TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking Hardcover – May 1, 2016

TED Talks reminds me a little of a book I read decades ago… Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. As I read that book I kept thinking, yes, interesting idea – and another. When I finished, I thought ok good pointers but will it make any difference? Then I played someone who I had never won against in dozens of opportunities and I beat them.Bobby Fischer’s book was one of the first popular books I read that used programmed learning… stepping the reader through a series of painless exercises. I’ve also seen that technique also used in a book that teaches math by setting up the problems faced by Euclid, etc. and giving readers enough clues so they too can reach their own aha moments.While TED Talks doesn’t use programmed learning, it is very painless reading, packed with lots of good ideas. You may not come away and be able to deliver a TED Talk right away but you will come away with at least several new ideas on how to improve your ability to get your message across in group settings.Anyone who has seen several TED Talks knows there is no one way to deliver the talks but the book has plenty to say about what generally doesn’t work and what does. I’ll just hit on a few that struck me as helpful:• Don’t give a sales pitch. The speaker’s job is to give to the audience, not to take.• Sometimes it takes a little demolition before changing minds. Example: In ancient societies, a third of men died violent deaths. Modern media plays up violence because that’s what sells.We've changed. After crushing their stereotypes, now you can go onto your points.• Take your audience down your own path of discovery. By asking them to join the process, they get more involved.• Make sure your words and images work together.• Don’t leave a slide up once you are finished with it. Better to put up a blank screen to avoid distraction.• Transitions in Keynote should be kept simple. Cut when shifting to a new idea. Dissolve when slides are related. Dazzle distracts.• Most TED speakers memorize and then practice so much it sounds spontaneous.• Wrinkled clothes telegraph you don’t try. If you don't care, why should they?• Breathe deeply, take your power pose. Be sure to hydrate.• Keep your notes by your water. When you grab a drink, you can quickly glance at where you are. Notes can be there if you need them. Hopefully, you won't.I’m sure you’ll come up with your own list of tips from this very helpful book.

A friend told me about this book as I was in the midst of preparing for a TEDx talk. I picked it up with the same enthusiasm a 5th grader has for homework: "Guess we have to do this now, siiiigh." It turned out to be a compelling enough read to have me blaze through it in one sitting, way past my bedtime.As head of TED, not only has Chris Anderson seen a lot of extraordinary speakers, but also a lot of terrible ones. So he knows the ingredients of both great and mediocre speaking, and how to transform the latter into the former. He presents a highly structured framework useful for beginners all the way to seasoned professionals:• Foundation: presentation literacy; idea building; common traps to avoid; and the all-important throughline• Talk Tools: connection; narration; explanation; persuasion; revelation• Preparation: visuals; scripting; run-throughs; the open and the close• On Stage: wardrobe; mental prep; setup; voice and presence.Anderson does a particularly deft job of explaining the throughline concept and emphasizing its importance. So many talks and pitches miss this point, consequently making only a fraction of their potential impact. What holds together the disparate elements of the talk? Without a clear throughline, listeners may never take any of your lovely ideas home with them.The advice in this book ranges from the lofty and overarching -- e.g. a show of vulnerability brings the audience to your side -- to the technical and specific -- e.g. busy patterns on shirts come out looking funny on video. You may want to speak your talk and transcribe *that* instead of writing it out first. As a professional speaker and speaking coach, I really appreciate how Anderson has compiled many trade secrets that are understood unconsciously but haven't necessarily been articulated all in one spot. And the illustrative examples drawn from all-time greatest TED talks -- Sir Ken Robinson, Elizabeth Gilbert, Jill Bolte-Taylor -- are alone worth the price of admission.If you are a professional speaker or an aspiring one, this is a supremely useful reference. I applaud that one of the main themes of the book is to *serve your audience*. If you only do that, all your talks can only improve. And special thanks to Chris, for being kind enough to release this book just in time for my 3rd TEDx talk :)-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Speaking Coach & Pitch Doctor, KNP Communications; author,  The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible , the highest-rated dating book on Amazon for 4+ years

Some books are easy to imagine exploding into narrative form from an Author's lifetime of work. Then there are the books that probably took years of cajoling from well intentioned friends before they finally come to fruition. This book seems like the latter. In a quiet signature style, TED founder Chris Anderson takes readers behind the scenes of some of the most well known moments from the iconic TED stage and what it took for those speakers to get there. Before TED Talks, the idea of a 17 minute non-fiction talk going "viral" with millions of views would have been unheard of. The point this book makes over and over again is that this is the real power of a great talk in the right moment. It can turn companies around and inspire people like nothing else. The premise of delivering an actual TED talk may seem like the most intimidating way to try and improve your speaking skills. The vaunted position TED talks take in our consciousness could make it seem like an unapproachable ideal. Yet reading this book, the one belief that comes through loud and clear is that being a powerful speaker is a skill that is within reach for anyone. Rather than sharing a secret formula for an ideal TED talk, Anderson offers tips and techniques that TED speakers use, but which could be applied for anyone. Aside from having delivered 2 TEDx talks myself, I also currently teach storytelling and speaking at Georgetown University. I will be recommending this book to my students - and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking an actionable and entertaining book on becoming a more persuasive speaker as well.

An interesting and well written book on how to give presentations in general and Ted Talks in particular.It's all the usual information (plan, practice, focus).It was well structured and had interesting anecdotes.However, the book felt a bit long winded and padded out.The same information could have been given much more concisely!

Every chapter gave me a new perspective on how to prepare for my talk that I delivered at this year’s 6th annual TEDx conference in Wilmington. A must read book not only for TEDx speakers but also anyone who wants to create a memorable speech that moves people into action.

Heard great reports of these talks and have seen a couple of them and therefore looked forward to reading the book. Unfortunately the book is not grabbing me and I've currently set it aside. Not sure if I'll try it again but I think I'll have to be stuck for something to read before that happens.

Just got into reading this. Brilliantly written and really making me think about the whole concept of presenting and speaking in a new light, which is good as I have been doing sales presentations and training my whole career. Looking forward to using this in my speaking curation work for my local TEDx team as well.

Top read and full of top tips and recommendations to delivering a great presentation