study: Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend Expert analysis by: Akash Karia In a June 2013 TED talk titled How to Make Stress Your Friend, ( Kelly McGonigal delivered an outstanding talk that captivated her audience. Source: TED In this chapter, we will strategically break down different parts of Kelly s talk so that we can uncover the tools and techniques she uses to educate, entertain and inspire her audience. Specifically, Kelly s talk contains rich insights on: Building intrigue and curiosity into your presentation.

9 Keeping your audience engaged (and awake) through audience involvement. Putting statistics into perspective. Using a you- focus to keep your talk audience- centered. Making your talk relevant to your audience. Inspiring your audience to change. In case you haven t yet watched Kelly s talk, I encourage you to do so here: Craft an Opening that Makes Your Audience Lean In Kelly begins her talk with this brilliant first line: I have a confession to make This is a great opening because it instantly creates intrigue and builds curiosity. The words I have a confession to make make the audience lean in to hear what Kelly has to say because the audience feels that Kelly is telling them a secret and they re curious to know what it is. Kelly goes on to say: I fear that something I've been teaching for the last 10 years is doing more harm than good. Again, notice how Kelly is ratcheting up her audience s curiosity. By confessing that she has been wrong about something, she is making her audience wonder what she has been wrong about. All of this serves to grab the audience s attention and get them to pay attention to what she has to say. It is much easier to give a great talk once the audience wants to know what you have to say. As a speaker, what can you do to get your audience curious enough to want to hear what you have to say?

10 You don t necessarily have to make a confession in order to get your audience s attention. One possible (and easy) way to build curiosity is by opening with a question. A question creates a knowledge gap in your audience and gets them wanting to know the answer to your question. As we ll see later in the chapter, Kelly is a master at using questions to keep her audience curious and interested in her presentation. Examine your opening and ask yourself these questions: Does the opening of my presentation create intrigue? Does it make my audience curious to know what I have to say? Or is it a boring, Thank you for having me opening line that instantly turns off my audience and makes them tune out of my presentation? Prolong Their Curiosity Kelly does something that every speaker should learn from. She prolongs her audience s curiosity. What do I mean by that? Well, let me demonstrate by giving you an example. Here s what Kelly says: For years I've been telling people, stress makes you sick. It increases the risk of everything from the common cold to cardiovascular disease. Basically, I've turned stress into the enemy. But I have changed my mind about stress, and today, I want to change yours. After hearing the above, what do you think the audience is thinking? They re probably thinking, So Kelly, what is your new belief about stress? They re curious to find out Kelly s new conclusion about stress. However, here s where most average speakers would make a mistake. They would crush the audience s curiosity by giving away too much too early. They would say something along the lines of:

11 The mistake is that we see stress as a bad thing, but it s not. It s our belief about it that determines how stress affects us. If we believe that stress is harmful, then it will be. However, if we do not view stress as harmful, it does not harm us. While this isn t terrible, you can do better by prolonging the audience s curiosity, as Kelly does. Instead of immediately giving away her conclusion about stress, she dives into some research. But I have changed my mind about stress, and today, I want to change yours. Let me start with the study that made me rethink my whole approach to stress. This study tracked 30,000 adults in the United States for eight years... Sharing the research before sharing the conclusion has two advantages: First, it prolongs the audience s curiosity. It teases them into wanting to know the answer. This is a much better approach than sharing the conclusion first and then revealing the research. The second advantage of sharing the research before the conclusion is that it allows Kelly s audience to naturally and logically come to the conclusion she wants them to arrive at. As a result, they are more likely to buy into the conclusion because they were guided to it instead of it being forced upon them. As a speaker, you should always look for ways to prolong your audience s curiosity. Once their curiosity about a certain thing ends (e.g. you answer one of the questions they were curious about), you immediately introduce a second aspect (e.g. another question) to make sure they stay curious, and therefore engaged. Engage Your Audience with Rhetorical Questions One of the things I love about Kelly s speech is that she keeps her audience intrigued by asking them rhetorical questions. Here are some examples:

12 Can changing how you think about stress make you healthier? But what if you viewed them instead as signs that your body was energized, was preparing you to meet this challenge? Okay, so how is knowing this side of stress going to make you healthier? Using rhetorical questions in your speech creates knowledge gaps in your audience and makes them curious enough to listen to what you have to say next. Plus, it gives your talk an easy- to- follow structure as you move from one question to another. Rhetorical questions are a powerful tool for gaining your audience s interest, so use them! Involve Your Audience in Your Presentation Less than fifteen seconds into her presentation, Kelly engages her audience by involving them in her presentation. She says: I want you to just raise your hand if you've experienced relatively little stress. Anyone? How about a moderate amount of stress? Who has experienced a lot of stress? Yeah. Me too. By asking her audience you- focused questions, Kelly instantly makes the topic of her talk relevant to her audience s life. More than that, she gets them physically involved in her presentation by getting them to raise their hands. Getting your audience to raise their hands is a very simple but effective audience involvement technique you can use. It makes your audience active participants rather than passive listeners in your talk. Halfway through her talk, Kelly again gets her audience involved in her presentation with a short activity. She says:

13 Okay. I want you all to count backwards from 996 in increments of seven. You're going to do this out loud as fast as you can, starting with 996. Go! Audience: (Counting) Go faster. Faster please. You're going too slow. Stop. Stop, stop, stop. That guy made a mistake. We are going to have to start all over again. (Laughter) You're not very good at this, are you? Okay, so you get the idea. Now, if you were actually in this study, you'd probably be a little stressed out. Kelly conducts this activity to let her audience feel what it would be like to be part of the research study she is talking about. Instead of simply telling the audience about the research, she gets them to reenact a small part of it. Not only is this more powerful than hearing about the activity, it also makes Kelly s talk fun! The audience is engaged in the presentation and enjoying the activity! Audiences hate sitting passively and listening to a speaker drone on and on. Using short, relevant activities breaks up your talk and allows your audience to experience different mediums of learning. It keeps your audience s attention levels high because the human brain was not designed to passively listen it was designed to do things. What short, relevant activities can you use to keep entertain, educate and engage your audience? Add an Element of Newness One of the reasons many speakers struggle with keeping their audience s attention is because the audience already knows what the speaker is going to say. Many speakers are simply giving the same advice in the same manner that audiences have already heard hundreds of times before. As a result, audiences stop paying attention. After all, if your audience already knows what you are going to say, why should they bother listening to you?

14 Kelly, however, adds an element of newness to her speech. How? First, she shares an idea that goes against conventional wisdom. Most people are used to thinking about stress as being a bad thing. Conventional wisdom says that stress is bad for your health. However, Kelly flips this and implies that stress isn t bad: But I fear that something I've been teaching for the last 10 years is doing more harm than good, and it has to do with stress. For years I've been telling people, stress makes you sick. It increases the risk of everything from the common cold to cardiovascular disease. Basically, I've turned stress into the enemy. But I have changed my mind about stress, and today, I want to change yours. This builds more curiosity and intrigue. It also promises the audience that they are going to learn something new as opposed to hearing the same old stress is bad argument Kelly not only flips conventional wisdom on its head, she also uses one of the coolest presentation structures I know. I, for obvious reasons, call it The Flip. This is a structure where you lead your audience to believe that you re going down one road, and then you flip the argument around and argue the opposite. It s a very effective structure to keep the audience on its toes. As an example, consider Kelly s opening: I want you to just raise your hand if you've experienced relatively little stress. Anyone? How about a moderate amount of stress? Who has experienced a lot of stress? Yeah. Me too. What does the opening lead the audience to believe? It leads the audience to believe that Kelly is going to be talking about the dangers of high stress. However, Kelly then flips this by saying: Basically, I've turned stress into the enemy. But I have changed my mind about stress...

15 The flip is a surprise for the audience it makes them more attentive and gets them thinking, Wow, this is going to be interesting! That s exactly the kind of reaction you want from your audience. The second way Kelly adds an element of newness to her talk is by sharing research that her audience probably isn t familiar with. Let me start with the study that made me rethink my whole approach to stress. This study tracked 30,000 adults in the United States for eight years, and they started by asking people, "How much stress have you experienced in the last year?" They also asked, "Do you believe that stress is harmful for your health?" And then they used public death records to find out who died. (Laughter) Okay. Some bad news first. People who experienced a lot of stress in the previous year had a 43 percent increased risk of dying. But that was only true for the people who also believed that stress is harmful for your health. (Laughter) People who experienced a lot of stress but did not view stress as harmful were no more likely to die. Using research is a great way of backing up and providing logical support for your main points. Not only that, it can also be a great way of adding an element of newness to your speech, as long as the research is not well known to your audience. Malcolm Gladwell, one of my favorite speakers and the bestselling author of Blink, is a master at sharing academic research in an easy- to-understand manner with audiences who are not familiar with the research. For example, consider the 10,000 hour rule he popularized in his book Outliers, which was based on research conducted by Dr. Anders Ericsson in the 1990s. The idea of the 10,000 hour rule was new to many people outside the academic community, which is why it became so popular. So, even though there may not be anything new about your message, you can still add an element of newness to your talk by sharing

16 research that your audience might not have heard of. For example, in my workshops on public speaking, even though my audiences might have heard some of the tips I might be sharing, I add an element of newness by sharing research from the fields of brain science, persuasion and communication. I believe that this one of the reasons my workshops are so popular because I use research to back up my points as well as keep my audiences engaged by giving them new information. Finally, if you re unable to locate research to add novelty to your talk, use personal stories. Even though your audience might have heard the same message before, they will be hearing it through new examples and stories. Using personal stories is a great way to add an element of newness to your presentation. Remember, our brains seek and pay attention to novelty. What are you doing to add newness to your presentation? Put Statistics into Perspective Average speakers throw statistics at the audience; master speakers such as Kelly put them into perspective. Let s have a step- by- step look at how Kelly puts statistics into perspective for her audience. First, she shares the raw statistic: Now the researchers estimated that over the eight years they were tracking deaths, 182,000 Americans died prematurely, not from stress, but from the belief that stress is bad for you. However, 182,000 deaths over eight years is hard to comprehend. Of course, it s a lot of deaths, but it s hard for the human mind to comprehend the seriousness of the problem. Thus, Kelly breaks it down into the number of deaths per year: That is over 20,000 deaths a year.

17 Again, the audience knows that s a lot of deaths, but it s difficult for them to put into context. This is where Kelly puts the raw statistic into context for her audience: Now, if that estimate is correct, that would make believing stress is bad for you the 15th largest cause of death in the United States last year, killing more people than skin cancer, HIV/AIDS and homicide. Wow, isn t that powerful? By putting the statistic into context by saying that belief about stress kills more people than HIV/AIDS Kelly truly hammers home the importance of the statistics, whereas the figure 182,000 deaths fails to do so. When you speak, don t just throw raw statistics at your audience. Instead, put them into your perspective for your audience so that your audience can view them through the appropriate context. Keep Your Audience Engaged Using a You- Focus As a speaker, you should always remember that your talk is about your audience, not yourself; thus, it s important to have a you- focused speech as opposed to an I- focused speech. Kelly does a brilliant job of delivering a you- focused talk. Look at an example of you- focused speaking from Kelly s talk: Now, in a typical stress response, your heart rate goes up, and your blood vessels constrict like this. And this is one of the reasons that chronic stress is sometimes associated with cardiovascular disease. Consider how much more powerful this is than saying, Now, in a typical stress response, people s heart rate goes up... Here s another example of you- focused speaking from Kelly s talk:

18 Oxytocin makes you crave physical contact with your friends and family. It enhances your empathy. It even makes you more willing to help and support the people you care about. Again, notice how much more powerful this is than saying, Oxytocin makes people crave contact... Using a you- focus engages the audience because it makes the speech about them. Make it Relevant to Your Audience As speakers, one great tip we can learn from Kelly is that we should show our audiences how our talk is relevant to them. Audience members are concerned about what they can take away from your talk so it s important that we clearly demonstrate to our audience how and why what we are saying will impact them. For example, consider this short portion from Kelly s talk: But in the study, when participants viewed their stress response as helpful, their blood vessels stayed relaxed like this. Their heart was still pounding, but this is a much healthier cardiovascular profile. It actually looks a lot like what happens in moments of joy and courage. What do you think audience members are thinking while listening to the above? They re probably thinking, What s in it for me? Why does this matter to me? How is it relevant to me? Knowing this, look at how Kelly makes the research study relevant to her audience s lives by saying the following: Over a lifetime of stressful experiences, this one biological change could be the difference between a stress- induced heart attack at age 50 and living well into your 90s. Kelly makes the findings relevant to her audience by suggesting that applying the results from this research could help them live longer

19 (which is something most people in her audience would be interested in). How can you make your talk relevant to your audience s life? Why should they care about what you have to say? Tell Your Audience How to Apply Your Ideas to Their Life If you want to deliver a truly great speech, you need to go one step further than making your speech relevant to your audience: you need to show your audience not just why your talk is relevant to them, but also how to apply the ideas you re sharing with them to their lives. This is exactly what Kelly does. She tells her audience how they should apply her ideas to their life by giving them a clear next step:...because hopefully the next time your heart is pounding from stress, you're going to remember this talk and you're going to think to yourself, this is my body helping me rise to this challenge. The audience knows exactly what they should do differently in their lives as a result of having listened to Kelly s speech. What s the clear next step of your speech? What should your audience do differently as a result of having listened to your talk? Motivate Your Audience to Take Action Sharing how your audience can apply the ideas from your talk to their life makes it more likely that they will take action on your ideas, but it s not enough. Apart from sharing with your audience how to apply your ideas to their life, you need to share with them why they should do so: in other words,

20 you need to motivate them to take action on your ideas by sharing with them a benefit they will receive as a result of doing so. This is exactly what Kelly is doing when she says:...the next time your heart is pounding from stress, you're going to remember this talk and you're going to think to yourself, this is my body helping me rise to this challenge. And when you view stress in that way, your body believes you, and your stress response becomes healthier. Why should your audience implement your ideas into their life? Share with them not only the how, but also the why of doing so; motivate them to take action on your ideas by sharing with them the major benefit they will receive because of doing so. Don t Just Share Data; Share Your Emotions Too One of the things I love about Kelly s talk is her enthusiasm and passion for her topic. You can sense this through the words she uses. For example, she says: I find this amazing, that your stress response has a built- in mechanism for stress resilience, and that mechanism is human connection. You can see why this study freaked me out....but the most fascinating finding to me was how their physical stress response changed. Using phrases like these ( the most fascinating finding to me and I find this amazing ), Kelly shows her interest in her topic. She doesn t only share the findings of the research, but she also shares her feelings ( freaked me out ). She verbally shares her emotions her enthusiasm, her interest, her passion about the topic, which in turn keeps the audience interested in her presentation.

