CARMINE GALLO'S

TALK LIKE TED

MEMORIZATION BOOKLET

MentorBox
 WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO CARMINE GALLO?
CHEAT SHEET
PRESIDENT OF HIS OWN GALLO
COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, AUTHOR OF 9
TALK LIKE TED BOOKS ON SPEAKING AND COMMUNICATION,
FORMER NEWS ANCHOR, WORLD-RENOWNED
BY CARMINE GALLO
KEYNOTE SPEAKER AND CONSULTANT.

Ideas, effectively packaged and

delivered, can change the world. So,
wouldn’t it be amazing to identify the exact
techniques shared by the world’s greatest
communicators, watch them deliver
jaw-dropping presentations, and apply their
secrets to wow your audiences?

30-SECOND SUMMARY BIG IDEA #1

TED Talks have spread the messages of the world’s greatest IDEAS AS CURRENCY | PG. 1
innovators and leaders to billions of viewers across the globe.
KNOW THIS — In the age of instant communication, rapid
The accessibility of these videos means that virtually anyone
cultural growth, and technological supremacy, ideas are the most
with Internet access can observe and learn from these world-
valuable resource. Know how to present yours!
class presenters, ideally educating themselves on how to deliver
exceptional presentations as well. The three quintessential features WHAT TO DO — Write down all your greatest ideas. Take
of a great presentation are as follows: It must be emotional, the best one and write it out in many forms: elevator pitch, 5-
novel, and memorable. Easier said than done right? Well, Gallo minute presentation, 20-minutes presentation, even essay style.
has taken the initiative of distilling the greatest successes in TED
Talk history into actionable items through this book and lesson.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? BIG IDEA #2

