TED's secret to great public speaking
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0:00 - 0:03Some people think that there's
a TED Talk formula: -
0:03 - 0:05"Give a talk on a round, red rug."
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0:05 - 0:07"Share a childhood story."
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0:07 - 0:09"Divulge a personal secret."
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0:09 - 0:11"End with an inspiring call to action."
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0:11 - 0:13No.
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0:13 - 0:15That's not how to think of a TED Talk.
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0:15 - 0:17In fact, if you overuse those devices,
-
0:17 - 0:21you're just going to come across
as clichéd or emotionally manipulative. -
0:21 - 0:25But there is one thing that all
great TED Talks have in common, -
0:25 - 0:27and I would like to share
that thing with you. -
0:28 - 0:30Because over the past 12 years,
I've had a ringside seat, -
0:30 - 0:35listening to many hundreds
of amazing TED speakers, like these. -
0:35 - 0:37I've helped them prepare
their talks for prime time, -
0:37 - 0:39and learned directly from them
-
0:39 - 0:41their secrets of what
makes for a great talk. -
0:41 - 0:44And even though these speakers
and their topics all seem -
0:44 - 0:45completely different,
-
0:45 - 0:49they actually do have
one key common ingredient. -
0:49 - 0:51And it's this:
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0:51 - 0:54Your number one task as a speaker
-
0:54 - 0:58is to transfer into your listeners' minds
an extraordinary gift -- -
0:58 - 1:03a strange and beautiful object
that we call an idea. -
1:04 - 1:05Let me show you what I mean.
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1:05 - 1:07Here's Haley.
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1:07 - 1:09She is about to give a TED Talk
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1:09 - 1:10and frankly, she's terrified.
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1:10 - 1:12(Video) Presenter: Haley Van Dyck!
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1:12 - 1:15(Applause)
-
1:19 - 1:20Over the course of 18 minutes,
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1:20 - 1:241,200 people, many of whom
have never seen each other before, -
1:24 - 1:29are finding that their brains
are starting to sync with Haley's brain -
1:29 - 1:30and with each other.
-
1:30 - 1:33They're literally beginning to exhibit
the same brain-wave patterns. -
1:33 - 1:36And I don't just mean
they're feeling the same emotions. -
1:36 - 1:39There's something even more
startling happening. -
1:39 - 1:42Let's take a look inside
Haley's brain for a moment. -
1:42 - 1:46There are billions of interconnected
neurons in an impossible tangle. -
1:46 - 1:48But look here, right here --
-
1:48 - 1:51a few million of them
are linked to each other -
1:51 - 1:54in a way which represents a single idea.
-
1:55 - 1:59And incredibly, this exact pattern
is being recreated in real time -
1:59 - 2:02inside the minds of everyone listening.
-
2:02 - 2:04That's right; in just a few minutes,
-
2:04 - 2:06a pattern involving millions of neurons
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2:06 - 2:09is being teleported into 1,200 minds,
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2:09 - 2:12just by people listening to a voice
and watching a face. -
2:13 - 2:15But wait -- what is an idea anyway?
-
2:16 - 2:19Well, you can think of it
as a pattern of information -
2:19 - 2:22that helps you understand
and navigate the world. -
2:22 - 2:24Ideas come in all shapes and sizes,
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2:24 - 2:26from the complex and analytical
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2:26 - 2:29to the simple and aesthetic.
-
2:29 - 2:31Here are just a few examples
shared from the TED stage. -
2:32 - 2:36Sir Ken Robinson -- creativity
is key to our kids' future. -
2:36 - 2:38(Video) Sir Ken Robinson:
My contention is that creativity now -
2:38 - 2:42is as important in education as literacy,
-
2:42 - 2:44and we should treat it
with the same status. -
2:44 - 2:47Chris Anderson: Elora Hardy --
building from bamboo is beautiful. -
2:47 - 2:50(Video) Elora Hardy:
It is growing all around us, -
2:50 - 2:54it's strong, it's elegant,
it's earthquake-resistant. -
2:54 - 2:58CA: Chimamanda Adichie --
people are more than a single identity. -
2:58 - 3:01(Video) Chimamanda Adichie:
The single story creates stereotypes, -
3:01 - 3:05and the problem with stereotypes
is not that they are untrue, -
3:05 - 3:07but that they are incomplete.
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3:08 - 3:10CA: Your mind is teeming with ideas,
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3:10 - 3:11and not just randomly.
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3:11 - 3:13They're carefully linked together.
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3:13 - 3:16Collectively they form
an amazingly complex structure -
3:16 - 3:19that is your personal worldview.
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3:19 - 3:21It's your brain's operating system.
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3:21 - 3:23It's how you navigate the world.
-
3:23 - 3:27And it is built up out of millions
of individual ideas. -
3:27 - 3:30So, for example, if one little
component of your worldview -
3:30 - 3:33is the idea that kittens are adorable,
-
3:33 - 3:35then when you see this,
-
3:35 - 3:37you'll react like this.
-
3:37 - 3:39But if another component of your worldview
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3:39 - 3:41is the idea that leopards are dangerous,
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3:41 - 3:43then when you see this,
-
3:43 - 3:45you'll react a little bit differently.