21 As a speaker, it s important to remember that whatever emotion you re feeling will flow to your audience. Thus, if you re not excited about your topic, then how can you expect your audience to be? Don t be shy about sharing your emotions about the topic. Focus Externally, Not Internally As a public speaking coach, one of the most common questions I get asked is, How should I move my hands? How should I gesture? This is a good question, and my answer is that you should not practice your gestures or your facial expressions. Why? Because you want your gestures and facial expressions to appear natural and authentic, not rehearsed and robotic. When I used to participate in public speaking contests, I made the mistake of rehearsing my gestures, and the result was that I always appeared robotic. While the gestures were good, there was just something about the delivery that made it appear inauthentic. Gestures are natural we use gestures every day without even thinking about them! You already know how to gesture, so no one needs to teach you how to use them. As with your breathing, you should never try to consciously control your gestures. However, what you might need to be taught is how to forget about yourself when you are on stage. This means that you should stop focusing internally and focus externally; stop focusing on yourself and focus on your audience instead. When you are on stage, make a conscious decision to change the focus from internal to external. This means that you should stop worrying about how you look, how you sound, whether your gestures are appropriate. Instead, immerse yourself completely into your talk and your audience. When you do this, your gestures will come naturally.

22 Signal, Summarize and Sell The ending of your talk is crucial because if your ending is disappointing, your audience will walk out of your talk unsatisfied. Plus, due to the primacy and recency effect, people most remember the beginning and ending of a speech, so it s important that you end in a powerful and persuasive manner. Kelly uses the signal, summarize and sell formula to wrap up her talk. First, she mentally prepares her audience that the end is near by signaling the conclusion: I want to finish by telling you about one more study. It s important that you signal that you are wrapping up so that the conclusion does not come as a surprise to your audience. Next, Kelly succinctly summarizes the essence of her speech in a couple of sentences: How you think and how you act can transform your experience of stress. When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage. And when you choose to connect with others under stress, you can create resilience. In the summary, you only want to highlight one or two of the most important points from your talk. This reinforces the audience s memory and ensures that they will remember your presentation. Finally, Kelly ends by selling her audience on the benefits of why they should take action on the ideas she has shared; she gives her audience a reason and motivation to implement her idea:...when you choose to view stress in this way, you're not just getting better at stress, you're actually making a pretty profound statement. You're saying that you can trust yourself to handle life's challenges, and you're remembering that you don't have to face them alone.

23 End your talk by reinforcing the why of your talk why should your audience care and why should they take action? This motivates your audience to take action on your ideas so that you re not just giving a speech, but actually making a difference in your audience s lives. IN A NUTSHELL Craft an opening that makes your audience lean in. Create knowledge gaps with questions. Prolong your audience s curiosity for as long as you can. Engage your audience with rhetorical questions. Involve your audience in your presentation. Add an element of newness to your talk. Put statistics into perspective for your audience. Engage your audience with a you- focus. Make your presentation relevant to your audience. Tell your audience how to apply your ideas to their life. Motivate your audience to take action. Don t just share information; share your emotions too. Focus externally, not internally. Conclude by signaling, summarizing and selling. * Meet Presentation Expert Akash Karia Akash Karia is a professional speaker who has trained thousands of people worldwide, from bankers in Hong Kong to yoga teachers in Thailand to senior executives in Dubai. He is an award- winning trainer who has been ranked as one of the top speakers in Asia- Pacific. He is currently the Chief Commercial Officer of a multi- million dollar company in Tanzania, in which capacity he heads the sales, relations and marketing departments of the organization. If you re looking for a coach to help you become a powerful and persuasive communicator or a speaker to unleash the excellence hidden inside of your teams, then contact Akash on (or Akash@AkashKaria.com).

24 CHAPTER TWO HOW TO ENGAGE, ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE YOUR AUDIENCE Case study: Ken Robinson, How Schools Kill Creativity Expert analysis by: Martha Lanaghen Sir Ken Robinson s presentation titled How Schools Kill Creativity ( from the February 2006 TED Conference is, as of this writing, the most- viewed TED talk in history (approaching nearly 20 million views). Source: TED Sir Ken s talks have been featured around the world, including a similar talk at the RSA that was edited and distributed with illustrations through RSA Animate (video titled RSA Animate Changing Education Paradigms available at

25 If you want to look to this speech to help you hone your own presentation skills, there are many examples to emulate, including: Creating a relationship with your audience. Entertaining and engaging your audience. Making your audience feel something. Build Around a Universally Appealing Topic On its face, you might wonder why the talk is so popular. After all, Sir Ken is not a saber- rattling, ground- stomping, action- packed presenter, and his message is profound, but not necessarily motivational. It is, however, a universally appealing topic, built around a core message to which we can all connect either because we were once in school, or because we now have children in school, or both. This brings us to the first key takeaway from Sir Ken s talk. Is your primary/core topic broadly appealing? Will it connect with and interest most of the people in your audience? Begin with a Callback Sir Ken chooses a friendly opening that quickly establishes common ground with the audience, uses humor to warm up his audience and calls back to the themes of the conference. Here s what he says: Good morning. How are you? It's been great, hasn't it? I've been blown away by the whole thing. In fact, I'm leaving. (Laughter) There have been three themes, haven't there, running through the conference, which are relevant to what I want to talk about. One is the extraordinary evidence of human creativity in all of the presentations that we've had and in all of the people here. Just the variety of it and the range of it. The second is that it's put us in a place where we have no idea what's going to happen, in terms of the future. No idea how this may play out. The reason this is a great opening is because it builds a connection with the audience by establishing commonality with the audience

26 specifically, by calling back the previous talks at the conference that both Sir Ken and the audience were a part of. Furthermore, this gives the talk a conversational, personalized feel, showing the audience that the talk is not some off- the- shelf, memorized speech but one that is specifically tailored for them. Finally, it also sets the theme for the rest of Sir Ken s talk. Sir Ken also integrates callbacks into the body of his speech, saying: Following off from Helen yesterday (referencing a speech they had all heard together) Al Gore spoke the other night about ecology, (again referencing a speech he had watched with the audience) Using callbacks is a great way of connecting with your audience and personalizing your talk, so consider integrating them into your presentation. Use Visual Aids Only if You Have Visuals Many speakers leverage props, illustrations, photographs and other resources to reinforce their messages and create clarity and common vision in the audience s mind. However, Sir Ken uses no props, nor does he use a slide presentation. Why? Because he doesn t need it. It wouldn t have helped his presentation, so there was no need to have any props or slides. Most presenters use slide presentations as crutches. The slides are for the benefit of the speaker to help him or her remember what to say next, not for the benefit of the audience. These slides are boring, text-heavy and distract from the presentation instead of adding value to it. The only reason to use slides is if you have visuals, such as graphs, charts and pictures to display (which is why slides are called visual aids). Otherwise, if your slides contain text, they re going to detract from your message because you re going to be dividing your audience s attention between listening to you and reading the slides.

27 Also, remember that your audience reads quicker than you speak, which means that if your slide says exactly the same thing that you re saying, then your audience is going to very quickly get bored. As presentation coach Craig Valentine puts it, If you and your slides say the same thing, one of you is not needed. If you re using presentation slides, ask yourself: Am I using these slides as a crutch or for the benefit of the audience? Are my slides helping my presentation? If not, what impact would it have if I eliminated them? Asking yourself these questions will help you figure out whether or not you really need the slides. Perhaps, like Sir Ken, you ll discover that your presentation is better off without slides. Entertain with Humor One of the most endearing things about Sir Ken s speech is his use of humor. Humor not only lightens the mood and helps the audience members enjoy themselves, it also increases alertness and thus helps the audience better absorb information. So, what is the secret to humor? The secret to humor is to create an expectation, and then break it. In comedy, the creation of the expectation is called the set- up. The sudden breaking of the expectation is called the punch line. For example, consider this humorous line from Sir Ken s talk: If my wife is cooking a meal at home, which is not often... thankfully. (audience laughs) What s the set- up portion of the line? It is If my wife is cooking a meal at home, which is not often... This creates the expectation that Sir Ken is going to continue the statement with unfortunately.

28 However, the punch line is the word thankfully. This breaks the audience s expectations, and thus results in laughter. Self- deprecation is another great form of humor. Consider this piece of self- deprecating humor from Sir Ken s talk: I used to be on the board of the Royal Ballet in England... as you can see. (laughter) The audience laughs at this piece of self- deprecating humor because it s obvious that Sir Ken hasn t done ballet (he looks out of shape and walks with a limp because he contracted polio at age 4). What self- deprecating humor can you use in your talk to lighten up the mood? The final technique Sir Ken uses to add humor to his talk is over-exaggeration. People laugh at obvious over- exaggerations, such as how Sir Ken over- exaggerates his wife s ability to multi- task: If she's cooking, you know, she's dealing with people on the phone, she's talking to the kids, she's painting the ceiling, she's doing open- heart surgery over here (laughter) Here s another example of over- exaggeration from the same talk by Sir Ken: [If you are at a party and someone asks] What do you do? and you say you work in education, you can see the blood run from their face. They re like, Oh my God, you know, Why me? My one night out all week! (laughter) Tread Carefully when Using Humor Although we cannot know how much of Sir Ken s speech was scripted, and how much was spoken off the cuff, he does insert a joke about the Bible and Mel Gibson that treads dangerously close to two areas of caution: 1) Don t tell insider jokes. When only part of the audience can relate to the humor, you run the risk of alienating a significant

29 percent of the audience. Even though Mel Gibson s unfortunate rantings were very public, Sir Ken s reference was off- topic, and not necessary. 2) Because Gibson s rantings were so controversial and distasteful to most, Sir Ken ran the risk of offending or distracting his audience with the casual reference. Later, Sir Ken tells a joke about a funny T- shirt that he saw a man wearing that said, If a man speaks his mind in a forest, and no woman hears him, is he still wrong? This joke can be carried by a man without seeming bitter or cynical that said, it doesn t further his point about our brains, nor does it contribute to his overall presentation about creativity and our schools. Review the humor and the examples that you use in your presentation. Are any of them insider stories? Could any of them evoke negative emotions in your audience that would be distracting or hurt your credibility? Connect by Speaking Conversationally Listening to Sir Ken s speech, it feels more like you and him are sitting in a coffee shop having a talk, as opposed to him presenting to an audience of hundreds. He uses very natural and conversational language, which makes his talk seem authentic. For example, consider when Sir Ken says: He was in the nativity play. Do you remember the story? The above sentence uses the singular you- focus ( Do you remember ), which creates the feeling that Sir Ken is having a one- on- one conversation with his audience. Here s another example where Sir Ken uses the singular you- focus to create the feel of a one- on- one conversation with the audience: But if you are, and you say to somebody, you know, they say, "What do you do?" and you say you work in education, you can see the blood run from their face. They're like, "Oh my God," you

30 know, "Why me? My one night out all week." (Laughter) But if you ask about their education, they pin you to the wall. Sir Ken also seems genuinely tickled by some of his own jokes ( You re not often at dinner parties, frankly, if you work in education. You re not asked. And you re never asked back, curiously. ) and appears to ad- lib occasionally, just as if you were chatting casually ( When my son was 4 in England actually, he was 4 everywhere, to be honest. ). If you re not amused by your own presentation, you can t expect your audience to be! Next time you are giving a presentation, don t aim to impress aim to connect by speaking conversationally. Your Passion is Key Although it is difficult to point to specific places in the speech where he illustrates his passion for the topic of creativity and the schools you are left to understand that this is a deeply important topic for Sir Ken, and you know by his body of work, that he is influencing change related to this topic. He doesn t convey this passion through hand waving, or foot stomping, or even raising his voice but you understand throughout that this is his passion. How? It resonates from his very being. When you are passionate about your topic, audience members can unconsciously sense it. Are you passionate about the topic you are speaking on? If so, your audience members will feel it in their guts, and as a result, they ll connect with you and your message. Creating Rapport by Referencing Common Experiences and Beliefs Sir Ken Robinson establishes a relationship with his audience within the first 10 seconds of his speech when he says, It s been great, hasn t it? Immediately, he has established that he and the audience have been having a common experience that he and his audience are alike.

31 He goes on to reinforce their common experiences and beliefs at these points in the presentation, where he says: We ve all agreed, nonetheless, on the really extraordinary capacities that children have their capacities for innovation. (It is particularly smart to say, we ve all agreed, because this puts Sir Ken and the audience on the figurative same side of the table for the discussion that follows.) And it s the combination of all the things we ve talked about. (This reference reinforces the feeling that Sir Ken is having a personal conversation with the individuals, making it conversational, and communal.) That goes deep with people. Am I right? (This is particularly smart because he takes a rhetorical question that he knows everyone agrees with, and asks his audience to agree. Again, he is establishing the audience as sharing a common belief with him, and for many audience members you would see a physical reaction that would include them nodding their heads.) Make Your Audience Feel Something Sir Ken tells rich and compelling stories that evoke the audience s emotions throughout the presentation. Furthermore, these stories reinforce his core concepts. Perhaps the most effective and emotional moment in Sir Ken s talk is the story of Gillian Lynne which is artfully told to an emotional conclusion. Below is the story from Sir Ken s talk, broken down into the elements of what makes a story compelling and emotive (Credit: I learned these elements from Craig Valentine, the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking):

32 Element 1: The Characters Every story must have characters. In this story, Sir Ken introduces us to the main characters: Anyway, Gillian and I had lunch one day and I said, "Gillian, how'd you get to be a dancer?" And she said it was interesting; when she was at school, she was really hopeless. And the school, in the '30s, wrote to her parents and said, "We think Gillian has a learning disorder." She couldn't concentrate; she was fidgeting. I think now they'd say she had ADHD. Wouldn't you? But this was the 1930s, and ADHD hadn't been invented at this point. It wasn't an available condition. (Laughter) People weren't aware they could have that. Element #2: The Conflict/Challenge The hook of any great story is the conflict the challenge that the main character faces. The conflict is what keeps us hooked to the story. It s what causes us to ask, I wonder what happens next? The struggles and the challenges the character faces arouse our emotions and get us emotionally invested in the story. In this story, the main challenge is that Gillian seems to be having a learning disorder: Anyway, she went to see this specialist. So, this oak- paneled room, and she was there with her mother, and she was led and sat on this chair at the end, and she sat on her hands for 20 minutes while this man talked to her mother about all the problems Gillian was having at school. And at the end of it - - because she was disturbing people; her homework was always late; and so on, little kid of eight - - in the end, the doctor went and sat next to Gillian and said, "Gillian, I've listened to all these things that your mother's told me, and I need to speak to her privately." He said, "Wait here. We'll be back; we won't be very long," and they went and left her.

33 Element #3: The Cure The Cure refers to the person or idea or anything for that matter that helps the character overcome the challenge/conflict they were facing. The Cure is what allows the audience to breathe a sigh of relief when the character overcomes the conflict. In this case, the Cure is when the specialist advises Gillian s mother to take Gillian to a dance school: But as they went out the room, he turned on the radio that was sitting on his desk. And when they got out the room, he said to her mother, "Just stand and watch her." And the minute they left the room, she said, she was on her feet, moving to the music. And they watched for a few minutes and he turned to her mother and said, "Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick; she's a dancer. Take her to a dance school." I said, "What happened?" She said, "She did. I can't tell you how wonderful it was. We walked in this room and it was full of people like me. People who couldn't sit still. People who had to move to think." Who had to move to think. They did ballet; they did tap; they did jazz; they did modern; they did contemporary. Element #4: Change in Character The final element of a great story is that there must be a change in the character as a result of having overcome the conflict. In this case, Gillian goes on to dance school and eventually becomes very successful in her dance career: She was eventually auditioned for the Royal Ballet School; she became a soloist; she had a wonderful career at the Royal Ballet. She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School and founded her own company - - the Gillian Lynne Dance Company - - met Andrew Lloyd Weber. She's been responsible for some of the most successful musical theater productions in history; she's given pleasure to millions; and she's a multi- millionaire. Somebody else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down.