1. You have ideas. Great ideas even. Unfortunately, unless you
can engage an audience in your delivery of those ideas, they’ll
never leave your head.
2. You’re going to have to speak publicly at some point: work
presentations, seeking startup capital, on a panel, or for fun if
you choose.
3. Ability to communicate effectively has become one the—if
not THE—most sought-after skills in job applicants and
candidates.
PASSION IS CONTAGIOUS | PG. 15
KNOW THIS — If you aren’t passionate about a topic, you
won’t be able to make others passionate about it either. Passion
is the building block of your presentation’s authenticity and
energy.
WHAT TO DO — Ask yourself, “What makes my heart sing?”
Make sure that the presentations and speeches you give make
your heart sing.
 BIG IDEA #3
TELL A STORY | PG. 41
KNOW THIS — Narrative is not only how humans translate
their sensory experience into their understanding of the world,
but it’s the most effective way to connect with others as well.
WHAT TO DO — In any presentation you give, be sure to tell
a story about yourself, about another, or about a business or
brand. Whenever possible: turn data into allegory.
BIG IDEA #4
A MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE | PG. 203
KNOW THIS — Engaging an audience with more than just
their eyes and ears—or more dynamically with their eyes and
ears—will keep them engaged and encourage them to remem-
ber your presentation.
WHAT TO DO — Formulate ways to creatively reframe the
most boring parts. Can you give the audience something to
hold, taste, or smell? Is there a cooler way to show it visually?
BIG IDEA #5
STICK TO THE RULE OF THREE | PG. 191
KNOW THIS — Information comes in threes. Across busi-
ness, popular media, social interaction, and more, expressing
important ideas in packages of three is more impactful than
any other number.
WHAT TO DO — For your best idea, find three anecdotes
that add emphasis, or three great examples of data that rein-
force your point.or Shopify. Use simple contracts and invoices.
BIG IDEA #6
PREPARE, REHEARSE, CONVERSE | PG. 75
KNOW THIS — Practice makes perfect. In the case of public
speaking, you want to be so comfortable with your content and
material that your presentation comes off like a conversation.
WHAT TO DO — Practice, practice, practice. Record yourself
many times, and enlist several different practice audiences to
watch your practice sessions and offer feedback.
IF NOTHING ELSE—REMEMBER THIS:
1. Make your presentations emotional, novel, and memorable. Remember: tell stories.
2. Practice as much as you can, especially if you have anxiety about speaking publicly.
3. Present on things that inspire you and make your heart sing. If this is true about your subject, it will be evident in your
presentation.
BIG IDEA #7
TEACH SOMETHING NEW | PG. 111
KNOW THIS — The human brain is addicted to novelty. We
crave adventure and exploration, therefore, offering something
genuinely new as a solution to an old problem will enthrall
any audience.
WHAT TO DO — Diversify your experience. Read new
books, go to new places. Boost your creativity by filling
your mind with eclectic experiences.
BIG IDEA #8
EMOTIONALLY CHARGED MOMENTS | PG. 135
KNOW THIS — Giving a “wow moment” to your audience
will guarantee that they’ll remember you. Surprise, joy, and
fear all release dopamine in the brain, which enhances memo-
ry and information processing.
WHAT TO DO — Concoct a special moment that will blow
your viewers and listeners’ minds! Use props and wild statistics
or anecdotes to your advantage.
BIG IDEA #9
DELIVER A DYNAMIC PRESENTATION | PG. 97
KNOW THIS — Your verbal style and body language are
deeply important to how your presentation is received. Vocal
comfort and range and sensible gestures will give you an aura of
authority.
WHAT TO DO — Again, record yourself practicing. Record
JUST the words, then JUST your motions, and see what you
learn from parsing your presentation this way.
BIG IDEA #10
STAY IN YOUR LANE | PG. 239
KNOW THIS — No matter how much you study and emu-
late great speakers, the only way to leave a lasting impression
on a large audience is to embrace your own unique style.
WHAT TO DO — Ask your loved ones to describe your
speech style, what makes you unique, and what they like about
how you communicate. Double down on those things.
 WELCOME TO MENTORBOX
GETTING STARTED
Congratulations! By receiving this MentorBox,
you’ve already proven you’re ahead of the game.
You’ve demonstrated your desire to pursue an
education more practical and imperative than any
other. You’ve identified the most effective way to
develop an innovative, creative, and resourceful
spirit. So, again, congratulations.
BUT, that’s only step one. This is simply the toolbox
you need to repair the problems you see in the world.
Now, you must learn to use those tools—consume
the knowledge and experience of these experts,
reflect on the import of their successes, and decide
how you will join the ranks of thought-leaders and
world-changers.
That’s right—you decide how you’re going to be
great. But that decision, like all action, demands
erudition, dedication, and inspiration. That’s
where we come in, and it all starts with these
materials, these books, and these voices. Welcome to
MentorBox. Enjoy your rise to the top.
NEXT STEPS
1. Access all media related to this course at:
download.mentorbox.com. There you will find the
corresponding Audiobook Nugget, Video Book Lesson,
and Audio Lesson. If you have any difficulty logging in
contact: support@mentorbox.com.
2. Start by listening to the Audiobook Nugget which is an
audio overview of the lesson ahead. By previewing the lesson
in advance, you’ll have a thorough rundown of the lesson
plan—allowing your brain to spend less time wondering
what’s next and more time focusing on the task at hand.
3. Scan the Cheat Sheet.
4. Begin the Video Book Lesson, keeping your Memorization
Booklet in hand to follow along and make notes.
5. Break between lessons to fill out the corresponding
sections in the Memorization Booklet.
MentorBox
ABOUT CARMINE'S BOOK
Great presentations touch the hearts of their audience
members: They are emotional. Successful speakers tell
moving stories that link them to their listeners on a
cerebral level. They spend countless hours practicing
and rehearsing to ensure that their delivery is not only
engaging and impactful, but also comfortable and
genuine.
Great presentations include novelty. Neuroscience has
shown that presenting someone with something new
is the most effective way to capture their attention.
Successful speakers offer creative new ideas and
solutions, or they reframe existing ideas and data in
new and intriguing ways.
Successful speakers know what their audience expects
and needs for the presentation to be memorable.
Attention spans are limited, and knowledge is
consumed only in small quantities. Creating
multisensory experiences and pacing the delivery of
information are quintessential tactics.
NOTE – Reading Talk like Ted will give you the
full breadth of Carmine’s research, expertise, and
personal experience. However, we have constructed
these resources so that you can access, learn, and
apply the book’s key points without a traditional
read-through.
 BIG IDEA #1: IDEAS AS CURRENCY
EVERYONE SELLS
We are in the age of disruption. The age of infinite
technological possibility. The age of sending cars into
space simply because we can. How can you possibly
expect to get recognized when such wild cultural,
economic, and technological innovations are taking
place each day? According to Carmine Gallo, you
don’t need to be born or showered with high-powered
connections, access, and unlimited resources. In fact,
all you need can be found within yourself right now.
You just need ideas—an idea. Ideas are the currency of
the 21st century.
Your idea may be a brilliantly engineered product
that solves a widespread problem. Perhaps you see a
bug in a system or industry or institution, and you
want to draw awareness and support for potential
solutions. You may even have an inspirational vision
for how the future of communication, transportation,
or innovation itself looks. Whatever your idea,
you must—absolutely must—be able to present it
effectively.
The world wants your ideas—no, it needs your
ideas. The arena of venture capital is so vast and so
competitive precisely because influential people value
great ideas. However, if you can’t sell your
world-changing idea through a clear, engaging, and
urgent presentation, no one will agree that it is, in
fact, world changing. It may simply be tossed in the
“bad” bucket with millions of other failures.
“There’s nothing more inspiring than a bold idea
delivered by a great speaker.”
1
THE "SECRET" SYSTEM
Before Talk Like TED, Gallo wrote The Presentation
Secrets of Steve Jobs. Jobs, though renowned for leading
the charge of making computing personal with Apple,
perhaps owes much of his fame to his ability to
present. Moments from his product reveals, including
pulling an iPod Nano from his tiny pants pocket or
fitting a MacBook in a manila envelope, have gone
viral. His Stanford University Commencement Speech
is considered one of the most inspirational of all time.
He truly was, and continues to be, one of the most
inspirational individuals from the turn of the century.
However, Gallo wants to be sure that his readers don’t
end up thinking that Jobs was the only one to succeed
with these methods. That’s why he wrote “TED,”
precisely because these wonderful presentations have
begun to circulate, well, like currency, through the
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) platform.
In fact, by 2012, TED speeches had been viewed
more than 1 billion times online. These techniques
and the moves that make a presentation interesting,
engaging, and inspirational, are no longer “secret.”
You can, and will, start using them with this book
and lesson.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

