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11 Public Speaking Tips From the Best TED Talks

Speakers
Use these techniques from top TED speakers to take your presentations to the next
level.
BYGEOFFREY JAMES

@Sales_Source

Amy Cuddy, social psychologist, speaks during Session 8: Talk to Strangers, at TEDGlobal 2012 on Thursday, June 28, in
Edinburgh, Scotland.
CREDIT: James Duncan Davidson/TED

There's no question about it: TED Talks have raised the bar sky-high for what's considered a
memorable and compelling business presentation.
That being said, there are a handful ofTED Talks speakers so talented that they
almostmake the rest seem dull and uninspired.
What makes them so special and popular? It's not just their subject matter, although that
obviously plays a role.
Here's the secret: what the truly great TED speakers do differently from the rest can be
found in the first few minutes of their presentation.
And that makes sense if you think about it. It's during the opening remarks that the
audience sits up and pays attention... or reaches for their iPhones.
With that in mind, here are five of the most popular TED Talks speakers (as measured by

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With that in mind, here are five of the most popular TED Talks speakers (as measured by
pageviews), with the techniques they use to enthrall their audiences.
To see the techniques in actionyou need only watch the first two minutes of the TED Talks
embedded below. (Although they're definitely worth watching in their entirety!)

1. Sir Ken Robinson

TIP No.1. Use self-deprecating humor to lower barriers.

Unlike many other TED Talks speakers, Robinson doesn't have a dynamic physical presence.
Furthermore, because he's an academic, he must overcome the perception that he's
likelyto deliver a boring lecture.
He therefore opens by poking a little fun at himself and at educators in general. By
puncturing his own balloon, he makes everyone feel more comfortable and more likely to
listen to what he has to say.

TIP No.2. Tie your experience to the shared experience.

In the midst of his humor, Robinson relates his personal experience at the conference to
that of the attendees. This furtherhumanizes him and brings him into the community of the
audience.
Robinson establishes such a strong rapport with the audience that he doesn'tneed visuals
or graphics to make his points. This is a testament to how well he manages to capture and
then hold the audience's attention.

2. Amy Cuddy
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TIP No.3. Get the audience to take an immediate action.

The point of all public speaking is to convince the audience to make a decision, which
means convincing them to move (conceptually) from wherever they are now to wherever
you'd like them to be.
Cuddy starts by getting the audience to move physically, thereby creating the momentum
for the conceptual move she intends them to make. This is a more creative take on the
"show of hands" openingthat less-talented speakers use.

TIP No.4. Create a sense of suspense.

In her first few sentences, Cuddy also promisesthe audience they'll be learning something
important later in the presentation. This causes the audience to pay attention lest they miss
the promised nugget of wisdom.
Note how cleverlyCuddyinterminglesTips 4 and 5!The suspenseful promise lends
additional meaning to the movement, while the movement helps "lock in" the importance
of the promise.

3. Tony Robbins

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TIP No.5. Express passion for your subject matter.

It's ironic that this TED Talk should be Robbins's most-watched YouTube clip because he
looks exhausted and like he slept in his clothes.Normally, Robbins tends to be meticulously
polished, even when dressed casually.
However, the passionRobbins feels for his material shines through his rumpled appearance.
He's energetic and focused, obviously committed to providing as much value as possible in
such a short amount of time.

TIP No.6. Set appropriate expectations.

More subtly, though, Robbins spends much of the first two minutes deconstructing the
preconceptionsthe audience might have about him, while simultaneously focusing their
attention on what they can potentially learn from him.
Unlike Robinson, who gently creates rapport to lower the barriers between himself and the
audience, Robbins simply blasts through the barriers to get to his point.Either technique
works; use the one that best fits your personality.

4. Brene Brown

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TIP No.7. Begin with a relevant anecdote.

As Brown mentions in her opening, she's a storyteller, and thus she begins (and continues
throughout) by telling stories. Stories have power because human beings are genetically
programmed to arrange thoughts into narratives.
What's important here, though, is thather opening anecdote is immediately relevant to
introducing both herself and hermessage.This is the exact opposite of the old (bad) advice
that you should start your presentation with a joke.

TIPNo.8. Use body language to signal a segue.

At about 1:30, Brown segues neatly from her introductory anecdote into the main content of
her Talk.Note how she changes her expression and stance to communicate to the audience
that "now it's time to get a bit more serious."
These visual cues help the audience make sense of the material, much like punctuation in a
sentence.Without them, even a speaker with great ideas can come off like a droner or a
motor-mouth.

5. Dan Gilbert

Tip No.9: Start with a startling fact or statistic.

Gilbert introduces his TED Talk withan unexpectedfact that's immediately relevant to his
overall message, anduses contrast (20 minutes versustwomillion years) toframe that fact,
thereby making it seem more vital.
Startling facts grab the attention ofboth sides of the brain. The neurons in your left brain

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Startling facts grab the attention ofboth sides of the brain. The neurons in your left brain
signal "Yay, here's a fact to remember!" while the neurons inyour right brain signal "wow,
that's really weird!"

TIP No. 10. Use visuallyarresting graphics.

Gilbert immediately reinforces the startling fact with agraphic oftwo skulls that reinforces
and strengthensboth the informationalcontent (for the left brain) and theemotional
content (for the right brain).
By simultaneously hitting both sides of the brain,Gilbert completely captures the
imagination and interest of the audience, even though he's only 30 seconds into the
presentation.

TIP No. 11. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

This is true of allgreat TED Talks speakers but particularly true of Gilbert, who is a master at
reducing complex ideas into easilyunderstood chunks of content.
Indeed, if you watch any great TED Talk, you'll notice at once that speakers neither "drill
down"into details nor take the proverbial "50,000-foot view." Instead, they simplify without
ever becoming simplistic.
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The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
PUBLISHED ON: JUL 26, 2016
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