34 Great stories, such as the one about Gillian, get the audience emotionally invested in the story. This is why stories are such a powerful tool for speakers by getting the audience emotionally invested in the story, you ensure that they will hang onto every word. What stories are you telling? Do they complement your argument and move it along? Are they relatable? Use Words that Invoke Emotions Another way to enrich an experience and evoke emotion is to use juicy words and emotive words words and statements that elicit a response. Sir Ken uses this technique throughout: and we squander them, pretty ruthlessly. I believe this passionately they re disembodied in a way We need to radically rethink our view of intelligence. I believe our only hope for the future is all forms of life would flourish. Aim to sound conversational, but don t be afraid to use power- words that elicit your audience s emotions. Are you using juicy words and phrases to elicit response and evoke emotion? Inspire Action If you want to make an impact on your audience, it s important that you end your talk with a call to action. It s important that you let your audience know exactly what you d like them to do differently as a result of listening to your talk.

35 Sir Ken ends his talk with a compelling call to action that hammers his message home. Furthermore, he also cleverly links his message to the TED conference, hence using the conference as an anchor that will help the audience remember his main message: What TED celebrates is the gift of the human imagination. We have to be careful now that we use this gift wisely and that we avert some of the scenarios that we ve talked about. And the only way we ll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are and seeing our children for the hope that they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future. By the way we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it. Thank you very much. What s the call to action for your talk? Make an impact on your audience by inspiring them to act on your message. IN A NUTSHELL Build your talk around a universally appealing topic. Integrate callbacks into your presentation. Use visual aids only if you have visuals. Use self- deprecation and over- exaggeration to add humor to your talk. Tread carefully when using humor. Connect with your audience by speaking conversationally. Create rapport by referencing common experiences and beliefs. Use stories to make your audience feel something. Remember the four elements of a great story: Characters, Conflict/Challenge, Cure and Change in character. Use words that invoke emotions in your audience. Inspire your audience to action. *

36 Meet Presentation Expert Martha Lanaghen: Martha Lanaghen is passionate about Ken Robinson s concepts and puts them to work in her successful consulting practice at The Sparrow Group where she focuses on improving student success in partnership with her higher education clients. Her firm serves companies and colleges that are shaping the future of higher education innovation. Martha is an entrepreneur, highly- rated speaker and author, and the proud parent of six creative children. She believes, as does Ken Robinson, in the profoundly creative capabilities within us all. You can find Martha at contact her directly at Martha@sparrowgroup.biz, or visit her firm s website at

37 CHAPTER THREE TED TALK TIPS...FROM A TEENAGER Case study: Jack Andraka, A Promising Test for Pancreatic Cancer from a Teenager Expert analysis by: Donna Hook Jack Andraka s TED speech titled A Promising Test for Pancreatic Cancer...from a Teenager, ( delivered in February 2013, is full of lessons for speakers. His profound research, fueled by the loss of a close family friend, may just be the best example of channeled grief you ll find. Source: TED Even though he is very young, Jack demonstrates several strong speech techniques worthy of sharing. These include: A thought- provoking opening from which the remainder of the speech is built. Putting statistics into context.

38 Simple expression of complex ideas. Using personal stories with strong conflicts to keep an audience engaged. I encourage you to watch the video of the speech here: Open with a Thought- Provoking Question While a speech title often provides clues into the topic of a presentation, a speech opener is what truly sets the stage for an audience to gain an understanding of the frame of reference of the speaker. In the case of Jack s TED talk entitled A Promising Test for Pancreatic Cancer from a Teenager you may correctly deduce the speech is delivered by a teenager, includes pancreatic cancer as the basis for the discussion, and details a promising test for this type of cancer. Yet, watching Jack deliver his thought- provoking opening question and realizing that this young man of 16 is standing on a stage before a rather large TED audience you might get a sense of the power of the question Jack asks in his opening line: Have you ever experienced a moment in your life that was so painful and confusing that all you wanted to do was learn as much as you could to make sense of it all? An opening question of this type both engages an audience and piques their curiosity enough so they want to learn more. The you-focused question gets the audience to reflect on their lives, creating a connection between Jack s speech and the audience s lives. Jack further clarifies his frame of reference and the significance of his question as he states: When I was 13, a close family friend who was like an uncle to me passed away from pancreatic cancer. When the disease hit so close to home, I knew I needed to learn more, so I went online to

39 find answers. This opening emotionally draws the audience in, giving them a sense of the heartfelt love young Jack had for the uncle who passed, and offers a glimpse into the starting point for his talk. Next time you re giving a presentation, consider opening with a you-focused question. This creates curiosity and gets your audience to reflect on their lives. Next, transition into sharing a short I- focused story that puts your question into context for your listeners. Put Statistics in Context through Comparison As speakers, we can learn a great lesson from Jack on how to use statistics in a speech. Jack doesn t just give raw statistics, but puts them into context for his audience through comparison. For example, when describing carbon nanotubes, Jack says:...and that's just a long, thin pipe of carbon that's an atom thick and one 50 thousandth the diameter of your hair. By comparing a carbon nanotube to the size of a string of hair, Jack conveys the size of a carbon nanotube in terms that his audience understands. Furthermore, towards the end of his presentation Jack talks about the effectiveness of his paper sensor to the current solution by saying: This makes it 168 times faster, over 26,000 times less expensive, and over 400 times more sensitive than our current standard for pancreatic cancer detection. Again, using comparison, Jack puts his point across to his audience in a way that allows them to comprehend the significance of it. Next time you re delivering a statistic or talking about the effectiveness of a product or idea, use comparison to put it into perspective for your audience so that they can grasp the significance of it.

40 Express Complex Ideas in a Simple Manner Jack's heartfelt triad of death, curiosity and liberation provided the foundation for one truly incredible story a story we learn also takes root as a technical presentation. Inherent in all technical presentations are three main challenges for the speaker: First is understanding the knowledge level of the audience. Too often technical speeches alienate audiences, in part because the level of speech detail is out of sync with the audience. Out of sync can span the spectrum from too simple for an audience through too complex for them. Only from the vantage point of knowing your audience can a meaningful presentation be built. A second challenge of technical presentations is ensuring the speech content is relevant to the target audience. It s not enough just to sync the level of detail for the audience. You must also find a topic relevant to your audience. The final challenge in presenting a technical speech is keeping the audience engaged as the speaker delves deeper and deeper into complex technical topics. As speakers begin to include language and terms specific to a narrower and narrower community, they run a higher risk of audience isolation and disengagement. Jack navigated through the three challenges of a technical speech beautifully. First, while the academic composite of the TED audience may not have been crystal clear to Jack, it s public knowledge that the TED audience is well educated and, according to the TED.com website, made up of extraordinary thought- leaders in an environment where they are open to new ideas. This public information was available for Jack to uncover. Thus, Jack confidently delivered a well thought- out presentation appropriate for a TED audience.

41 Next, the topic of Jack's speech, pancreatic cancer detection, with subcategories of the loss of a loved one and of general disease detection, certainly had mass appeal for a large audience. For example, consider how Jack made his topic relevant to his audience when he said in his closing statement: And so hopefully one day we can all have that one extra uncle, that one mother, that one brother, sister, we can have that one more family member to love, and that our hearts will be rid of that one disease burden that comes from pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer, and potentially any disease... Finally, Jack does an exceptional job of keeping the audience engaged in the technical aspects of his speech. In fact, the part in his speech that could have been an audience- isolating technical moment (setting up scientific criteria for the sensor) was handled with a simple graph and a list of simple word- triggers: So I set up a scientific criteria as to what a sensor would have to look like in order to effectively diagnose pancreatic cancer. The sensor would have to be inexpensive, rapid, simple, sensitive, selective, and minimally invasive. Another great technique Jack uses to make his presentation easy to understand as well as memorable is that he uses similes. According to webster.com: A similie is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses) Using a simile, Jack highlights the significance of a key ingredient in his pancreatic cancer detection solution, carbon nanotubes: And despite their extremely small sizes, they have these incredible properties. They're kind of like the superheroes of material science. Here s another example where Jack successfully arouses audience interest by comparing the complexities of making a cancer sensor using

42 carbon nanotubes and antibodies to making a familiar homemade treat: Making a cancer sensor out of paper is about as simple as making chocolate chip cookies, which I love. You start with some water, pour in some nanotubes, add antibodies, mix it up, take some paper, dip it, dry it, and you can detect cancer. Whenever possible, use similes to simplify complex topics. Not only do similes make it easier for your audience to digest the information you re giving them, they also add variety and excitement to your presentation. Use Conflict to Keep Your Audience Hooked Jack is a great storyteller and keeps his audience hooked onto his every word. Stories are a powerful tool for keeping audiences engaged because people love listening to stories. We re hardwired to listen to stories, so consider using personal stories in your presentation to add excitement to your talk. So, what is it about a story that keeps us riveted? As you read in the previous chapter, it s the conflict in the story that keeps the audience engaged. We re captivated by books and movies that have strong conflicts where characters have to overcome difficult obstacles. The conflicts and difficulties in a story are the hook of the story they re what keep the audience curious to find out what happens next. In his TED talk, Jack keeps his audience engaged by sharing the obstacles and the conflicts he faced. For example, consider this story Jack shares about how, after reaching out to 200 different professors at Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health, Jack s expectations of wide acceptance for his idea took a turn for the worst: And I sat back waiting for these positive s to be pouring in, saying, "You're a genius! You're going to save us all!"

43 And (Laughter) Then reality took hold, and over the course of a month, I got 199 rejections out of those 200 s. One professor even went through my entire procedure, painstakingly - - I'm not really sure where he got all this time - - and he went through and said why each and every step was like the worst mistake I could ever make. After being subjected to an interrogation by PhD s and finally landing the lab space he needed, Jack shares another difficulty he faced: But it was shortly afterwards that I discovered my once brilliant procedure had something like a million holes in it... By sharing the difficulties and challenges he encounters, Jack causes audience members to ask, I wonder how this conflict will be solved? As a result, Jack s audience stays curious and hooked to his talk. What stories can you share with your audience? What is the conflict in your story that will keep your audience hooked to your presentation? IN A NUTSHELL Open with a thought- provoking question. Put statistics into context through comparison. Focus on expressing complex ideas in a simple manner. Use similes, analogies and metaphors to simplify complex concepts. Use conflict to keep your audience hooked. *

44 Meet Presentation Expert Dr. Donna Hook: As a well respected presentations coach, Donna Hook empowers her clients to quickly gain the right mindset and practice tools to succeed. She s been an active member of Toastmasters International since 1999, earned their highest designation as Distinguished Toastmaster, and was voted one of her Districts top ten impromptu speakers. Professionally, before shifting her practice to Management and Leadership consulting, Donna worked as a Sr. IT Manager for a Fortune 100 company. For more information Donna at area01gov@yahoo.com.

45 CHAPTER FOUR THE KEYS TO A POWERFUL AND PERSUASIVE PRESENTATION Case study: Seth Godin, How to Get Your Ideas Spread Expert analysis by: Akash Karia Seth Godin is one of my favorite authors and speakers. He is a master storyteller who knows how to keep his readers and listeners glued to his books and his talks. In 2007, Seth Godin delivered a TED talk titled How to get your ideas to spread ( The talk is one of the most- viewed TED talks to date with over half a million views on YouTube. It is a great TED talk with rich insights for speakers. Source: TED

46 In this chapter, we will dissect Seth s talk so that you can discover the tools and techniques Seth uses to keep his audience hooked to his presentation. His talk contains great lessons on: Keeping your audience curious. Using stories to keep your audience engaged in your presentation. Building rapport through conversational language. Using of you- focused and we- focused language. Effectively utilizing the problem/solution structure. Offering anecdotal evidence to back up your ideas. In case you haven t yet watched Seth s talk, I encourage you to do so here: Build Curiosity with Your Opening If you fail to connect with your audience during your opening, they will mentally tune out of your speech and it will be very difficult to bring them back. Seth doesn t waste any time and instead dives immediately into the essence of his speech. He begins with the following words: I'm going to give you four specific examples - - and I'm going to cover at the end - - about how a company called Silk tripled their sales by doing one thing, how an artist named Jeff Koons went from being a nobody to making a whole bunch of money and having a lot of impact, to how Frank Gehry redefined what it meant to be an architect. So, what makes this opening such an effective one? One of the most important things Seth does with this technique is that he hooks his audience into his talk by building their curiosity. He promises that he is going to share valuable tools with the audience, but doesn t tell them what they are. As a result, audience members are left

47 asking themselves these questions: What one thing did Silk do that tripled their sales? How did Jeff Koons go from being a nobody to making a whole bunch of money? How did this man named Frank Gehry redefine what it meant to be an architect? As soon as audience members start asking themselves these questions, they re hooked. They are hooked into the presentation because they want to know the answers to the questions that have been raised. When crafting your presentation opening, ask yourself, What questions am I raising in my audience s minds? If you re not creating any questions in your audience s minds, your audience has no reason to pay attention and they re quickly going to tune out. Implicitly Promise Value Another reason Seth s opening is so powerful is because it promises the audience value. Let s examine part of the opening again:...how a company called Silk tripled their sales by doing one thing, how an artist named Jeff Koons went from being a nobody to making a whole bunch of money. If you re an audience member listening to this presentation, what would you probably be thinking? You d probably be thinking, How did Silk triple their sales and how can I do the same? How did Jeff Koons go from being a nobody to making a lot of money? If I learn how he did it, perhaps I can do the same! What value (implicit or explicit) are you promising your audience?