What is your big idea? Write it down, but also stand where you are (or find a space nearby) and speak it as if there
was an audience. Make sure this idea makes sense when you express it verbally.

When has someone else persuaded you to join their cause, or to support something simply from a speech or
presentation? What aspects of them and their presentation worked on you?

Watch some of Steve Jobs’ presentations, as well as some of the more famous TED Talks. What about them inspired
you? What moments stuck the most?

My own notes:

2
 BIG IDEA #2: PASSION IS CONTAGIOUS
PASSION EARNS CAPITAL
You’ve heard it a million-billion times: follow your
passion. If you are not passionate about your job
and career, you are unlikely to find success at it. If
your relationship lacks passion, it probably won’t
last. If you present on something that doesn’t fill
you with passionate zeal, you aren’t going to connect
with your audience. This last claim has actually been
demonstrated scientifically on several accounts.
Perhaps the most significant study was done where
large sums of money were at stake…
Between 2006 and 2010, Professors from
Northeastern University and Chapman University
observed the decision-making processes of angel
investors from Tech Coast Angels. The angels
viewed presentations from 241 startups looking to
get funded. 41 received funding, and from those
presentations, a series of assessments were gathered.
The angels rated the presenting CEOs on a series
of qualities that were parsed into 13 different
categories. Among those 13 categories, the researchers
determined that perceived passion was the third most
important. Passion played a bigger role in getting
funding than did commitment, preparedness, and
even experience!
“Successful speakers can’t wait to share their ideas.”
3
MAKE YOUR HEART SING
Though we’ve established that a lack of passion in
the workplace is dangerous, you don’t exactly have
to be passionate about what you do directly. Rather,
in most cases one’s true passion lies in the fulfillment
of a deeper human need, a la Maslow’s Hierarchy.
For instance, when Gallo spoke with the CEO of
Starbucks, Howard Schultz, he discovered that
Schultz’s passion was not about serving great coffee
or any product at all. His goal was to create a “third
place,” in addition to people’s homes and workplaces,
where they felt comfortable and served well. The
ultimate goal of Starbucks is one of service, safety,
and community. In a sense, these are the fundamental
products of the highly successful chain café, not
Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
If you’ve ever been in your late teens or early twenties,
you’ve probably been asked by an eager relative,
“What do you want to do—what’s your passion?”
This question has become rather commonplace and
droll, so Gallo suggests asking yourself an alternative,
especially if you’re still on that quest to find your
purpose: “What makes your hear sing?” Now, you’re
asking about a tangible, albeit personified act—
singing—that carries emotional significance.
If you’re expected to deliver a public speech, you
better ask yourself about the topic, “Does this make
my heart sing?” If you can’t find a “yes” somewhere in
your rationale for taking on this task, you’ll stand on
stage or at the head of the conference room “falling
flat” while your audience expects a “perfect pitch.”
Puns intended.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

What makes your heart sing? Take some time with this one.

