Ex ce r pt s fr om Ta lk Lik e TED :

Th e 9 Pu blic- Spe a k in g Secr e t s of t h e W or ld’s Top M in ds

By Ca r m in e Ga llo

W hy You Should Re a d This Book

• There’s not hing m ore inspir ing t han a bold idea delivered by a great speak er.
• This book ident ifies t he ex act t echniques shared by t he world’s great est
com m unicat ors at TED ( Technology, Educat ion & Design) conferences.
• Talk Like TED is for any one who want s t o speak wit h m ore confidence and
aut horit y.
• The t echniques in t his book will help you craft and deliver t hose ideas far
m ore persuasiv ely t hen y ou ever im agined possible.

Se cr e t # 1 – Unle a sh t he M a st e r W it hin – Be Pa ssiona t e

Ke y Thought : I dent ify y our unique and m eaningful connect ion t o your t opic.
Passion leads t o m ast ery and y our present at ion is not hing wit hout it .
W hy it w or k s: Science shows t hat passion is cont agious. You cannot inspire
ot hers unless you are inspired y ourself.
• You cannot inspire ot hers unless you are inspired y ourself.
• The m ost popular TED speakers don’t have a “ j ob.” They have a passion, an
obsession, a v ocat ion, not a j ob. These people are called t o share t heir
ideas.
• Mot iv at ed and energized speakers ar e always m ore int erest ing and engaging
t han bored and passiv e ones.
• Speak ers who genuinely express t heir passion are t he ones wit h whom
cust om ers want t o conduct business.
• Asking y ourself, “ What ’s m y product or service?” isn’t nearly as effect ive as
asking y ourself, “ What business am I really in? What am I t ruly passionat e
about ?”
• I f your m ot iv at ion is t o share your passion wit h your audience, it ’s likely t hat
you’ll feel less nerv ous about speaking in public.
• When y ou’re passionat e about your t opic your ent husiasm will rub off on y our
list eners. Don’t be afraid t o express y ourself – be aut hent ic t o your
audience.
• I nvit e passionat e people int o your life. I dent ifying your passion is one st ep,
but y ou m ust share it and t alk about what m ot ivat es you wit h ot her people.
Most im port ant , link yourself wit h ot hers who share your passion.
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• What really leads t o success? 500 TED speakers were int erviewed. The # 1
secret ? PASSI ON. They do it for lov e, t hey don’t do it for m oney.

Se cr e t # 2 – M a st e r t he Ar t of St or yt e lling

Ke y Thought : Tell st ories t o reach people’s heart s and m inds

W hy it w or k s: Brain scans rev eal t hat st ories st im ulat e and engage t he hum an
brain.
• St oryt elling is t he ult im at e t ool of persuasion. Those who t ell st ories connect
wit h t heir cust om ers in far deeper and m ore m eaningful ways.
• Persuasion occurs when t hree com ponent s are represent ed: et hos, logos and
pat hos.
o Et hos is credibilit y – people whom w e respect for t heir achievem ent s,
ex perience, et c.
o Logos is ev idence and dat a.
o Pat hos is em ot ional appeal. Good speakers spend m ost of t heir
present at ions on pat hos ( st ories) , not logos ( fact s) .
• Three Sim ple, Effect iv e Ty pes of St ories
o Personal St ories
 Tak e t he audience on a j ourney.
 Mak e it rich wit h im agery so t hey can im agine t hem selves wit h
y ou in t he st ory.
 I f y ou want t o be rem em bered, t ell a st ory, t he m ore personal
t he bet t er.
o St ories about Ot her People
 Tell personal st ories about ot her people wit h whom t he audience
can em pat hize.
 Em pat hy is t he capacit y t o recognize and feel em ot ions
ex perienced by som ebody else. We put ourselves in t he shoes
of t he ot her person.
o St ories about Brand Success
 Brand m ark et ers have a secret weapon – a well t old st ory .
 Audiences are so bom barded by m essages t hat t hey are m ore
resist ant t han ever before t o t ypical adv ert ising and m ark et ing.
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 But t hese sam e audiences when inspired by a st ory drop

resist ance and becom e raving fans.
o A powerful st ory can persuade cust om ers, em ployees, invest ors, and
st ak eholders t hat y our com pany, pr oduct or idea can help t hem
achiev e t he success t hey desire.
o Em brace a personal st ory t hat has m eaning t o you and t o your t opic,
own it , and share it .