48 Keep Your Audience Engaged with Stories Anyone who wants to master the art of public speaking must master storytelling skills. Stories are powerful because: They are hardwired into our brains. It s how knowledge was passed down for millions of years before the written word. As children, we make sense of the world through stories. They are inherently interesting. Stories contain characters, conflicts and they involve the imagination. We cannot help but be caught up in a well- told story. They are memorable. Because stories activate our imaginations, they are easy to remember. When we remember the story, we also remember the point associated with it. They are relatable. We associate with characters and situations in the story, which is why stories engage us emotionally. As a result, stories are a powerful tool available to speakers to help them deepen the connection with their audience. Seth Godin is a master storyteller, and in this TED talk he weaves in lots of stories and anecdotes to keep his audience s interest levels high. For example, consider this short story about Otto Rohwedder: But this guy named Otto Rohwedder invented sliced bread, and he focused, like most inventors did, on the patent part and the making part. And the thing about the invention of sliced bread is this - - that for the first 15 years after sliced bread was available no one bought it; no one knew about it; it was a complete and total failure. Here s another short anecdote that Seth uses to help prove his point: This guy, Lionel Poilane, the most famous baker in the world - - he died two and a half months ago, and he was a hero of mine and a

49 dear friend. He lived in Paris. Last year he sold 10 million dollars' worth of French bread. Here s a personal story that Seth entertains and educates his audience with: I go to the deli; I'm sick; I need to buy some medicine. The brand manager for that blue product spent 100 million dollars trying to interrupt me in one year... Whether you re using personal stories or stories about other people, the point is that stories are a fantastic tool to entertain as well as educate your audience members. Use Conversational Language Notice how Seth speaks in a very conversational manner: And it doesn't matter to me whether you're running a coffee shop or you're an intellectual, or you're in business, or you're flying hot air balloons. I think that all this stuff applies to everybody regardless of what we do. When you listen to Seth speak, you do not feel as though he is lecturing you. Nor does he seem like someone who is trying to impress you with the size of his vocabulary. He speaks naturally, and that comes off as authentic and helps him connect with his audience. Connect with your audience by speaking conversationally. Make Your Talk Relevant to Your Audience I once attended a presentation where the speaker made some great points, but he failed to show me how the points he made were relevant to me. As a speaker, you should be aware that audience members are always going to be asking themselves, How is this relevant to me? It is

50 your job to show your audience how your points affect and impact your audience. For example, in this TED talk, Seth begins by talking about the invention of sliced bread. He says:...for the first 15 years after sliced bread was available no one bought it; no one knew about it; it was a complete and total failure. Had Seth carried on talking about sliced bread and not shown the audience how the story was relevant to them, he would have lost them. However, being the master speaker that he is, Seth showed his audience how the story was relevant and applicable to them: That the success of sliced bread, like the success of almost everything we've been talking about at this conference, is not always about what the patent is like, or what the factory is like - - it's about can you get your idea to spread, or not. And I think that the way you're going to get what you want, or cause the change that you want to change, to happen, is that you've got to figure out a way to get your ideas to spread. No matter what stories or examples you share, always make sure that you tie them back to your audience by showing your audience how the stories and the examples are relevant to them. Use the Magic Word: You In public speaking, the magic word that helps you connect with your audience is the word you. The word you is regarded as one of the most powerful words in the English language. Why? Because you are interested in you! People are interested in themselves. Notice that in order to make the story of sliced bread relevant to his audience, Seth had to turn the focus from sliced bread (i.e. other-focused) to audience- focused (i.e. you- focused ):

51 And I think that the way you're going to get what you want, or cause the change that you want to change, to happen, is that you've got to figure out a way to get your ideas to spread. Here s another example of you- focused speaking from Seth s talk: The way the TV- industrial complex works, is you buy some ads - - interrupt some people - - that gets you distribution. You use the distribution you get to sell more products. You take the profit from that to buy more ads. Whenever you speak, remember that your presentation is never about you (the speaker). It s always about the audience. Keep your presentation audience- centered by using you- focused language. Avoid the mistake of being speaker- centered and talking about yourself using I- focused language. For example, in one of the presentations I gave, I could have used the following I- focused description to tell my story: I could sense the excitement. Over four- hundred people sat squashed together at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. While this would have been a good opening, I made it even better. I made it you- focused. Here s how I started: You could sense the excitement. Over four- hundred people sat squashed together at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Do you feel the difference between the two? The first one is speaker-focused. The second one is audience- focused. It engages the audience members by placing them in my situation they become a part of my story and become mentally engaged in my presentation. Whenever you can, look for ways to turn I- focused sections of your presentation into audience- focused sections ( you- focused ).

52 The Power of We There is one particular situation in which it is better to use a we- focus than it is to use a you- focus. For example, as an audience member, which one would you react more positively to? (A) You are sometimes so afraid of failing that you never take actions towards your goals. or (B) We are sometimes so afraid of failing that we never take action towards our goals. I personally would react more favorably to (B). Why? Because if you tell the audience something negative about themselves, they will resist listening to you. They will also perceive you as being arrogant because you seem to be shoving advice down their throats. However, if you use a we- focus when sharing negative ideas, you are including yourself as part of the group. You are not placing yourself above them, and instead connecting with them on a we level. Consider this section of Seth s presentation where he uses a we- focus: We're now in the fashion business, no matter what we do for a living, we're in the fashion business. And the thing is, people in the fashion business know what it's like to be in the fashion business - - they're used to it. The rest of us have to figure out how to think that way. However, imagine if Seth had said this instead:

53 ...people in the fashion business know what it s like to be in the fashion business they re used to it. You however have to figure out how to think that way. The latter statement would have caused psychological reactance from the audience. They would have perceived Seth as being too pushy, aggressive and arrogant. Whenever you re telling the audience something negative (e.g. telling them what mistake they are making, what they should stop doing or how they should change), use a we- focus to show your humility and avoid coming across as a pushy and arrogant speaker. Highlight the Problem before You Offer the Solution Seth makes brilliant use of the problem/solution structure. This is a very simple yet effective presentation structure where you first highlight the problem before you offer the solution. Why is this such an effective structure to use? Because as Seth knows people don t care about the solution unless you first highlight the problem. During the first half of the talk, Seth talks about the problem. He intensifies the problem and the pain for the audience members until they re desperate for a solution. Look at just some of the examples Seth uses to highlight and magnify the pain: The brand manager for that blue product spent 100 million dollars trying to interrupt me in one year. 100 million dollars interrupting me with TV commercials and magazine ads and spam and coupons and shelving allowances and spiff - - all so I could ignore every single message. Arby's is going to spend 85 million dollars promoting an oven mitt with the voice of Tom Arnold, hoping that that will get people to go to Arby's and buy a roast beef sandwich. Now, I had tried to imagine what could possibly be in an animated TV commercial

54 featuring Tom Arnold, that would get you to get in your car, drive across town and buy a roast beef sandwich. Consumers don't care about you at all; they just don't care. Part of the reason is - - they've got way more choices than they used to, and way less time. And in a world where we have too many choices and too little time, the obvious thing to do is just ignore stuff. All the examples above highlight the problem that the old way of spreading ideas via interruption marketing just isn t working. By highlighting the magnitude of the problem, Seth gets his audience members wanting to desperately know the solution. So, what is the solution? According to Seth, it is to be remarkable. Look at how he subtly and smoothly transitions from the problem into the solution using the purple cow analogy: Cows are boring. Who's going to stop and pull over and say - - oh, look, a cow. Nobody. But if the cow was purple - - isn't that a great special effect? I could do that again if you want it. If the cow was purple, you'd notice it for a while. I mean, if all cows were purple you'd get bored with those, too. The thing that's going to decide what gets talked about, what gets done, what gets changed, what gets purchased, what gets built, is: is it remarkable? And "remarkable" is a really cool word because we think it just means neat, but it also means - - worth making a remark about. After transitioning into the solution part of the presentation, Seth then spends the rest of the time highlighting the solution (the benefits of being remarkable). All the stories shift from being problem stories to being success stories such as below: They didn't want to buy his bread. It didn't look like "French bread." It wasn't what they expected. It was neat; it was remarkable; and slowly it spread from one person to another person until finally, it became the official bread of three- star

55 restaurants in Paris. Now he's in London, and he ships by FedEx all around the world. So, what can we learn from Seth regarding the use of a problem- solution structure for a presentation? First, present, highlight and intensify the problem for your audience. Audiences don t care about the solution until they feel the pain of the problem. Use stories and examples to highlight the problem. Second, ensure a smooth a natural transition from the Problem phase of the presentation to the Solution phase of the presentation. Finally, only share the solution after your audience is desperate to hear it. Use plenty of success stories to demonstrate the benefits of the solution. Experiment with the problem- solution structure for your next presentation. It is an incredibly simple yet stunningly effective structure for winning your audience over to your way of thinking. Use an Analogy, Metaphor or Simile Analogies, metaphors and similes make it easier for your audience to understand your arguments. In this TED talk, Seth uses the analogy of a purple cow to explain the idea of being remarkable to his audience: Cows are invisible. Cows are boring. Who's going to stop and pull over and say - - oh, look, a cow. Nobody. But if the cow was purple - - isn't that a great special effect? I could do that again if you want it. If the cow was purple, you'd notice it for a while. I mean, if all cows were purple you'd get bored with those, too. The thing that's going to decide what gets talked about, what gets done, what gets changed, what gets purchased, what gets built, is: is it remarkable?

56 Analogies, metaphors and similes not only help your audience better understand your idea, they also help the audience remember the idea. Analogies, metaphors and similes activate your imagination and paint pictures in your mind, which helps you understand as well as better recall the idea in the future. What metaphors, analogies and similes can you use in your presentation? Have as Many Stories as You Need, but Have Only One Key Takeaway Message In his talk, Seth offers lots of anecdotal proof that being remarkable works that it makes business sense! Here are just some of the many anecdotes and examples Seth shares in order to back up his argument: This yoyo right here cost 112 dollars, but it sleeps for 12 minutes. Not everybody wants it but they don't care. They want to talk to the people who do, and maybe it'll spread. These guys make the loudest car stereo in the world. It's as loud as a 747 jet. You can't get in the car; it's got bulletproof glass on the windows because they'll blow out the windshield otherwise. Hard Candy nail polish, doesn't appeal to everybody, but to the people who love it, they talk about it like crazy. AmIHotOrNot.com - - everyday 250,000 people go to this site, run by two volunteers, and I can tell you they are hard graders. They didn't get this way by advertising a lot. They got this way by being remarkable... As you can see, Seth s talk is based on anecdotal evidence. In order to win his audience over to his way of thinking of getting them to buy into the idea that being remarkable, even if it means targeting a smaller market, is a good strategy Seth shares lots and lots of stories of companies that have been successful by being remarkable.

57 However, even though Seth shares a lot of stories, notice that he only has one key message. Each and every story in the talk is meant to reinforce his one key takeaway message. As a speaker, you should ensure that you do not overwhelm your audience with too many messages. If you try to squeeze too much information into your talk, your audience won t remember much of it. For an eighteen- minute TED talk, you can use as many stories, examples, analogies and activities as you need, but you should have only one key takeaway message. The takeaway message of Seth s talk was, To spread your ideas, you need to be remarkable. What is the key takeaway message of your talk? End with a Clear Call to Action Seth concludes his inspiring TED talk with a final example to back up his main point. He even refers back to the purple cow analogy, which is a great callback to earlier on in the speech. He says: The last example I want to give you. This is a map of Soap Lake, Washington. As you can see, if that's nowhere, it's in the middle of it. But they do have a lake. And people used to come from miles around to swim in the lake. They don't anymore. So the founding fathers said, "We've got some money to spend. What can we build here?" And like most committees, they were going to build something pretty safe. And then an artist came to them - - this is a true artist's rendering - - he wants to build a 55- foot tall lava lamp in the center of town. That's a purple cow; that's something worth noticing. I don't know about you but if they build it, that's where I'm going to go.

58 While this is a pretty good conclusion, I believe that it could be improved by having a stronger call to action. A call to action is a statement that lets your audience members know exactly what you would like them to do next as a result of listening to you. It s the next step that you want your audience members to take. Unfortunately, Seth misses out on this and as a result the conclusion is not as powerful and inspiring as it could be. As an example of a call to action, check out this wonderful TED talk by Amy Cuddy ( Amy wraps up her speech by encouraging her audience to try power- posing. She also gives her audience a clear next step, which is to spread the science : So I want to ask you first, you know, both to try power posing, and also I want to ask you to share the science, because this is simple. I don't have ego involved in this. (Laughter) Give it away. Share it with people, because the people who can use it the most are the ones with no resources and no technology and no status and no power. Give it to them because they can do it in private. They need their bodies, privacy and two minutes, and it can significantly change the outcomes of their life. Thank you. This is a clear and compelling call to action it drives the audience members to take action and make a change, which is the point of any presentation. How will you end your talk? What s the clear next step of your speech? What s your call to action? IN A NUTSHELL Build curiosity with your opening. Create questions in your audience s minds. Promise value from your talk. Keep your audience engaged with stories. Connect with conversational language. Make your talk relevant to your audience.

59 Use the magic word: You. Use a we- focus when sharing negative ideas. Highlight the problem before you offer the solution. Use an analogy, metaphor or simile. Include as many stories as you need, but have only one key takeaway message. End with a clear call to action.

60 CHAPTER FIVE WRAP UP We ve covered a lot of tools and techniques in this short book, and I hope that having analyzed the TED talks in this book has inspired you to create powerful and persuasive presentations. I believe that anyone can become a powerful speaker that public speaking is not a talent that you re born with, but a skill you develop. Use the following tools and techniques to help you give a great TED talk: Build your talk around a universally appealing topic. Craft an opening that makes your audience lean in. Create knowledge gaps with questions. Prolong your audience s curiosity for as long as you can. Promise value from your talk. Engage your audience with rhetorical questions. Highlight the problem before you offer the solution. Connect with your audience by speaking conversationally. Create rapport by referencing common experiences and beliefs. Use a we- focus when sharing negative ideas. Use stories that make your audience feel something. Remember the four elements of a great story: Characters, Conflict/Challenge, Cure and Change in character. Include as many stories as you need, but have only one key takeaway message. Make your presentation relevant to your audience. Involve your audience in your presentation. Engage the audience with a you- focus. Add an element of newness to your talk. Use self- deprecation and over- exaggeration to add humor to your talk. Tread carefully when using humor. Put statistics into perspective for your audience. Tell your audience how to apply your ideas to their life. Don t just share information; share your emotions too.

61 Use words that invoke emotions in your audience. Focus externally, not internally. Use visual aids only if you have visuals. Let your passion shine through. Focus on expressing complex ideas in a simple manner. Use similes, analogies and metaphors to simplify complex concepts. Conclude by signaling, summarizing and selling. Motive your audience to take action. End with a clear call to action. One Final Tool I m going to end this book by giving you one more tool. Use this tool before any speech or presentation because it will put you into a confident mind- set. I want you to relax, sit back and imagine yourself up on stage, sharing your message with your audience. Imagine your audience smiling and enthusiastic. Imagine them being hooked onto your every word. Imagine them totally engaged in your speech. Imagine them laughing at the humor in your speech. Imagine them spellbound by your stories. Imagine yourself enthusiastic, confident and enjoying the moment. To your speaking success, Akash Karia Martha Lanaghen Donna Hook

62 TED:ology Presentation secrets from TED Talks All rights reserved. Akash Karia #1 Bestselling Author of How to Deliver a Great TED Talk Dana Rubin Founder & Director of NY Speechwriter s Roundtable Marion Grobb Finkelstein Renowned Communication Skills Consultant Dr. Michelle Mazur PhD in Communication * Note: This book makes use of small portions of coprighted material from TED in accordance with the fair use rule for the purposes of criticism and commentary of the speeches. * ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am heavily indebted to my parents, my sister and my friends, without whom this book would not have been possible. I am also indebted to the work of experts such as Craig Valentine, Darren LaCroix, Robert Cialdini, Anthony Robbins, Amanda Palmer, Jinsop Lee and Hans Rosling. Finally, I owe a huge thank you to TED for the work they do. I am inspired by the speakers at TED and I or any of the authors in this book are affiliated this great organization, I hope that this book will serve as an educational tool and help more people discover the magic of TED. - - from Akash Karia

63 TED:OLOGY PRESENTATION SECRETS FROM TED TALKS TED:ology Presentation Secrets from TED Talks is a short, clear and straightforward guide that reveals the secrets to delivering a mesmerizing TED talk. Written by four presentation experts, this book systematically dissects the TED talks of four great speakers. By the end of the book, you ll have received new insights into the art of public speaking and discovered the techniques that you can use to inspire, educate and entertain any audience. Whether you re a CEO, manager, entrepreneur or educator, as long as you ve got a message to share, TED:ology will become an indispensible resource in your speaking toolkit. By the end of the book, you ll be able to: Harness the power of storytelling and move your audience emotionally. Connect with your audience by appealing to a universal experience or idea. Create an experience for your audience (Case Study: Amanda Palmer, The Art of Asking). Start with a startle (and avoid shocks that block ) Keep your audience engaged and interested (Case study: Jinsop Lee, Design for All Five Senses). Deliver a memorable presentation by repeating a hook line.