Ask a loved one to be your audience. Simply stand in front of that person while they sit, and explain to them one
thing about which you are passionate, as well as why. Choose a hobby or an activity you enjoy, and speak naturally
without preparation. Record yourself if possible, and ask for feedback!

In the mock speech about your passion, how did you sound? What was your tone? How was your body language?
Your pace? Did you sound confident and assertive?

My own notes:

4
 BIG IDEA #3: TELL A STORY
DATA WITH A SOUL
The impact of narrative on communication can’t
be emphasized enough. Human beings make sense
of their experience through narrative—stories
are the lens through which our brains translate
sensory information. Again, science has shown the
significance of storytelling when it comes to human
communication. Uri Hasson, a Princeton psychology
professor, performed brain scans on people who were
telling and listening to stories. He discovered that the
brain activity of the listeners actually mirrored that
of the tellers, creating a sort of “coupling,” or “mind
meld” that resulted in deep social connection.
Brene Brown, a professor from the University of
Houston, whose TED Talk has been viewed nearly
10 million times, once described stories as “data with
a soul.” Ultimately, this is the point of anecdotes:
to demonstrate the significance of a statistic or
phenomenon without reducing its subjects to
numbers or points on a graph—to avoid removing
their souls.
“We are all natural storytellers, but somehow we lose this part of
ourselves when we enter the corporate world.”
5
AFFIRM IDENTITY
There are three kinds of stories that hit home
particularly well during presentations: stories about
yourself, stories about others, and stories about brands
and businesses. In each case, there naturally develops
the traditional features of a narrative plot: protagonists
and antagonists (not always people), a conflict, a
struggle, and a resolution in which the protagonist
becomes the hero and triumphs. By offering this
story of the hero, listeners are invited to identify with
another—with a data point that has a soul. Identity
plays an inevitable role in how an audience responds
to a presentation.
The longest ovation in the history of TED Talks
belongs to Bryan Stevenson, a Civil Rights lawyer who
has argued and won cases at the US Supreme Court
level. He thrives on telling stories of himself. One has
to do with his grandmother telling him he was special
at a young age, on account of his good judgment and
resistance to temptation. Turns out, she said this to
all the family kids, but only Stevenson managed to
take the message to heart and resist the temptation to
drink alcohol into his adult life. This determined his
identity, and he used that experience to connect with
his audience, who all likely received some wisdom or
direction from an elder at some point.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

What is a particularly poignant story about your life experience? Can you relate that to your passion? Find a way to
do so.

Again, enlist an audience of loved ones. Tell a story to them without preparation. See if you can include the basic
characters and plot devices of a good narrative. It should happen naturally!

What’s your favorite story? A book perhaps? Maybe something told to you by an older relative from childhood? Why
do you love it? Can you pick out the essential story features?

My own notes:

6
 BIG IDEA #4: A MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE
SHOW AND TELL
We’ve all heard the phrase “a picture is worth
a thousand words,” right? Well, when it comes
to presentations and speeches, this expression is
especially true. In fact, it has been determined
that presentations delivered exclusively verbally
get listeners to remember only about 10% of the
information on average. Only 10%! However, the
inclusion of pictures in the same presentation will
increase information retention to 65%. That is a
seriously huge leap, so don’t ignore the impact of
pictures.
While it’s important to include visuals, try to avoid
putting text on your slides. Even though numbers
and words can be quintessential to communicating
your idea, it is always possible to find a creative way
to express your point. Hans Rosling, a statistician
(ugh…) was determined to be one of the most
influential science educators of 2012 by TIME. This
was largely due to an exceptional TED Talk in which
he creatively displayed an infographic. Rather than
simply telling his audience about how global fertility
rates have changed over the last 50 decades, he created
an intuitive bubble graph with data points that moved
in accordance with the year of the data. He narrated
the motion like a sportscaster of sorts, creating an
unforgettable moment for his audience.
“Taking your audience on a journey with the pictures you paint is
part art and part science.”
7
... AND MORE SENSES
If possible (and it almost always is), get your audience
to participate in your presentation through their
senses of touch, smell, or taste as well. These may not
always be immediately relevant where large-scope data
makes up the majority of your idea or argument, but
there are plenty of ways to get them involved. Simply
giving them a notepad with specific instructions for
exercises or note-taking, or even creating collaborative
workshops halfway through will keep them fully
engaged and thinking about your purpose.
At a biannual publishing sales conference, astronomer
and textbook author Stacy Palen demonstrated some
ways she keeps her students engaged to the sales team
of W. W. Norton. She distributed rubber bands and
paper clips, and instructed everyone in the room to
attach the clips next to each other on the band. Then
she had everyone stretch the rubber band, pointing
out how each clip gets farther away from the adjacent
two. Thus, she explained the perpetual expansion
of space using two simple office tools. With such a
grandiose, yet simple visual and tactile explanation,
she captivates both boring sales people AND apathetic
students. Wow.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