Se cr e t # 3 : H a ve a Conve r sa t ion

Ke y Thought : Pract ice relent lessly and int ernalize your cont ent so t hat you can
deliver t he present at ion as com fort ably as having a conversat ion wit h a close
friend.
W hy it w or k s: The bet t er rehearsed, t he m ore relaxed and t he m ore aut hent ic y ou
are t o your audience.
• Three st eps t o craft and deliver a pr esent at ion of your life:
o Help wit h Planning – ask for help from t he people who know you best .
All t oo oft en y ou’re sim ply t oo close t o t he cont ent . You need fresh
ey es so t he audience can see t he big pict ure first .
o Early Feedback – ask ing for and receiving feedback is j ust t he
beginning. Pr act ice in front of people, record it , and wat ch it back.
o Rehearse, Rehearse and Rehearse - rem em ber t he 10,000- Hour Rule
t o m ast er a part icular skill.
• The Gist on Gest ures – st udies show t hat gest ures act ually give t he audience
confidence in t he speak er.
o Use gest ures – don’t be afraid t o use t hem . The sim plest fix for a st iff
present at ion is t o pull your hands out of your pocket s and use t hem .
o Use gest ures sparingly – don’t go ov erboar d. They should be nat ural.
Don’t t hink about what gest ures t o use. Your st ory will guide t hem .
o Use gest ures at k ey m om ent s – save your m ost expansive gest ures for
k ey m om ent s as long as t hey are genuine.
o Don’t use ov er ex pansive gest ures. Keep y our gest ures wit hin t he
zone from ey e height t o belly but t on, out t o t he t ips of your
out st ret ched hands.
• Three Easy Fixes for Com m on Body Language Problem s
o Fidget ing, Tapping, and Jingling – Record your pract ice sessions.
Rem ov e all m annerism s t hat serve no useful purpose.
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o St anding Rigidly in Place – Walk, m ove and work t he room .

Conv ersat ions are fluid, not st iff. When you record your present at ion,
walk out of t he fram e once in a while. I f not your t oo rigid.
o Hands in Pock et s – Sim ple solut ion: t ake your hands out of your
pock et s. One hand is accept able in your pocket if t he ot her hand is
free t o gest ure.
• Your deliv ery and gest ures will enhance y our overall m essage, but wit hout
passion and pract ice, y our presence will be severely dim inished.

Se cr e t # 4 : Te a ch M e Som e t hing N e w

Ke y Thought : Rev eal inform at ion t hat ’s com plet ely new t o your audience,
packaged different ly , or offers a fresh and novel way t o solve an old problem .
W hy it W or k s: The hum an brain loves novelt y. An unfam iliar, unusual, or
unex pect ed elem ent in a present at ion int rigues t he audience, j olt s t hem out of t heir
preconceiv ed not ions, and quickly gives t hem a new way of looking at t he world.
• The best ideas will fail t o inspire an audience if t hey’re not packaged
effect iv ely .
• Use v ery personal st ories t o bring your dat a alive and connect t he st ories
back t o t he t hem e of y our present at ion.
• You’ll grab y our audience’s at t ent ion if you can t each t hem j ust one t hing
t hey didn’t k now before.
• Great innovat ors apply ideas from fields ot her t han t heir own.
• Only t hrough seeing y our own w orld t hrough a fresh lens will you be able t o
give y our audience a new way of looking at t heir world.
• Deliv ering y our t ired inform at ion in t he sam e boring way as everyone else
will fail t o get y ou not iced.
• Most of t hink we don’t hav e anyt hing new t o t each people. Sure we do. We
all hav e unique st ories t o t ell. Pay at t ent ion t o your own st ories. I f t hey
t each y ou som et hing new, t here’s a good chance ot her people will want t o
hear about it .