64 Share the message out of the mess. Surprise your audience with twists and turns. Deliver a dynamic TED talk or any other speech or presentation (Case study: Anthony Robbins, Why We Do What We Do). Build rapport using you- focused speaking. Instantly connect with your audience using the energy-matching principle. Gesture powerfully and confidently by putting your body behind your gestures. Deepen the connection with your audience by verbalizing their thoughts. Personalize your talk using callbacks. Keep your audience curious using knowledge gaps. Have fun on stage. Make your statistics come alive (Case study: Hans Rosling, The Best Stats You ve Ever Seen). Give life and meaning to your data. Engage seamlessly with your visuals. End your talk powerfully and persuasively. Share a message that is remembered and repeated. Let s get started...

65 Akash Karia

66 CHAPTER ONE HOW TO CREATE AN EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE Case study: Amanda Palmer, The Art of Asking Expert analysis by: Michelle Mazur A good TED talk piques our interests, teaches us something new and perhaps inspires us to see the world from a different perspective. A great TED talk does all of that and evokes emotion. Perhaps your eyes well with tears, or you just feel deeply understood. It s the Yes, I ve been there too thought that washes across your mind. Punk- rock/cabaret musician Amanda Palmer s The Art of Asking ( is one of those rare talks that goes beyond just giving information or persuading the audience to do something differently. She makes you feel sad at times, entertained at other times but ultimately leaves you feeling like an unstoppable force who can ask for anything. Amanda doesn t just speak, she creates an experience for the audience and the nearly 3 million viewers of her TED talk.

67 Image: TED Amanda s talk provides rich insights for speakers about how to move beyond the presentation of information, and how to create an experience using aspects of performance and storytelling combined with a rich takeaway. Her talk includes lessons on: Commanding the room and creating intrigue. Using stories that evoke a range of emotions. Anchoring repetition with gestures. Creating a rich conclusion with a takeaway message. I highly encourage you to go watch the talk here: You won t regret it! Command the Room and Create Intrigue The opening of Amanda s talk immediately accomplishes three things: setting the stage for her entire presentation, commanding the room and creating intrigue and interest. Amanda saunters on stage with a milk crate, a hat, a swath of crinoline and a flower. She places the hat at her feet, wraps herself in the fabric and stands on top of the crate as she holds the flower. She scans the audience and breathes deeply. A lesson for speakers is that when you take an influential stage don t just walk on stage, command the room. Setting up the stage, taking the long pause while connecting with the audience via eye contact, shows confidence and moxie. Don t be afraid to set the stage the way you want it, to stop, breathe and make a connection before starting a talk. You know there is something attention worthy coming because of the time well spent to create an experience. As an audience member, you can t help but lean forward and wonder what this woman is doing. Your brain is dying to find out what happens next. From the time Amanda

68 takes the stage she creates intrigue about why she has the props and how she is going to use them. Appeal to a Universal Experience or Idea Amanda starts off her talk with the following line: So I didn't always make my living from music. For about the five years after graduating from an upstanding liberal arts university, this was my day job. I was a self- employed living statue called the 8- Foot Bride, and I love telling people l did this for a job, because everybody always wants to know, who are these freaks in real life? Although Amanda is talking about her own experience, there s something universal in her opening line. We ve all seen the performance artists standing on crates as statues in busy tourist areas. We ve wondered, as Amanda puts it, Who are these freaks are in real life? Now, we know. The key to a strong opening that draws in the audience is to appeal to an idea, concept or experience that is universal. It makes Amanda s experience relatable to our own. Instantly, the audience is hooked because they are a part of the presentation and the story. Bonus tip: Amanda s use of the props is masterful. She stays on the crate until she says that her band started making enough money that I could quit being a statue and she steps off the crate. Use the prop until it makes sense in the story to transition away from it. Choose Stories that Show a Range of Emotion When creating a talk especially a talk of your life like a TED talk, it can be challenging for speakers to choose the right story. The key is to choose stories that evoke a range of emotion from struggle to laughter.

69 Amanda juxtaposes two stories about couch surfing that illustrate a spectrum of emotions. The most emotional story of Amanda s talk (and the one that caused her own voice to crack) is about the family of an 18- year- old girl that her band crashed with in Miami: My crew once pulled our van up to a really poor Miami neighborhood and we found out that our couchsurfing host for the night was an 18- year- old girl, still living at home, and her family were all undocumented immigrants from Honduras. And that night, her whole family took the couches and she slept together with her mom so that we could take their beds. And I lay there thinking, these people have so little. Is this fair? And in the morning, her mom taught us how to try to make tortillas and wanted to give me a Bible, and she took me aside and she said to me in her broken English, "Your music has helped my daughter so much. Thank you for staying here. We're all so grateful." And I thought, this is fair. This is this. The next morning she gets her answer when the family expresses gratitude for her music because it helped their daughter so much. It s about giving and being open to receiving. After this heartfelt story, Amanda talks about tweeting for a place to stay in NYC and walking up to a stranger s door alone and wondering, Is this how stupid people die? The audience laughs. In a minute, Amanda takes the audience from struggle and sadness to laugher and craziness. For speakers, this illustrates how to choose stories that create an emotional roller coaster ride. If you take the audience to a melancholy place, you must bring them back to laughter. Use emotions to engage the audience. Anchor Repetition with Gestures Repetition is an excellent way to make your message memorable long after the talk has ended. However, Amanda takes it one step further and

70 anchors her repetition with gestures. Now, her use of repetition is something the audience can see and hear. The two phrases Amanda repeats in her speech are Get a job? and Is this fair? These phrases illustrate the fear and the struggle you have when asking for what you need. There s an emotion connected with the words. When she utters those phrases in her talk, she anchors them with the gesture of her hand behind her head as if her inner critic is blurting out those words. Image: TED The repeated phrases paired with the gestures reminds us of the emotion that we had when she told us about standing on the crate as statue with a hat at her feet asking for money. As a speaker, can you pair a gesture with your phrase to reinforce the message, and to evoke the same emotional response from the audience as the first time you spoke the repeated phrase? Anchoring repeated phrases with a gesture is a powerful way to recall emotion, and transport the audience back to how they felt when you first uttered the words.

71 Craft a Compelling Conclusion The one flaw in Amanda s talk is that the ending is abrupt. Additionally, the last sentence she utters is specific to her industry instead of appealing to the universal message of asking. She does an excellent job of referring to the introduction of the speech when she says, My music career has been spent trying to encounter people on the Internet the way I could on the box This reference ties the conclusion back to the introduction. It s a great way to signal the end of a talk without using the dreaded phrase in conclusion. She does give a rich takeaway message about the power of asking: that despite all of our flaws, fears and mistakes, when we really see each other, we want to help each other. This would have been an excellent universal takeaway message to end on. Instead she goes on to say, I think people have been obsessed with the wrong question, which is, How do we make people play for music? What if we started asking, How do we let people pay for music? Communication theory teaches us that people remember most what they hear first (primacy effect) and what they hear last (recency effect) in a presentation. For this reason, it s important that the closing thought be one that resonates with the entire audience and not just those in the music industry. For speakers, it s better to conclude with a universal takeaway message than with a very specific one. Don t Just Speak Create an Experience The biggest speaking insight from this masterful TED talk is that when you combine the elements of performance with public speaking, you create a memorable experience for the audience. An experience that has them talking (and sharing your talk) long after it ends.

72 As a speaker, take these lessons to challenge yourself to command the room and set the stage for an experience of your speech. Remember, it s important to use story to evoke a wide range of emotions in the audience, and to end with a universal takeaway message. If you create a great experience for your audience, you move beyond the transfer of knowledge and create emotional bonds with the audience. In a Nutshell Don t just walk on stage command the room. Don t be afraid to take a long pause while connecting with the audience via eye contact. Appeal to a universal experience or idea. Choose stories to create a range of emotions in your audience. Anchor repetition with gestures. Conclude with a universal takeaway message that your audience members can apply to their lives. Don t just speak. Aim to create an experience for your audience. Meet Presentation Expert Michelle Mazur: * Speech coach, presentation strategist, and author of the upcoming book, Speak Up for Your Business, Dr. Michelle Mazur guides driven- to-succeed business professional and entrepreneurs to ignite the smoldering fire within to speak up, speak out and make their impact one compelling presentation at a time. Michelle earned a Ph.D. in communication and her writing has appeared in 12 Most, PR Daily, Ragan.com, SOLD Magazine for Sales Professional, PR Europe and Business2Community. Her blog, Relationally Speaking, was listed at #11 of the 101 best online resources for public speaking. She resides in Seattle, WA with her loving fiancé, two obsessive felines and huge collection of Duran Duran memorabilia. Check out her blog at:

73 CHAPTER TWO KEEPING YOUR AUDIENCE ENGAGED AND INTERESTED Case study: Jinsop Lee, Design for All Five Senses Expert analysis by: Marion Grobb Finkelstein In February 2013, Jinsop Lee stood on a stage in Long Beach, California, in front of 1,500 people to present his TED talk about how good industrial design appeals to all five senses ( Speakers are chosen for TED talks for a reason they have both great content AND delivery. Jinsop Lee is no exception and has many strong points in his speech. In a mere nine minutes and four seconds, he packs in a lot of information that has the potential to be somewhat dry and boring yet he delivers it in an entertaining and polished manner. You can watch Jinsop s speech here:

74 Source: TED There are many ways to slice, dice and analyze a speech. These are the ones we ll use to review Jinsop s speech. I encourage you to take away the lessons and use them in your next presentation: Starting with a startle (WARNING: shock may block) Using personal stories Surprising your audience Making it relevant Start with a Startle (Warning: Shock May Block) In any presentation, you have a matter of seconds to give a first and lasting impression that will color your audience s perception of everything else that follows. Shock value may work or it may block the connection with your audience. Jinsop s intro may do a bit of both. He begins his speech by asking a provocative question: In an age of global strife and climate change, I'm here to answer the all important question - - why is sex so damn good? (audience chuckles) If you re laughing, you know what I mean. Don t Walk Over the Laughter Listen to this clip and you ll hear a polite titter of laughter begin after the why is sex so damn good? question. We ll never know if this bud of chuckles would have blossomed into full bloom audience response because Jinsop allowed less than one second before starting to speak again. He squished the laughter he d worked so hard to get! Perhaps he didn t realize that the bigger the audience, the more time the ripple of laughter requires to work its way through the crowd. Or maybe it was nerves that hurried his pace and removed the power of the pause. Either way, the end result was that the audience didn t get a chance to laugh as much as they might have, and the weak laughter that resulted

75 gives the impression that his opening line fell flat. It didn t quite hit the mark for a couple reasons, one of them being that he didn t allow enough time for the laughter. Use the Callback Technique The other reason why this intro may have gotten a less than impressive response from the audience is due to the content. Some audience members may have been surprised and made uncomfortable by Jinsop s reference to sex typically a taboo and socially awkward subject. Jinsop mentions this topic again at a couple other points during his presentation: Why is sex so damn good? All right, let's get back to the question of why sex is so good. In fact, in the years that I gathered data, only one experience came close to being the perfect one. That is, of course, sex. Great sex. This callback technique is used quite commonly by comedians and professional speakers. It allows the speaker to hook each consequent story and point made to this foundational message. It also enables the audience to remember the key message. The approach goes like this: a hook phrase is offered near the beginning of the presentation and echoed at a later point, sometimes several times and very often at the end, in summary. It s a very effective and witty way to remind the audience of the key message. Repeat a Hook Line

76 Jinsop has masterfully woven this hook line into his speech using the sex reference. Did Jinsop really want his key message to be about sex? Or was it used simply for shock value at the risk of missing the real key message about using all five senses in industrial design? Perhaps it would have been more effective to use a skillful phrase about the five senses in some everyday function like eating that would not embarrass or distance anyone. For example, the statement We eat with all five senses could be followed by an explanation demonstrating this point. He could have described the sensual experience of eating a salty pickle, dripping in brine, ice- cold, bumpy skin and snapping into two. An example of a hook phrase he could use is Does that make sense? This play on words has a double entendre, is short, memorable, witty, and has no risk of offending a segment of his audience. Trust before Taboo Build Trust from the Audience before Touching on Personal or Typically Taboo Subjects At a later point in the speech, Jinsop uses more innocuous subject matter for a punch line story. The laughter response is much greater, likely due to the subject matter having little risk of being offensive or uncomfortable. In addition, perhaps because by this time he was less nervous and hurried, Jinsop allows several seconds for the punch line to ripple through the significantly sized audience and swell to full laughter. Now, I don't play the flute to the clarinet so I decided to combine these keys with instrument I do play - - the television remote control. (Audience Laughter) In this example, Jinsop gives time for the punch line to sink in and the audience to respond. It was also several minutes into the speech where he d had time to share stories, build rapport, and could risk humor a little more. A caution on humor use it tastefully. You don t want to exclude anyone in the room. If there s a chance of offending, trust me you will. With

77 the edgy question of Why is sex so damn good? at a mere 22 seconds into his presentation, Jinsop runs a risk of shocking and disconnecting with his audience. His question certainly has the element of surprise and humor, and that s a good thing. But it also has a risk that some people may find this a little too daring, and that s not so good. This early in his presentation, he hasn t had a chance yet to build a relationship and connect with the audience. He may not have their trust to touch on what some would consider a personal and inappropriate subject. Perhaps placed a little later into the speech, combined with allowing more laughter time, this punch line would have been more effective. Evidence of the potential awkwardness of his opening question comes in the contrasting response of full laughter to his story about the clarinet keys being used for the remote control. Music and remote controls are not culturally taboo or uncomfortable subjects, and laughter is more readily expressed in response. Use Personal Stories Using your own personal stories is a wonderful way to connect with your audience and build rapport. In particular, sharing times when you faced challenges and even failed helps those listening to relate. Jinsop Lee dares to share his failures and skillfully injects personal stories throughout his speech, as follows: Back in university we had a quick project to design some solar-powered clocks... I thought my idea was pretty good but his idea is genius... Jinsop leads the audience through a lively story of the solar- powered sunflower clock he designed, and then, in sharp comparison, the super-