Does your big idea feature data? How do you usually explain this data? Can you do so more creatively by comparing
it in size or scope to something more visually accessible?

What can you give to your audience to get them physically involved in your presentation? It may be as simple as a
notepad, but how can you ensure they’re using that notepad in a way that gets them thinking more about your idea?

What exercises or workshops can you have your audience do with each other? Think about getting them up and
moving to keep their energy high!

My own notes:

8
 BIG IDEA #5: STICK TO THE RULE OF THREE
PAY ATTENTION
It has become abundantly clear that the average
attention span of humans has decreased over the
ages, especially with the advent of the internet and
digital media. TED Talk formats acknowledge that
most people are no longer enthusiastic about 60- or
90-minute university-like lectures, so the creators
have imposed a soft time limit of 18 minutes per
presentation.
You may feel that your ideas deserve much more than
18 minutes, or even that they should be expressed in
more than 18 key points. Well, they can, and they
should! But just not during a presentation. So instead
of fighting, go with what works: three stories and
18 minutes are ideal for modern human attention
and educational energy. Find a way to distill things
accordingly.
Environmentalist Major Carter gave a TED Talk on
green infrastructure and entrepreneurship in which
she told the stories of three people. The first was
a woman who hired unlikely workers like former
prisoners to create honey-based skincare products.
The second was a Los Angeles man who worked
to get empty asphalt lots in his city replaced by
planted greenery. The final was a coal miner who
introduced wind energy to her town. There was a
strong entrepreneurial connection among each of
these characters, and Carter used this to highlight the
potential of an economically and environmentally
sustainable future.
“In writing and speaking, three is more satisfying than any other
number.”
9
THREE IS EVERYWHERE
Again, you may feel that three is a small number for
communicating an epic and important idea. Well,
guess what? You can trust science on this one too.
Much research has been done on how the brain
consumes new information. There has long been a
rule that claims we learn in groups of 7 new ideas,
plus or minus 2, on average. However, any more than
7 and we begin to lose track and forget. The most
modern research shows that 3, maybe 4 new items is
actually the sweet spot for retention of information
and effective learning. The brain “chunks” this many
things when they exist in the same arena, which
subsequently allows you to convert that chunk into
a single item when expanding your knowledge even
further.
Where else do triplets seem common? Many widely
used acronyms, both for textual abbreviation and
proper names come in 3s: IDK, TBH, LOL, and
IBM, UPS, SAP, and almost every major American
television network. What about the Declaration of
Independence? The Rights of Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness. In popular stories and media:
Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth, Dickens’ three
ghosts in A Christmas Carol, Alexandre Dumas’ Three
Musketeers. If you watch any sketch comedy show
from the 20th and 21st centuries, you’ll see that a large
percentage of the skits have three components that
build to a punch line. Three is already everywhere, so
it’s worth formulating your own presentation around
that number.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

Keep a journal record of all the places you encounter groups of 3 for a day or two. Did any of these groups have an
impact on you before you even realized they came in 3?

What are the three most important components of your overarching idea? Three data points, three examples, three
stories, etc.

My own notes:

10
 BIG IDEA #6: PREPARE, REHEARSE, CONVERSE
BUILT INTO BIOLOGY
Get this: Many surveys have shown that people fear
public speaking more than they fear death itself.
Wild, right? No, literally wild. This fear, like many
of those built into us, dates to our most primitive
selves. In fact, the fear of public speaking, according
to an article from Psychology Today, may be directly
linked to the fear of death. One of humanity’s early
defenses against predators that were capable of killing
us was to live and operate in groups. Therefore, our
tendency to collaborate and live in communities
makes it unnatural to get on stage with a spotlight on
us, where our weaknesses and frailties can be put on
display for all.
So what can you do to erase that biggest of all fears?
Practice.
Use the community and group that you won’t have
when the big presentation comes—in advance. This
has, of course, already been advised in multiple
sections of this booklet because that’s how important
practice is! Get some loved ones and deliver your
presentation to them, knowing they’ll never try to
take advantage of your flaws and failures. Seek their
feedback, then ween yourself off them. Present to
fewer people you know well and more to those you
don’t, until it feels natural to express your awesome
idea to strangers. By the time you get to the big stage,
you should feel great.
“Most people slow down their rate of speech when they give a
speech or presentation… Don’t deliver a presentation. Have a
conversation instead.”
11
PRACTICE MAKES COMFORT
The goal of practicing and rehearsing shouldn’t be to
commit the words of your presentation or speech to
memory. Instead, you want to grow so comfortable
with the content that you are able to deliver it almost
as a direct conversation with your audience. In fact,
it’s best to avoid a word-for-word script, because then
you run the risk of seeming robotic or relying too
much on your place in the dialogue.
Gallo refers to multiple presenters who spent
hundreds of hours—yes hundreds of hours rehearsing
their presentations. After her TED Talk, musician
Amanda Palmer thanked more than 100 people in
her blog for helping her succeed on stage. You can
bet a majority of those folks sat through at least one
practice session.
You also want to practice for yourself. And don’t
just do it in the mirror, record yourself on video.
All you need is your phone. Pay close attention to
your pacing, gestures, whether your eyes shift to tell
that you’re thinking, any pauses or filler words you
use, and especially your tone. As we’ve established,
when you get to a comfortable place, you should be
presenting in a confident, consistent tone.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

Record yourself! Take a video on your phone of you delivering a speech and watch for the things listed in the last
paragraph. Note where you need to improve here:

Find someone who isn’t afraid to be critical of you, but whom you trust very much. Perform for them and have
them hold you accountable for fixing your biggest speech flaws. Note what those are here… eye contact? Filler words
like um and uh? Poor body language?

Did you forget to say something important? Did you leave out any critical detail that could better explain your idea?
Make a list of interesting and memorable anecdotes that could improve your next try:

My own notes:

12
 BIG IDEA #7: TEACH SOMETHING NEW
TEACH YOURSELF FIRST
As we all know by this point, the brain is a complex
organ. Sometimes it can even be a bit hypocritical.
For instance, the brain is generally lazy. It seeks to
save energy by doing as little work as possible. Some
tactics for this are the creation of biases and pattern
formation that eliminate work requiring deliberate
thought. Simultaneously, humans are addicted to
exploration. We actually crave new experiences
and new ways of seeing the narratives we surround
ourselves with. So in order to walk this fine line of
having an impact on the brains of your audience
members, start by doing some exploration of your
own.
Ben Saunders is the youngest man to ever ski to the
North Pole. He delights in traveling to the coldest
regions of the earth, all alone. At times during his
journeys, there isn’t a single other person within 2,000
miles of him. And there isn’t much to be earned form
these journeys, as there isn’t much yet to be discovered
about these desolate ice wastelands. Saunders
actually credits his will to do so to his addiction
for exploration—in fact, he equates the danger and
habitual nature of this tendency to a crack addiction.
Saunders’ TED Talk was met with great praise, simply
because he has pushed humanity to its limits. In
seeking what capacity we have for strength, survival,
and ability to exist in solitude, he has himself become
an anomaly whose story audiences are fascinated by.
The more someone encounters different and new
experiences like Saunders does, the greater their
creative aptitude grows, allowing them to formulate
novel ideas and solutions.
“When you introduce a new or novel way of solving an old
problem, you are tapping into millions of years of adaptation.”
13
ECLECTICISM HELPS
Just like exploring the world and expanding your
cultural and geographical knowledge yields great
creativity, so too does expanding your intellectual
expertise. Formal education tends to push most
people in the direction of specializing in a singular
discipline by studying a “major,” perhaps alongside
a minor. However, some of the most successful and
famous individuals from history have achieved such
status specifically because they flouted this convention
and pursued interests across disciplinary lines.
Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the greatest artists of all
time, was actually much more than a painter. He
was lucky enough to live in Florence during a peak
time of exploration in both the arts and sciences,
and his ability to navigate the two spheres and its
major purveyors is what he’s predominantly known
for today. Steve Jobs often cited a deep interest in
the intersection of the liberal arts and technology.
He sought for a way to enhance humanistic
development and growth through the advancement
and popularization of technology. Today, you can see
clearly how this has come through in Apple’s products
and the company’s role in bringing computing to the
individual.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

What scientific disciplines interest you the most? What other disciplines do these tend to cross paths with the most?
Which are less likely to be related, and how can you learn more about those?