Se cr e t # 5 : D elive r Ja w - D r opping M om e nt s

Ke y Thought : The j aw- dropping m om ent in a present at ion is when t he present er

delivers a shock ing, im pressiv e, or surprising m om ent t hat is so m oving and
m em orable, it grabs t he list ener’s at t ent ion and is rem em bered long aft er t he
present at ion is ov er.
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W hy it w or k s: Jaw- dropping m om ent s creat e what neuro- scient ist s call an

em ot ionally charged ev ent , a height ened st at e of em ot ions t hat m akes it m ore
likely your audience will rem em ber y our m essage and act on it .
• Finding t he Hook – it ’s t he showst opper, t he wow m om ent t hat grabs t he
audience’s at t ent ion
• I n y our nex t present at ion ident ify t he m ost im port ant point s, t hen find a
novel and m em orable w ay t o com m unicat e t hose point s
• I f you want t o st and out in a sea of m ediocre present at ions, you m ust t ak e
em ot ional charge of y our audience.
• 5 Way s t o creat e a wow m om ent in your next present at ion
o Props and Dem onst rat ions t o em phasize a key point
o Unex pect ed and Shocking St at ist ics – m ake num bers m eaningful,
m em orable, and j aw- dr opping by placing t hem in a cont ext t hat t he
audience can relat e t o.
o Pict ures, I m ages and Videos
o Mem orable Headlines – A short , pr ovocat ive, repeat able phrases.
Hook people. Craft and deliver repeat able quot es t hat will be
rem em bered.
o Personal St ories – great com m unicat ors are good st oryt ellers. Break
down t he bar rier bet ween you and your audience by let t ing your guar d
down.

Se cr e t # 6 : Light e n Up – H a ve a Se nse of H um or

Ke y Thought : Don’t t ak e y ourself t oo seriously. The brain loves hum or . Give y our
audience som et hing t o sm ile about .
W hy it w or k s: Hum or lowers defenses, m aking your audience m ore recept iv e t o
your m essage. I t also m ak es y ou m ore likeable and people w ould rat her do
business wit h people t hat t hey like.
• Learn t o incorporat e hum or creat iv ely and nat urally.
• The k ey t o effect ive hum or is how it is deployed. Don’t t ry t o be funny .
Avoid t elling j ok es.
• You don’t hav e t o be funny t o be hum or ous. You j ust have t o be willing t o
do y our hom ework t o m ak e your present at ion ent ert aining.
• 5 Way s t o add j ust t he right am ount of hum or t o your present at ion
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o Anecdot es, Observ at ions, and Personal St ories – usually about

t hem selv es. They are not int ended t o elicit a huge laugh but rat her t o
put a sm ile on people’s faces which endear t hem t o t heir audience.
o Analogies and Met aphors – t hey are com parisons t hat point out t he
sim ilarit ies bet ween t wo different t hings. I t ’s an excellent rhet orical
t echnique t hat helps explain com plex t opics.
o Quot es – An easy way t o get a laugh wit hout being a com edian or
t elling a j ok e is t o quot e som ebody else who said som et hing funny .
 Adding quot es t o a slide present at ion gives your audience a
m ent al break
 Av oid quot es t hat are com m on and overused.
o Video – using v ideo is an effect ive way of bringing hum or int o a
present at ion: it t ak es pressure off y ou t o be funny .
o Phot os – incorporat e a phot o or v ideo clip t o light en t he m ood.
• Hum or inv olv es som e risk . I t t akes courage t o be vulnerable, t o poke som e
good nat ured fun at y ourself or t he t opic. The key is t o be aut hent ic.
• Don’t t ry t o be som et hing you’re not . But if it m akes you laugh, t here’s a
good chance it will m ak e som eone else laugh t oo.

Se cr e t # 7 : St ick t o t he 1 8 - M inut e Rule

Ke y Thought : Eight een m inut es is t he ideal lengt h of t im e for a present at ion. I f