78 cool and sensory- filled, oil- scented contraption clock his colleague created using shot glasses and magnifying glasses. He confesses: At the time I knew his idea was better than mine, but I just couldn't explain why. He then offers the explanation and the whole premise of his presentation that it was engagement of all five senses that made the industrial design so good. In sharing this story, Jinsop shows that he wasn t the best designer. Of his own admission, his colleague s design was superior. This is a wonderful approach, and here s why... Share Your Failures and the Message Out of the Mess By sharing his failure, Jinsop shows that he is human and this helps him relate to his audience because people relate to people, not perfection. What Jinsop does that is critical is that he also shares the lesson learned from the failure. He provides resolution to the problem or dilemma. He gets the message out of the mess. He pulls out the importance of engaging all five senses in any industrial design. Give Examples Your Audience Can Relate To The other aspect of personal stories that makes them work (or not) is the presenter s ability to tie them directly to the audience members. Why would what you re saying be of interest to your audience? How could they apply what you learned to improve their lives? In other words, what s in it for them? Jinsop s speech could increase its impact by making a more obvious link between his subject and how it affects the lives of the audience members. Everyone may not relate to clocks, motorcycles or sex, as referenced in his speech, so offering examples of more ubiquitous, everyday applications such as driving a car, sleeping or getting dressed would help. People would then actually see themselves in the picture of

79 what it could be that Jinsop is drawing. When this happens, your audience is able to see your theories come to life, their lives. Have a Clear Call to Action At the end of his presentation, Jinsop beautifully and playfully tosses candies out to the audience, demonstrating the very principles of which he has spoken he engages all five senses. The drawback was that this closing was not accompanied with a clear call to action, nor an invitation for the audience to apply what they have learned to their lives. It peters out versus ends with a bang. Knowledge is only powerful when it is moved to action, and an audience only moves to action when they deem the knowledge shared to be relevant and beneficial to them. So include them in the picture you re creating with real- life examples they relate to. Keep the Audience Interested and Engaged with Twists and Turns Some people think that the best thing for a speech is no surprises at all. Wrong! Just like a roller coaster ride, it s the dips and turns that add excitement. Without the variation in direction, pitch and pace, the ride would be boring, right? It s the same thing with a speech. Including elements of surprise will keep your audience interested and engaged. Jinsop sprinkles various types of surprises into his presentation, some more effectively so than others. Here s an example of a well- done turn of events: Chris is a great friend of mine from my university days but secretly... (pause and in softer voice) I hate him. Note how the content, what Jinsop says, is a surprise. Normally, you would expect to hear someone say that he loves a friend. Instead, Jinsop

80 says, Secretly, I hate him. Surprise! This piques the audience s curiosity to hear more. Why does he hate him? What s the story? Now, they re really listening. The other twist is in delivery. Jinsop changes his pace by using the very effective technique of pausing just before he delivers the punch line. In addition, his volume lowers as he says, I hate him. All these elements collide to create the element of surprise, and the result is audience engagement. How can you include the element of surprise in your presentation to keep your audience engaged? Preparation, Preparation and More Preparation I would be remiss in this speech analysis if I didn t acknowledge Jinsop s amazing accomplishment of preparing and delivering this speech. Anyone who speaks for a TED talk has undergone a tremendous amount of screening and preparation. They are the best of the best, and Jinsop Lee is one of them. It s easy to sit back in an armchair and critique from the sidelines. Jinsop has done a brilliant job relaying what could have been a deadly boring subject (industrial design) for many people in an animated and interesting way. We have learned a lot at his hand. Does that make sense? The true test of any speaker or any critique is in applying the lessons learned. Will you? In a Nutshell Start with a startle Use personal stories Don t walk over the laughter. Repeat a hook line. Trust before taboo build rapport and trust from the audience before touching on personal or typically taboo subjects.

81 People relate to people, not perfection so share your failures and the message out of the mess. Give examples your audience can relate to. Keep the audience interested and engaged with twists and turns. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Meet Presentation Expert Marion Grobb Finkelstein Through Marion Grobb Finkelstein's interactive workshops and keynotes, or consulting services, you will gain action- oriented, proven, practical and powerful strategies you can put to work NOW to better connect with employees, bosses, clients and colleagues. A published author, Marion has orchestrated national marketing campaigns, managed controversial media issues, and produced and hosted award- winning cablevision shows. A national member of Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and Global Speakers Federation, she is also an award- winning Toastmaster. Sign up for Marion s Communication Tips at or contact Marion directly at Marion@MarionSpeaks.com to book her for your next event. Like for daily, hands- on workplace communication tips and quips. *

82 CHAPTER THREE TECHNIQUES FOR DELIVERING A DYNAMIC TED TALK Case study: Anthony Robbins, Why We Do What We Do Expert analysis by: Akash Karia If you ve seen any of Anthony Robbins talks before, you know that he is a highly expressive, dynamic and energetic speaker. He has mastered the art of motivating people through speaking and knows exactly how to pump up and fire up an audience. When it comes to motivational speakers, Anthony Robbins is one of the best there is. However, what about giving a TED talk? How well does Tony s speaking style align with the nature of a TED talk? After all, the TED talk audience is very different from what Tony is normally used to.

83 Tony is used to speaking to audiences of thousands of people, all of whom pay huge sums of money to attend his event. They re enthusiastic and fired up to see Tony. A TED audience, on the other hand, is generally more conservative. They are less expressive in showing their enthusiasm and not as willing to get involved in activities. So, how did Tony fare with the TED audience in his 2007 TED talk ( In this chapter, we will examine what lessons you can learn from Tony s TED talk, and how you can apply them to your presentations to make them sizzle. Tony s talk contains lessons on: How to use questions to create knowledge gaps The power of you- focused speaking Creating rapport by speaking conversationally Creating a connection using the matching technique The role of swearing in public speaking Techniques for delivering a dynamic TED talk (or any other speech or presentation) Also, we will examine what Tony could have improved in his TED talk and what mistakes you can avoid when speaking in public. By the way, in case you ve missed Tony s TED talk, I encourage you to watch it here: Have Absolute Belief in Your Message When you watch Tony s TED talk, it s crystal clear that he has 100% belief in the importance of his message. It s evident in the way he speaks, the way he moves and the way he sounds.

84 Even though Tony s TED talk is not the most eloquent one I ve watched, it is one of the most powerful ones because what Tony lacks in eloquence he makes up for in his passion for his topic. As a speaker, before you get up on stage, ask yourself these questions: What topic am I so passionate about that I d be able to speak on it with absolute conviction...even though I may not have the talk planned out? What message do I believe in so firmly that if I don t share it with my audience, I would feel like I was doing them a disservice? If I were to die tomorrow and only had to leave the world with one message, what would it be? Find a message that you care strongly about a message that you fully believe in and are passionate about. The Roman orator Cato said, Find the message and the words will follow. Once you ve located that message, you re well on your way to delivering a great TED talk. Match Your Audience s Energy Level Have you ever seen a speaker who was too enthusiastic? Have you ever seen a speaker who was not energetic enough? How did you feel when you watched such a speaker? My guess is that both the over- enthusiastic and the not- energetic-enough speaker failed to connect with you and the rest of the audience. Why? Because the speaker did not match your energy level.

85 At a Tony Robbins motivational seminar, audiences are usually fired up to see him. They ve paid thousands of dollars to see him, they re extremely eager and enthusiastic, and therefore when Tony comes out on stage, he comes out equally energetic and pumped up. He matches their energy level. By being on the same energy level as them by being on the same vibrational plane Tony manages to connect with his audience. However, at the TED talk, the audience s energy levels were not as high as at a motivational seminar. While the audience members were interested to hear Tony speak, they were not jumping out of their chairs and screaming for him (something I would totally be doing, by the way!). Therefore, in order to connect with the TED audience, instead of coming out with a fiery and passionate opening, Tony began his talk in a very conversational manner: Thank you. I have to tell you I'm both challenged and excited. My excitement is: I get a chance to give something back. My challenge is: the shortest seminar I usually do is 50 hours. (Laughter) Compared with Tony s normal openings, this is a very low- key opening. Why? Because Tony was matching his audience s energy level and getting on the same vibrational plane as them so that he could build rapport with them. Of course, later on, Tony amped up his energy and his audience s energy using humor and activities, but he first built rapport with them by matching their energy level. Next time you get up on stage, monitor your audience s energy level. How excited are they? How expressive are they in their excitement? Then, when you get up on stage, match that energy level get on the same vibrational plane as them before you try to amp them up. Speak Conversationally

86 One of the mistakes I made early in my speaking career was that I focused on sounding eloquent. I focused on making sure that each sentence that came out of my mouth was perfectly crafted. I believed that doing so would impress my audience. The result of doing this was that audiences walked away from my talks thinking, He was an eloquent speaker and giving me praises, such as You re such a great speaker! While that did inflate my ego, what I failed to do was to connect with my audience. I would have much rather had them say, That really connected with me instead of give me praises about my speaking ability. The other thing about trying to sound eloquent is that instead of focusing on your audience, your focus becomes internal (i.e., you begin focusing on yourself). You start focusing on how you sound and on trying to use the right words. Your intention shifts from wanting to add value to your audience to wanting to sound good. This will result in you failing to connect with your audience because they will sense that the focus is on you, not on them. In his TED talk, Tony forgets about being eloquent. Instead, he shares his message in a very conversational manner: And then you meet people that have been through ultimate pain - - psychologically, sexually, spiritually, emotionally abused - - and not always, but often, they become some of the people that contribute the most to society. So, the question we've got to ask ourselves really is, what is it? What is it that shapes us? And we live in a therapy culture. Most of us don't do that, but the culture's a therapy culture. And what I mean by that is the mindset that we are our past. And everybody in this room - - you wouldn't be in this room if you bought that theory - - but the - - most of society thinks biography is destiny. The past equals the future. And of course it does if you live there. Notice how the above paragraph (part of the transcript from Tony s talk) isn t perfect and that is okay. When you speak, don t aim for

87 perfection aim to share your message and make a difference. As long as you do that, your audience will walk away from your talk having gotten some value out of it. I would like to reemphasize the face that Tony delivers his talk in a very conversational manner. Not being eloquent and instead speaking in a conversational manner helps him connect with his audience. People hate being lectured, and by speaking in a conversational manner, Tony makes sure that his audience doesn t feel he is lecturing them. So, why is a conversational approach to public speaking a good one? Because we are used to conversations. We re used to having conversations with our friends. We re used to having Oprah speak to us conversationally through our TV screen. The time for eloquent speeches with long words and theatrics is over. Today s audiences have come to expect speakers to talk to them conversationally. When you get up to speak, make sure you speak in a conversational style. This does not mean that you should simply wing it and not plan your talk. It means that you should plan and rehearse your presentation, but that you should use conversational language. Do not use any words or phrases that you would not use in everyday conversation. Everything coming out of your mouth should sound natural and not as though you have memorized a written speech. Don t aim for perfection aim for connection through conversational speaking. Use Questions to Create Knowledge Gaps A knowledge gap is the gap that exists between what the audience knows and what it doesn t know. When there exists a knowledge gap in your audience, it arouses curiosity. This keeps your audience members fully engaged in your presentation. What s the best way to create a knowledge gap? It s by asking a question (see what I did above?).

88 In his TED talk, Tony Robbins uses lots of questions to create knowledge gaps in his audience. This keeps his audience curious and therefore engaged in his presentation. Here are three examples: What is your motive for action? What is it that drives you in your life today? Not 10 years ago. Or are you running the same pattern? First, what's your target? What are you after? Everyone needs certainty that they can avoid pain and at least be comfortable. Now, how do you get it? Not only do those questions create knowledge gaps in Tony s audience, they also give his audience the chance to reflect on their lives. Audience members have to search inside themselves to try to uncover their motives, drives and targets. As a result, Tony doesn t just deliver a speech he creates an experience for his audience. The audience connects with Tony s talk because they can connect their life experiences to his message. As proof, here s a comment that was left by a viewer as a response to Tony s talk: For a 20 minute talk on Why we do what we do I would argue Tony does a remarkable job. He is thoughtful, passionate, and certainly makes the audience question their own motives in life. Next time you have to give a speech or a presentation, use questions to create knowledge gaps in your audience. Also, use you- focused questions to get the audience to reflect upon their lives so that your message becomes directly relevant to their life experiences. Build a Connection Using a You- Focus When you speak, remember that your aim is to serve your audience. Thus, the focus of your talk should not be on yourself, but on your audience. In other words, you should be you- focused, not I- focused. As a public speaking coach, one of the mistakes I see many presenters make is that they give speeches that are heavily I- focused. These

89 speeches sound something along the lines of: I did this, then I did that, and the result I got from this was that. And then I had a great idea, so I decided to take action on that idea, and I got this amazing result because I The problem with such a speech is that it isolates your audience. Your audience is not a part of your talk they are simply a group of people who have to listen to your autobiography. By giving an I- focused speech, you are ignoring your audience, in which case they might as well not be there. So, what s the solution? The solution is to have a healthy balance between I- focused and you-focused speaking. You can share your story using an I- focus, but remember to bring it back to your audience using a you- focus. In Tony s speech, he connects with his audience using a you- focus. The audience is made a part of the speech because Tony is talking about them, instead of at them. Here are some examples of you- focused speaking from Tony s talk: How do you take the invisible and make it visible, right? How do you take what you're dreaming of and make it happen? Whether it be your business, your contribution to society, money - - whatever it is for you - - your body, your family. So, think about your own life, the decisions that have shaped your destiny. And that sounds really heavy, but in the last five or 10 years, 15 years, how have there been some decisions you've made that if you'd made a different decision, your life would be completely different? Because how did you learn language? You didn't learn it by just learning principles, you got in it and you did it so often that it became real. How would the above line sound when delivered using an I- focus? It would sound something like this: How do I learn new languages? I don t learn a new language by

90 learning principles. I get into it and do it so often till it becomes real. Can you see how you- focused speaking is much more powerful in connecting with the audience than I- focused speaking? Whenever possible, frame your stories, examples, analogies and metaphors using a you- focus. This way, when your audience walks out of the room, they will walk away thinking, She really spoke to me and connected with me instead of thinking, She spoke at me like I wasn t even there. Put Your Body behind Your Gestures One of the things that makes Tony such a powerful speaker is that he gestures with his whole body. While most speakers restrict their movements, Tony puts his whole body behind his movements. His gestures are natural and powerful (as opposed to being restricted and tiny). Source: TED Given that Tony is speaking to a large crowd, it makes sense for him to

91 use large gestures and to put energy and enthusiasm into them. When you have a larger audience, you need to have an enlarged version of you. Don t be timid. Don t restrict your movements instead let your hands move naturally and allow yourself larger movements as you project your point into your audience. Connect with the Emotion behind Your Message Apart from his gestures, we can also learn from Tony s facial expressions. Here s a picture of Tony s facial expressions and hand gestures from another one of his talks. Notice how expressive Tony is with his gestures and facial expressions: Image Source: Unknown Note how the emotions of the talk are very evident from simply looking at Tony s facial expressions. His facial expressions (and hand gestures) communicate the emotion behind his message. So, does this mean that you should change your style and be as expressive as Tony?