Pick up a book that you’d traditionally be unlikely to read. If you’re the kind that likes self-help books, try out
something on art history or some narrative non-fiction. If you tend to stick with non-fiction, try a novel.

Go on a trip! Go to a new part of town you haven’t been to yet. If you have the resources, travel to a new city, state,
country, or continent. Just travel, and meet people while you do.

My own notes:

14
 BIG IDEA #8: EMOTIONALLY CHARGED MOMENTS
MOSQUITO MOMENT
When an event elicits strong emotion within us, that
moment in time can quite literally be stamped onto
our brains. Small details of our day-to-day life rarely
get brought up in our memories, but things that cause
intense fear, joy, shock, or euphoria will last in our
minds. This is due to a neurochemical reaction in
our brains, in which dopamine is released, enhancing
our information processing abilities in that moment.
So, you probably remember your first kiss because
it made you intensely happy; your first time getting
pulled over because it made you nervous or upset; or
a significant family event, like a relocation, divorce, or
the announcement of a new sibling because it shocked
you.
Gallo’s favorite moment from TED Talk history
is when Bill Gates released a bunch of mosquitoes
into the crowd at the start of his speech in 2009.
Naturally, this concerned and frightened people for
a moment, as his topic was the prevalence of Malaria
in Africa. However, he quickly eased the tension by
affirming that they were Malaria-free mosquitoes, and
subsequently received laughter and applause. Gates
is not known for being particularly charismatic (have
you seen him dance?), but he knows how to “hack”
the attention of an audience to make an impactful,
memorable moment.
“An emotionally charged event is the best-processed kind of
external stimulus ever measured.”
– Molecular Scientist John Medina
15
SURPRISE BOW
This is what the success of many presentations comes
down to: a singular “wow moment” that sticks in
the minds of the audience forever, simply because of
that moment of heightened emotion and dopamine
release. It’s not worth trying to insert these extra-
special moments throughout a speech, and it’s
ultimately not necessary. As long as your message is
significant and urgent enough, that solitary moment
of “Oh, no!” or “What’s going on?” or “Yay!” will lock
the meat and potatoes of your presentation in the
minds of listeners for a long, long time.
The most effective place to include your wow moment
is toward the end, if not as the finale. Though Bill
Gates did his first, it’s more likely that people will
become distracted by their heightened emotions
this way. Instead, you can send people off from your
speech with that dopamine still flowing, after having
delivered your important ideas. This can be especially
effective when performing or presenting within the
constraints of a somewhat stringent format, like
TED Talks, concerts, and VC presentations. If you’re
forced to follow certain conventions, make them
remember an unconventional twist by wrapping your
presentation with a surprise bow at the very end.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

Have you ever been “wowed” at a performance or presentation? What emotions did you feel?

Formulate some potential mosquito moments or wow moments here:

What emotions will your presentation appeal to in these moments?

What kinds of props might you need to execute the perfect emotionally charged event?

My own notes:

16
 BIG IDEA #9: DYNAMIC PRESENTATION
VOCAL POWER
Have you ever seen Tony Robbins on stage? He is
like a giant ball of lightning, always moving, always
changing vocal tone, gesturing here and there, and
addressing his audience directly. His first TED Talk is
among the most viewed of all time, and it was one of
the first ever given and recorded. Ted fanatics consider
it a classic in the canon. He is one of the most revered
and watched speakers of all time—perhaps THE most
viewed inspirational speaker of all time, since he,
unlike his own mentors and predecessors, has had the
advantage of rapid video circulation over the internet.
Tony Robbins is 6-foot-7 with a massive build, and
his voice is as deep as you’d imagine such a body’s to
be. However, Robbins’ ability to manipulate his voice
is one of the most important and impressive aspects
of his style. First of all, yes he has a power in his vocal
chords, as it possesses a naturally king-like authority:
though, in any given seminar or presentation, he
alters his cadence, his volume, his tone, and his vocal
direction constantly. Watch when he asks his audience
a question: He makes it clear he expects a response,
and energizes the speed and volume of his words in
the direction of that response; When he addresses an
individual, he speaks directly and confidently. Every
moment of his vocal presentation helps establish the
feeling he wants his audience too feel.
“The way you carry yourself actually changes the way you feel
when you’re delivering a presentation.”
17
BODY POWER
Friend of MentorBox Amy Cuddy is also among
the most successful TED speakers of all time. She
delivered a speech on the power of body language,
the research of which eventually ended up helping
formulate her book, Presence. One of Cuddy’s main
claims is the benefit of “power posing.” Power posing
includes standing in a way that expands your body
and extremities, essentially looking like classic Super
Man, for several minutes. She suggests doing this any
time you need a confidence boost, perhaps before a
presentation or before meeting someone new that
may be important. Ultimately, her research found that
power posing increased hormonal production, which
subsequently boosted the poser’s performance.
Akin to the power pose is the “power sphere.” The
power sphere represents the space around you
within which the motion of your arms and torso
communicate the most power. One of the purposes of
rehearsing a speech is to allow your body to be freed
from your mind. The more your words flow naturally,
the better your gestures will freely correspond with
what you’re saying, helping to emphasize your points.
It’s important, though, to keep tabs on those gestures,
and make sure they stay within the power sphere:
It’s a circle that extends vertically from just below
your waist to the tip of your nose, and horizontally
between both of your arms out-stretched with your
elbows slightly bent.
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