you m ust creat e one t hat ’s longer, build in soft breaks ( st ories, videos,
dem onst rat ions) ev ery 10 m inut es.
W hy it W or k s: Researchers hav e discovered t hat “ cognit ive backlog,” t oo m uch
infor m at ion, prevent s t he successful t ransm ission of ideas.
• List ening is an exhaust iv e act ivit y because t he learner is cont inually adding
m at erial t o be rem em bered lat er.
• The longer t he present at ion, t he m ore t he list ener has t o organize,
com prehend, and rem em ber. The burden increases along wit h a list ener’s
anxiet y .
• The Law of Subt ract ion – Creat ivit y t hrives under int elligent const raint s.
Est ablishing a lim it t o y our present at ion pr ov ides a fram ework for creat iv it y
t o flour ish.
• A sim ple ex planat ion of a com plex t opic give t he audience confidence in t he
speak er’s m ast ery of t he subj ect .
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• Albert Einst ein once said, “ I f you can’t explain it sim ply, you don’t
underst and it well enough.
• The Rule of Three – people can rem em ber t hree pieces of inform at ion really
well; add m ore it em s and ret ent ion falls off considerably.
• Build a Message Map in Three Easy St eps – a visual display of y our idea on
one page.
o St ep One: Creat e a Twit t er- Friendly Headline – what is t he one single
ov erarching m essage I want t o com m unicat e. I t m ust be short in
lengt h t o fit in a Twit t er post .
o St ep Two: Support t he Headline wit h Three Key Messages – t he m ind
can process only about t hree pieces of infor m at ion in short - t erm
m em ory . When y ou’re designing a present at ion out line, include t he
t hree support ing m essages t hat support t he overall t hem e.
o St ep Three: Reinforce t he Three Messages wit h St ories, St at ist ics and
Ex am ples – Add bullet point s t o each of t he t hree support ing
m essages. Writ e a few wor ds t hat will pr om pt you t o deliver t he st ory .

Se cr e t # 8 – Pa int a Me nt a l Pict ur e w it h M ult ise nsor y Ex pe r ie nces

Ke y Thought : Deliv er present at ions wit h com ponent s t hat t ouch m ore t han one of
t he senses: sight , sound, t ouch, t ast e, and sm ell.
W hy it w or k s: Rem em ber, t he brain does not pay at t ent ion t o boring t hings. The
brain craves m ult isensory ex periences. Your audience m ight not be able t o explain
why t hey lov e y our present at ion; it will be your lit t le secret .
• St udent s who were ex posed t o m ult isensory environm ent s – t ext , pict ures,
anim at ion, and v ideo – always, not som et im es, always had m uch m ore
accurat e recall of t he inform at ion t han t hose who only heard or read t he
infor m at ion.
• I n present at ion slides, use pict ures inst ead of t ex t whenever possible. Your
audience is far m ore lik ely t o recall inform at ion when it ’s delivered in a
com binat ion of pict ures and t ex t .
• Our brains our wired t o process visual inform at ion – pict ures very different ly
t han t ext and sound.
• Wor ds are encoded v erbally . Pict ures are m ore richly st am ped in our brains
and easier t o recall.
• How t o m ak e a st im ulat ing PowerPoint present at ion
o Visualize cont ent . Add im ages or include background pict ures t o pie
chart s, t ables and graphs.
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o No m ore t han 40 w ords in t he first 10 slides. This will force you t o

t hink creat iv ely about t elling a m em orable st ory.
o Kill bullet point s on m ost of your slides. Text and bullet point s are t he
least m em orable way of t ransferring infor m at ion.
o You m ight not be able t o achieve t his goal on every slide but it ’s a
good ex ercise.

Se cr e t # 9 – St a y in Your La ne

Ke y Thought : Be aut hent ic, open, and t ransparent .

W hy it w or k s: Most people can spot a phony . I f you t ry t o be som et hing or
som eone you’re not , y ou’ll fail t o gain t he t rust of your audience.
• Ev ery t hing we’v e discussed will be m eaningless if you are put t ing on an act .
• Successful people ident ify t heir life’s core pur pose and relent lessly follow t hat
purpose t o becom e t he best represent at ion of t hem selves t hat t hey can
becom e.
• An inspiring speak er should m ove his or her list eners t o t hink different ly
about t heir liv es, or careers. A great speaker m ak es you want t o be a bet t er
person.
• To be an im pressiv e public speaker, you have t o believe in what you are
saying.
• Abov e all, don’t t ry t o be Tony Robbins or som e ot her celebrit y. St ay in y our
lane. Hold t he space. Be t rue t o your aut hent ic self – t he best
represent at ion of y ourself t hat you can possibly be.