92 Of course not! However, remember that when you deliver a speech, it s not just about speaking the words. It s also about communicating with your hand gestures and your facial expressions. You decide how much expressiveness is suitable for your particular situation, but keep in mind that the bigger the audience, the more expressive and energetic you need to be. Not only is the emotion behind Tony s message evident in his gestures and facial expressions, it s also evident in the tone of his voice. His tone matches the mood that he is trying to create in his audience. So, how do you go about ensuring that your facial expressions, hand gestures and voice tone are congruent with your message? Simple. You must feel the emotion behind your message. Speech is transference of emotion, and you cannot transfer that which you do not feel. Before you speak, aim to connect with the emotion behind your message. Once you connect with the emotion, your hand gestures, facial expressions and voice tone will align and be congruent with your message. Once you connect with the emotion behind your message, everything else will take care of itself. Use Callbacks to Personalize Your Talk A callback is a great technique for personalizing your talk for your audience. Simply, it means to refer back or call back to an event, incident or a speech that took place before you spoke and which the audience also witnessed. For example, here s an example of a callback from Tony s speech: I agree with what was described a few days ago, about this idea that people work in their self- interest. Tony calls back to an idea that was discussed a couple of days ago at the TED conference, and by doing so lets his audience know that his talk is not some off- the- shelf speech he delivers to every audience but one which has been specifically designed for them.

93 Using callbacks is a great way of showing your audience that you ve put in the effort to tailor- make the speech for them. Furthermore, by referring to a previously shared experience or incident, you deepen your rapport with your audience. Don t Criticize, Condemn or Put Down Another Speaker Tony made great use of a callback, but I cringed when he said this: I agree with what was described a few days ago, about this idea that people work in their self- interest. But we all know that that's bullshit at times. The reason I cringed when I heard this was because by using strong language such as bullshit, Tony had essentially taken another speaker s idea (that we work in our self- interest) and said that the idea was trash. While this may not have been what Tony meant, that s how it could be perceived. I strongly encourage you to refrain from shooting down any previous speaker s ideas or arguments. If you must refute another speaker s ideas, then do this without using strong language because this might upset the other speaker as well as the audience members. Avoid Swearing Is it OK to swear and use foul language when speaking? I like to look at the research before I make up my mind on any issue, and here s an interesting piece of research I came across (Source: ConversionXl): Researchers divided 88 participants into three groups to watch one of three slightly different speeches. The only difference

94 between the speeches was that one contained a mild curse word at the start: lowering of tuition is not only a great idea, but damn it, also the most reasonable one for all parties involved. The second speech contained the damn it at the end and the third had neither. When participants attitudes were measured, they were most influenced by the speeches with the mild obscenity included, either at the beginning or the end. The word damn increased the audience s perception of the speaker s intensity, which increased persuasion. The audience s perceived credibility of the speaker did not change. - ConversionXl So, it turns out that mild swearing can make a speaker more persuasive because it shows that the speaker has a strong emotional connection to the topic. Mild swearing can lead to a sudden and sharp increase in the audience s attentiveness levels. For example, I remember the first time when my high school teacher swore in class. I immediately snapped out of my doze and began paying attention to him. So, I wouldn t completely rule out swearing (though I certainly don t encourage it). For example, if you were running for election and were extremely upset about the policies of the previous administration, using mild/light swearing could show your passion and intensity towards the issue at hand. However, generally speaking, I would avoid swearing when giving a presentation. Even though research shows that light swearing can be effective, you risk offending some of your audience members and being seen as unprofessional and perhaps even as someone who s unable to keep his cool. Furthermore, swearing can be distracting. Since the TED audience is a very professional, sophisticated and intellectual audience, I believe that the right thing to do would have

95 been to refrain from swearing. Unfortunately, in his talk, Tony Robbins swore a number of times: this crazy mofo we all know that that s bullshit he s broken my pattern, that son of a bitch Have you ever rented a video of a film that you already seen? Who has done this? Get a f***in life? All this swearing was distracting and not appropriate given that this was a TED audience. For example, look at the comments that were left on TED.com as a response to Tony Robbins TED talk: I m a Robbins fan but found the swearing to be distracting it definitely took my attention away from his central message. He swears a lot and needs to work on that but otherwise great points and accomplishments. So, here s the lesson. Light swearing can be effective, but only if you feel extremely strongly about an issue. However, generally speaking, it s better to err on the side of not swearing at all. Present the Problem, Challenge or Central Question That Needs to Be Solved Great speakers usually keep their audience hooked into their presentation by first presenting their audience with a problem or challenge that needs to be solved, or a central question that needs to be answered. In Tony s case, the problem/central question (the question around which the rest of the talk was based) was this: What's the difference in somebody's life if you look at somebody like those people that you've given everything to? Like all the

96 resources they say they need. You gave them not a 100- dollar computer; you gave them the best computer. You gave them love; you gave them joy. You were there to comfort them. And those people very often - - and you know some of them, I'm sure - - end up the rest of their life with all this love, education, money and background, spending their life going in and out of rehab. And then you meet people that have been through ultimate pain - - psychologically, sexually, spiritually, emotionally abused - - and not always, but often, they become some of the people that contribute the most to society. So, the question we've got to ask ourselves really is, what is it? What is it that shapes us? By presenting this conundrum (why do people who are given everything they need still fail whereas others who go through extreme pain end up being successful?), Tony keeps his audience hooked into the presentation. The audience begins wrestling with the problem and the question in their heads, trying to come up with an answer. They stayed tuned into the presentation because they re curious to find out the answer (because there exists a knowledge gap that needs to be filled). What s the problem that you want your audience members to wrestle with? What s the challenge that needs to be solved? What s the central question that needs to be answered? Involve Your Audience One of the best ways to keep your audience engaged in your presentation is through audience involvement. Tony is a master at this. Watch any videos of him speaking at his motivational seminars and you will see that he has the audience jumping, yelling, clapping, hugging, dancing...

97 While doing this may sound corny, it does keep his audience members engaged. Tony delivers full- day sessions, so it s important that his audience members get physically involved in his presentation so that they do not fall asleep. It s also important that they get a break from simply listening to him and get an opportunity to have their voices heard. However, even for shorter presentations including an 18- minute TED talk audience involvement is a good idea. It s risky because the audience might not be receptive or willing to get involved, but if you do it the right way, you can get almost any audience physically involved in your presentation. The first time Tony tries to get his audience involved in his talk by getting them to verbally respond to his questions, the response is not very enthusiastic: How many have ever failed to achieve something significant in your life? Say, "Aye." Audience: Aye. (Audience says Aye without enthusiasm) Thanks for the interaction on a high level there. (Audience laughs) So, why did Tony fail to receive an enthusiastic response? Because of two reasons. First, the TED audience is not used to audience involvement. They are not used to having speakers telling them to respond back to questions. As a result, they were hesitant to do so. Second, from my own seminars and workshops I have found that people do not like publicly admitting their failures. While this isn t always true, I have found it to be true often enough for me to be able to make this generalization. So, what does Tony do when he doesn t receive the enthusiastic response he expected? He calls them out on it. He admits that his attempt to get them involved in his presentation hasn t worked. He sarcastically but in a joking and

98 friendly manner says, Thanks for your reaction on a high level! which causes the audience members to laugh. Comedians use this technique quite often. When a joke falls flat, they admit that they have bombed. For example, when I first got up on a comedy stage, I delivered a line that I thought would be hilarious but my audience didn t feel the same way. I could have simply ignored their reaction (or lack of) and moved on to the next line, but instead I decided to use the calling out technique where I acknowledged, That joke seemed much funnier when I wrote it! which earned me a laugh from the audience. After failing to get the audience to respond by saying I, Tony tried a different audience involvement strategy. This is the mindset that Tony has when he s up on stage: he believes that he will eventually be able to reach through to his audience, as long as he s willing to experiment with approaching them from different angles. This is the same mindset that I encourage you to adopt believe that, even if at first you fail to connect with your audience, as long as you are flexible enough to change your approach, you will eventually get through to them. When the first audience involvement strategy did not work, Tony tried a different one. This one (which I call the fill in the blanks technique) received a more enthusiastic response from the audience. With this technique, you deliver a line but leave it unfinished so that the audience can finish it off for you. It is essentially a verbal fill in the blanks exercise: When you fail to achieve a goal, what's the reason people say they fail to achieve? What do they tell you? Don't have the didn't know enough, didn't have the (audience says knowledge ). Didn't have the (audience says money ). Didn't have the (audience says time ) After several attempts at getting the audience involved in the talk, the audience adapts to Tony s style and begins responding with a bit more

99 enthusiasm. How many people know what I m talking about? Say Aye. (Audience says Aye. ) If you're creative enough, playful enough, fun enough, can you get through to anybody? Yes or no? (Audience says Yes. ) The important lesson here is that while getting your audience involved in your presentation is a great strategy for keeping them engaged, it might not always initially work. Why? Because the audience may not be used to having a speaker who is confident enough to turn the speech from a monologue to a dialogue. However, don t panic and beat yourself up. You should maintain the mindset that if you are flexible and willing to change your approach and try different audience involvement strategies, you will eventually get through to your audience. Acknowledge Your Audience s Thoughts and Feelings Voicing out loud what your audience might be thinking and feeling is a great technique for deepening your connection with them. For example, look at how Tony does this in his talk: So, think about your own life, the decisions that have shaped your destiny. And that sounds really heavy, but in the last five or 10 years, 15 years, how have there been some decisions you've made that if you'd made a different decision, your life would be completely different? Tony knows that when he talks about destiny, some of the audience members might feel that the talk is getting too heavy and motivational-based. Knowing this, Tony acknowledges this and says, [I know] that sounds really heavy. By acknowledging what the audience might be thinking, Tony shows that he is in sync with them. As a result they lower their guards and become more willing to listen to what he has to say. Next time you plan a speech or a presentation, be aware of what your audience might be thinking during different points in the presentation.

100 This then allows you to verbalize their thoughts, feelings and even objections. Use phrases such as, You might be thinking... I know that sounds... You might be feeling... These phrases show your audience that you understand their viewpoint and thought process. Manage Your Time While Tony is a masterful speaker, one of the things he doesn t do well in this talk is control his time. Speakers at TED are given a maximum of 18 minutes to share their ideas. When you speak, you too probably have a time limit to stick to. It is important to be respectful to your audience and plan your talk so that you finish within the allocated time. Unfortunately, Tony does not do this. He is halfway through a story when he realizes that he has no time left: She finishes, and a man stands up and he says, "I'm from Pakistan; I'm a Muslim. I'd love to hold your hand and say I'm sorry, but, frankly, this is retribution." I can't tell you the rest because I'm out of time. Had this been you and had you not managed to wrap up your talk, this would have been a very disappointing end to an otherwise great talk. The opening and closing of a presentation are the two most important parts of the presentation because of the primacy and recency effect. This means that if your ending is terrible because you didn t control your time well, your audience is going to walk away from your talk unsatisfied. It s like eating a great meal and ending the night with some terrible tasting dessert it leaves a bad aftertaste in your mouth and ruins the entire experience. So, how can you ensure that this never happens to you? Plan to finish early: First, always plan to finish your presentation at least two minutes before the end of your allotted time. This

101 means that if you are given 18 minutes to speak, you should create a 16- minute presentation. It s better to finish early than to finish late. No audience ever complained about a presentation finishing two minutes earlier than the scheduled time. Also, it s likely that during the actual event, your 16- minute presentation will stretch out to 18 minutes because you the audience members might laugh at something a little longer than you expected, or there might be some more audience interaction that what you had planned for. Therefore, it s always a good idea to plan to finish before time. Rehearse your presentation: Second, rehearse your presentation several times, and make sure you time your presentation so that you know you are falling within your time limit. Prepare an emergency close: This is the closing that you will use in case you suddenly need to wrap up your speech. By preparing an emergency closing of less than one minute, you know that you will be able to wrap up your talk in a coherent way that will not leave your audience disappointed. Keep track of time: Finally, during your speech, always be aware of the time. Generally, large conferences have countdown timers that are only visible to the speaker so that the speaker can keep track of how much time is left. If this is not the case, then have a countdown timer or your mobile phone vibrate in your pocket five minutes before the end of your talk. This will give you enough time to start wrapping up your talk. Fortunately for Tony, the TED conference chair allowed him to finish off his story (don t count on this happening to you) so the audience was not left hanging. However, because of poor time management, Tony was forced to rush through the rest of the story and wasn t able to end as powerfully as he could have. The lesson is clear: Plan your time well and always finish on time.

102 Harness the Power of Stories Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools available in a speaker s tool box. If you want to be a great speaker, you must master the art of storytelling. This is why I ve written a whole book on the subject titled Storytelling Techniques for Electrifying Presentations ( Tony is a masterful storyteller. Near the end of his talk, he shares this captivating story with his audience: One woman - - well, that night is when 9/11 happened - - one woman had come to the seminar and when she came there, her previous boyfriend had been kidnapped and murdered. Her friend, her new boyfriend, wanted to marry her, and she said no. He said, "If you leave and go to that Hawaii thing, it's over with us." She said, "It's over." When I finished that night, she called him and left a message - - true story - - at the top of the World Trade Center where he worked, saying, "Honey, I love you, I just want you to know I want to marry you. It was stupid of me." She was asleep, because it was 3 a.m. for us, when he called her back from the top and said, "Honey, I can't tell you what this means." He said, "I don't know how to tell you this, but you gave me the greatest gift because I'm going to die." And she played the recording for us in the room. She was on Larry King later, and he said, "You're probably wondering how on Earth this could happen to you twice." And he said, "All I can say to you is, this must be God's message to you, honey. From now on, every day give your all, love your all. Don't let anything ever stop you." She finishes, and a man stands up and he says, "I'm from Pakistan; I'm a Muslim. I'd love to hold your hand and say I'm sorry, but, frankly, this is retribution." I can't tell you the rest because I'm out of time. Unfortunately, since Tony had not planned his time well enough, he runs out of time.