Strike a pose! Try power posing for a few minutes before your next difficult event: a date, a presentation, a meeting,
or something similar.

The next time you have a conversation, dramatize your voice a little bit—no shame! Use a greater range of volume
dynamics, pause, and try to depict your emotions more deliberately in your tone.

Do the same with your gestures: Be more expressive with your hands in the next conversation you have. Try to
illustrate what you’re saying with your motions, just to see how that feels.

My own notes:

18
 BIG IDEA #10: STAY IN YOUR LANE
BE YOU
So Tony Robbins is one of the greatest of all time.
That’s a fact. He has probably inspired hundreds
of millions of people in his motivational speaking
career. And yet, the final tip for being a better public
speaker: DON’T be Tony Robbins. Well, don’t try to
be Tony Robbins, because you aren’t him. You have a
different voice and body from him. You have different
life experiences and different interests than him.
Even if it is your goal to be a motivational speaker
(just like him), you must learn to develop your own
unique presentation “voice,” based on your personal
characteristics and style.
Friend of MentorBox Rich Rodman is another
highly successful speaker. He runs a public speaking
coaching service, has ben through the ringer of VC
funding presentations, and was elected President of
San Francisco’s Toastmasters International chapter.
Rather than exude energy at a consistently high rate,
Rodman conserves his gestures for essential moments
in his speeches, so that listeners have no doubt when
something is important. His pace is consistent and
he tends to keep his tone low, so that he maintains a
constant air of authority. Though, of course, if you
want to be like Rodman or Robbins you’ll need to get
out there and speak first. Then and only then can you
determine what techniques make the most sense
for you.
“You can learn from others and how they achieved success in
public speaking, but you’ll never make a lasting impression on
people unless you leave your own mark."
19
POSITIVE THOUGHTS
In this Memorization Booklet, MentorBox will leave
you with one final motivational pitch of our own.
It’s important that you understand how many people
are seriously afraid of public speaking. Not only do
tons of people truly fear the podium more than they
fear death, but many famous, wildly successful types
feel this way. One of the wealthiest men in the world,
Warren Buffett, whose life and decisions at this point
is largely in the public eye, has admitted that he gets
anxiety about speaking. Even Rich Rodman dedicated
an entire portion of his MentorBox course to dealing
with nerves.
At the end of the day, you can always change your
mind! Now, of course it isn’t THAT simple, but
there is much psychological research that confirms
the benefit of thinking positive thoughts and actively
reinforcing your own success. It’s called reframing.
Practice positive self-talk, especially when the going
gets tough. Spoiler alert: You’re more than likely
going to attract negative energy from detractors, non-
believers, and pessimists. Though no matter them,
instead: remind yourself of the value of your ideas.
Lke we established in the first Big Idea, the world
NEEDs your ideas and your intellect. Don’t back
down, strike a pose, step on stage, and kill it!
 QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

After all the practice and recording you’ve done by yourself and with others, let’s aggregate the feedback:
What’s your unique body language style?

What’s your unique vocal style?

How do you speak and present when talking about something that excites you?

How do you speak and present when delivering hard facts?

How can your unique style be best applied to creating a special 'wow' moment?

My own notes:

20
MY OWN NOTES

21