103 Had this been the end, audience members would leave highly unsatisfied with Tony s talk. Fortunately, Tony was given a bit more time to wrap up his talk. Why? Because the audience wanted Tony to finish the story. When Tony said, I can t tell you the rest cause I m out of time, the audience sighed in disappointment because they were curious to know the conclusion of the story. While it isn t encouraged to go over time, this particular situation does highlight the power of storytelling: Stories are inherently interesting and audience members love listening to them. Storytelling is hardwired into our brains. As children, it s how we make sense of the world. While statistics and data are abstract, a story creates a mental movie in our heads that we can see and hear. We get emotionally tied up in stories. Stories arouse our curiosity, causing us to ask, What happens next? In one of his blog posts, the marketing guru Seth Godin wrote: The storyteller naturally engages our attention, and she matches her emphasis and cadence to the rhythm of the story. Here s how to know if you re on the right track: if you stop a story in the middle, the audience will insist you finish it. Isn t that what happened with Tony? When giving your presentation, use stories to keep your audience engaged. As we ve seen, stories are so engaging that if you stop one halfway through, your audience will insist that you finish it. What is inviting language? Use Inviting Language

104 Inviting language is soft language that encourages and welcomes audience members to try out a particular idea or take a certain course of action. It ensures that the audience members don t feel as though an idea is being forced upon them. If audience members feel you are pushing an idea on them, they will be less willing to accept it because people don t like being forced to do things. In his TED talk, to avoid psychological reactance from the audience, Tony ends his speech by inviting his audience to try out his idea. He doesn t force it upon them, but simply invites them: So my invitation to you is this: explore your web, the web in here - - the needs, the beliefs, the emotions that are controlling you... When presenting your call to action, use inviting language such as I invite you to... I encourage you to... Explore the possibilities... Experiment with... and Next time, try to... The opposite of inviting language is forceful language such as You must You should If you don t then etc. Use invitational phrases to make sure that your audience does not feel you are forcing ideas upon them. Wrap Up with a Call to Action The final step in creating a powerfully persuasive TED talk is to craft a compelling call to action. End your talk with a clear next step for your audience to take. In his TED talk, Tony does a great job of this by providing a crystal- clear next step for his audience to take: So my invitation to you is this: explore your web, the web in here - - the needs, the beliefs, the emotions that are controlling you, for two reasons: so there's more of you to give - - and achieve too, we all want to do it - - but I mean give, because that's what's going to fill you up. And secondly, so you can appreciate - - not just

105 understand, that's intellectual, that's the mind - - but appreciate what's driving other people. It's the only way our world's going to change. God bless you. Thank you. What s your call to action? Let your audience know exactly what you would like them to do next as a result of listening to your talk. In a Nutshell Have absolute belief in your message. Match your audience s energy level. Connect with your audience by speaking conversationally. Use questions to create knowledge gaps. Build rapport with your audience using you- focused speaking. Put your body behind your gestures. Use callbacks to personalize your talk. Present the problem, challenge or central question that needs to be solved. Experiment with audience involvement techniques to keep your audience engaged (and awake!). Build a deeper connection with your audience by verbalizing their thoughts and feelings. Use inviting language. Wrap up your talk with a call to action. Meet Presentation Expert Akash Karia Akash Karia is a professional speaker who has trained thousands of people worldwide, from bankers in Hong Kong to yoga teachers in Thailand to senior executives in Dubai. He is an award- winning trainer who has been ranked as one of the top speakers in Asia- Pacific. He is currently the Chief Commercial Officer of a multi- million dollar *

106 company in Tanzania, in which capacity he heads the sales, relations and marketing departments of the organization. If you re looking for a coach to help you become a powerful and persuasive communicator or a speaker to unleash the excellence hidden inside of your teams, then contact Akash on (or Akash@AkashKaria.com).

107 CHAPTER FOUR THE BEST STATS YOU VE EVER SEEN Case study: Hans Rosling, The Best Stats You ve Ever Seen Expert analysis by: Dana Rubin Make Your Statistics Come Alive In his TED talk titled The best stats you ve ever seen ( Swedish professor Hans Rosling sets a new standard for the presentation of quantitative information. In just 19 minutes, he takes abstract data and concepts that are difficult to grasp and makes them come alive. In this chapter, we look at the presentation lessons we can pick up from Rosling s talk: Starting with a story Making your audience laugh Having seamless engagement with visuals Ending on a high

108 Source: TED In arguing for the public funding of health data, Rosling makes use of a series of dazzling software animations that reveal important perspectives on a century of social and economic development around the world. Even though his groundbreaking Gapminder software is the visual focal point of this presentation, Rosling wisely never lets the software completely take over. His presentation proves that it s never numbers or data alone that tell a good story it takes a human being to stir our emotions and influence our attitudes. Rosling s talk demonstrates that the sophisticated new tools of data visualization are most effective in the hands of a charismatic speaker who s fully in control of the material and completely engaged with the audience. Use a Story to Start Rosling begins his talk with one of the tried- and- true opening techniques: by telling a personal story. With just a few sentences, he paints a sympathetic self- portrait of a man who s engaged with world problems and has a wry sense of humor: About 10 years ago, I took on the task to teach global development to Swedish undergraduate students. This was after having spent about 20 years together with African institutions studying hunger in Africa, so I was sort of expected to know a little about the world. And I started in our medical university, Karolinska Institute, an undergraduate course called Global Health. But when you get that opportunity, you get a little nervous. I thought these students coming to us actually have the highest grade you can get in the Swedish college system, so I thought maybe they know everything I'm going to teach them about.

109 Rosling uses understatement sort of expected to know a little about the world and self- deprecation a little nervous to create a sympathetic bond with the audience. Note especially his use of the word you when he says, you get a little nervous. That s a subtle way of deepening his connection with his listeners. It s as if he were saying, It s not just me who gets a little nervous it s you too. In other words, we re all in this together. Next time you have to give a presentation, consider opening with a story. Also consider adding some you- focus in order to deepen your connection with your audience. Make em Laugh Rosling then uses another classic technique to bond with the audience humor. He manages to get a few laughs when he points out that his students failed his pre- test, which signaled to him that there was a place for a professor of international health, and for my course. Getting people to laugh at the beginning of a talk is not easy, especially when you re talking about a serious subject like global health. But the humor as well as the personal story are important, because they establish Rosling s likeable personality, and create a bond with the audience that will serve him throughout the presentation. We laugh when he tells us that despite having the highest grades in the Swedish academic system, his students know statistically significantly less about the world than the chimpanzees. And for that matter, so do his fellow professors at the Karolinska Institute. He even makes a silly, endearing joke about serving the chimps two bananas with Sri Lanka and Turkey that causes a few people to chuckle. A few minutes later, he tells us that his students get most of their knowledge about the world from Tintin and he flashes a picture of the globetrotting comic character. The audience laughs.

110 However, isn t it true that someone else could deliver the exact same lines and not be able to generate a single laugh? So, why is Rosling able to generate laughs, whereas others might fail even if they deliver the same lines? It s because Rosling is not afraid to have fun on stage. He is enjoying himself on stage, and this shines through in his delivery. He s not afraid to poke fun at himself, and therefore the audience gets permission to laugh with him. Rosling is funny, there s no doubt. But there s something in his humor that makes us slightly uncomfortable. His implied meaning is that not only are the Swedish students and professors ignorant about the realities of global health, and quite possibly ethnocentric, but so are all educated people in the Western world. And that includes us, the members of his audience. In laughing at his humor, we are also laughing at ourselves. And we are wondering what exactly is this lesson we re about to receive. As a speaker, don t be afraid to have fun on stage. If you re enjoying yourself, then your audience will too. Use Clear, Explanatory Language Just two- and- a- half minutes into his talk, the real action begins when Rosling presents on the screen a static view of his first animation generated by the remarkable Gapminder software. The bubbles and dots spread across a graph with x and y axes is visually captivating, but also confusing, and Rosling does something few presenters do. He doesn t just assume his audience intuitively understands what the variables mean he actually takes the time to explain them: We did this software which displays it like this: every bubble here is a country. This country over here is China. This is India.

111 The size of the bubble is the population, and on this axis here I put fertility rate. As he explains, he constructed the graph as a way of challenging an assumption made by his students, who divide the world into We and Them in other words, between the wealthy Western, developed world where people have small families and live long lives, and the poor and underdeveloped Third World where people have large families and live short lives. So this is what the graph displays: demographic data collected since 1962 on the size of families and lifespans in countries around the world. His clear explanatory language helps make a complicated subject easy to understand. Whenever you re presenting complicated information, always search for ways to present it in the clearest, simplest manner possible to aid your audience s understanding. Seamless Engagement with Visuals Rosling s language speeds up as his story progresses, and he launches a series of rhetorical questions that get to the heart of the problem: Now what has happened since 1962? We want to see the change. Are the students right? It's still two types of countries? Or have these developing countries got smaller families and they live here? Or have they got longer lives and live up there? The cascading questions, posed with ever- increasing urgency, intensify the stakes. As a speaker, you should vary your pace, volume and tone to create different moods in your audience. Rosling then says, Let s see. We start the world. He returns to the podium, hits a key, and suddenly the screen comes to life, with the circles and dots moving across the screen to reflect the passage of time and the changing health and economic data.

112 Then Rosling himself leaps into action. He turns completely around to face the screen, his back to the audience, his arms outstretched over his head, and he moves his arms along with the spheres as if he himself is physically orchestrating the movement of the data. Remember that you can make your presentation exciting by being excited about what you re presenting. On and on it goes, as the decades and data fly by and Rosling narrates the changes with mounting speed and urgency, as if he s calling a horse race that s neck and neck on the final stretch. Can you see there? It's China there, moving against better health there, improving there. All the green Latin American countries they are moving towards smaller families. Your yellow ones here are the Arabic countries, and they get larger families, but they - - no, longer life, but not larger families. The Africans are the green down here. They still remain here. This is India. Indonesia's moving on pretty fast. By physically interacting with the screen, Rosling creates a seamless connection between himself and his visuals, which begin to seem almost like an extension of his body. As we watch the fast- moving data, there s the sense that what we re actually watching are this brilliant man s thoughts in motion. The screen becomes a projection of the inner workings of this man s highly complex brain. Note that it s the human being who is compelling, not just the data on the screen. The Gapminder software is exciting, yes, but it s Hans Rosling himself who invests his passion and enthusiasm into the unfolding data, and gives it life and meaning. Always remember that it s you, not the software, that s the star. No piece of software can make your presentation exciting unless you first are excited about the presentation. Tell Them Straight, Then Tell Them Again

113 So what exactly is Rosling trying to express to us? Why is he getting so excited? Here s what it is: Rosling is telling us what s wrong with the way we think. And he s doing it with a series of declarative statements that are clear and direct, their meaning unmistakable. Simply by finding new and fresh ways to say the same thing, over and over, he makes sure that we get the point: If we don't look at the data, we underestimate the tremendous change in Asia A short time later, presenting another Gapminder animation, he says nearly the same thing again: There s no gap between rich and poor any longer. That s a myth. Then a bit later, with a slightly different spin: This shows that the concept of developing countries is extremely doubtful. And yet again, with another twist: And this: We will not have a divided world. Most of the people will be in the middle. The best projection from the World Bank is that this will happen, and we will not have a divided world. We ll have most people in the middle. Rosling knows that data alone won t change our minds. We need a human being to serve as our guide, to us tell the story, to put it into human terms, in language we can understand, and then to repeat it over and over to make sure we get the point. We need you the speaker.

114 In the remainder of his talk, Rosling presents several more Gapminder animations that extend his argument using other demographic data. Each time, it s his signature enthusiasm in tandem with the animation that conveys the message. End on a High Having made the case that public health data should be freely available, Rosling approaches the end of his presentation. He evokes a time in the future when publicly funded data will be widely available and everyone will be able to educate themselves about the world. Each of us will be able to follow public health trends and other social and economic developments, and use that knowledge to gain a more nuanced and truthful understanding of human progress. Rosling paints a beautiful picture of a better world, leaving his audience on an emotional high. I end now with the world, Rosling says, and with that he offers one final Gapminder animation that tracks the correlation between Internet use around the world and rising economic prosperity. This brings his presentation to a quick but hopeful conclusion: It s as if the world is flattening out, isn t it? These countries are lifting more than the economy, and it will be very interesting to follow this over the years, as I would like you to be able to do with all the publicly funded data. Rosling packs a lot of meaning into those final few lines. His enthusiasm is restrained it will be very interesting to see what happens. But within that slender phrase resides the passion of a reformer hell- bent on changing the world. In a Nutshell Start with a story. Have fun on stage.

115 Don t be afraid to make fun of yourself. Use simple, clear, explanatory language. It s your passion and enthusiasm that gives life and meaning to data. Engage with your visuals. Tell them straight, then tell them again. End on a high. Meet Presentation Expert Dana Rubin * Dana Rubin is a communications consultant in New York City who helps her clients develop persuasive presentations and deliver them powerfully. Her career spans years as a newspaper and magazine journalist, TV news producer, corporate speechwriter and strategic consultant with experience in the US and abroad. She s media savvy and knows how to create the phrases and messages that will get quoted, printed, broadcast, and circulated through traditional and social media. She can be reached at drubin@rubinandcompany.com. Find out more about her on:

116 CHAPTER FIVE WRAP UP The best way to master the art of public speaking is to study great speakers. In this book, you ve uncovered the tools and techniques used by four great TED speakers. Apply these techniques to your next TED talk (or any other speech or presentation) to keep your audience hooked: Appeal to a universal experience or idea. Have absolute belief in your message. Don t just walk on stage command the room. Don t be afraid to take a long pause while connecting with the audience via eye contact. Match your audience s energy level. Don t just speak; aim to create an experience for your audience. Connect with your audience by speaking conversationally. Use simple, clear, explanatory language. Use questions to create knowledge gaps. Present the problem, challenge or central question that needs to be solved. Build rapport with your audience using you- focused speaking. Experiment with audience involvement techniques to engage your audience. Build a deeper connection with your audience by verbalizing their thoughts and feelings. Harness the power of storytelling to connect emotionally with your audience Choose stories to create a range of emotions in your audience. Make your presentation memorable by repeating a hook line Use callbacks to personalize your talk. Keep the audience interested and engaged with twists and turns. Have fun on stage. Don t be afraid to make fun of yourself. Don t walk over the laughter.

117 Put your body behind your gestures. Give examples your audience can relate to. People relate to people, not perfection, so share your failures and the message out of the mess. Remember that it s your passion and enthusiasm that gives life and meaning to data. Engage with your visuals. Use inviting language. Wrap up your talk with a call to action. End on a high. One Final Tool I m going to end this book by giving you one more tool. Use this tool before any speech or presentation because it will put you into a confident mind- set. I want you to relax, sit back and imagine yourself up on stage, sharing your message with your audience. Imagine your audience smiling and enthusiastic. Imagine them being hooked onto your every word. Imagine them totally engaged in your speech. Imagine them laughing at the humor in your speech. Imagine them spellbound by your stories. Imagine yourself enthusiastic, confident and enjoying the moment. To your speaking success, Akash Karia Dana Rubin Marion Grobb Finkelstein Michelle Mazur

118 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I d love to hear your thoughts. me at: akash.speaker@gmail.com or Akash@AkashKaria.com DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE RESOURCES Join over 4,900 of your peers and receive free, exclusive content that I don t share on my blog. When you sign up, you ll also receive $297 worth of free resources to help you learn the art and science of persuasion, public speaking and productivity. Sign up on: WANT MORE? If you found value in this book, then please check out my other books: How to Deliver a Great TED Talk How to Design TED Worthy Presentation Slides Storytelling Techniques for Powerful Presentations Public Speaking Mastery Own the Room Public Speaking Tips from the Pros Stop Negative Thinking!