-
3:46 - 3:47So, it's pretty obvious
-
3:47 - 3:51why the ideas that make up
your worldview are crucial. -
3:51 - 3:54You need them to be as reliable
as possible -- a guide, -
3:54 - 3:58to the scary but wonderful
real world out there. -
3:58 - 4:02Now, different people's worldviews
can be dramatically different. -
4:02 - 4:03For example,
-
4:03 - 4:07how does your worldview react
when you see this image: -
4:08 - 4:11(Video) Dalia Mogahed:
What do you think when you look at me? -
4:11 - 4:15"A woman of faith,"
"an expert," maybe even "a sister"? -
4:16 - 4:20Or "oppressed," "brainwashed,"
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4:20 - 4:21"a terrorist"?
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4:22 - 4:23CA: Whatever your answer,
-
4:23 - 4:27there are millions of people out there
who would react very differently. -
4:27 - 4:29So that's why ideas really matter.
-
4:29 - 4:33If communicated properly,
they're capable of changing, forever, -
4:33 - 4:35how someone thinks about the world,
-
4:35 - 4:39and shaping their actions both now
and well into the future. -
4:40 - 4:43Ideas are the most powerful force
shaping human culture. -
4:44 - 4:45So if you accept
-
4:45 - 4:47that your number one task
as a speaker is to build an idea -
4:47 - 4:49inside the minds of your audience,
-
4:50 - 4:53here are four guidelines
for how you should go about that task: -
4:53 - 4:57One, limit your talk
to just one major idea. -
4:57 - 4:59Ideas are complex things;
-
4:59 - 5:02you need to slash back your content
so that you can focus -
5:02 - 5:05on the single idea
you're most passionate about, -
5:05 - 5:09and give yourself a chance
to explain that one thing properly. -
5:09 - 5:13You have to give context,
share examples, make it vivid. -
5:13 - 5:14So pick one idea,
-
5:14 - 5:17and make it the through-line
running through your entire talk, -
5:17 - 5:21so that everything you say
links back to it in some way. -
5:21 - 5:25Two, give your listeners a reason to care.
-
5:26 - 5:30Before you can start building things
inside the minds of your audience, -
5:30 - 5:32you have to get their permission
to welcome you in. -
5:32 - 5:34And the main tool to achieve that?
-
5:34 - 5:36Curiosity.
-
5:36 - 5:38Stir your audience's curiosity.
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5:38 - 5:40Use intriguing, provocative questions
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5:40 - 5:44to identify why something
doesn't make sense and needs explaining. -
5:45 - 5:49If you can reveal a disconnection
in someone's worldview, -
5:49 - 5:52they'll feel the need
to bridge that knowledge gap. -
5:52 - 5:54And once you've sparked that desire,
-
5:54 - 5:57it will be so much easier
to start building your idea. -
5:58 - 6:01Three, build your idea, piece by piece,
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6:01 - 6:05out of concepts that your audience
already understands. -
6:05 - 6:07You use the power of language
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6:07 - 6:10to weave together
concepts that already exist -
6:10 - 6:11in your listeners' minds --
-
6:11 - 6:14but not your language, their language.
-
6:14 - 6:15You start where they are.
-
6:15 - 6:19The speakers often forget that many
of the terms and concepts they live with -
6:19 - 6:22are completely unfamiliar
to their audiences. -
6:22 - 6:27Now, metaphors can play a crucial role
in showing how the pieces fit together, -
6:27 - 6:30because they reveal
the desired shape of the pattern, -
6:30 - 6:34based on an idea that the listener
already understands. -
6:34 - 6:36For example, when Jennifer Kahn
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6:36 - 6:40wanted to explain the incredible
new biotechnology called CRISPR, -
6:40 - 6:42she said, "It's as if, for the first time,
-
6:42 - 6:45you had a world processor to edit DNA.
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6:45 - 6:50CRISPR allows you to cut and paste
genetic information really easily." -
6:50 - 6:54Now, a vivid explanation like that
delivers a satisfying aha moment -
6:54 - 6:57as it snaps into place in our minds.
-
6:57 - 7:01It's important, therefore,
to test your talk on trusted friends, -
7:01 - 7:03and find out which parts
they get confused by. -
7:03 - 7:06Four, here's the final tip:
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7:06 - 7:09Make your idea worth sharing.
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7:09 - 7:12By that I mean, ask yourself the question:
-
7:12 - 7:14"Who does this idea benefit?"
-
7:14 - 7:17And I need you to be honest
with the answer. -
7:17 - 7:20If the idea only serves you
or your organization, -
7:20 - 7:24then, I'm sorry to say,
it's probably not worth sharing. -
7:24 - 7:26The audience will see right through you.
-
7:26 - 7:29But if you believe that the idea
has the potential -
7:29 - 7:30to brighten up someone else's day
-
7:30 - 7:33or change someone else's
perspective for the better -
7:33 - 7:36or inspire someone to do
something differently, -
7:36 - 7:40then you have the core ingredient
to a truly great talk, -
7:40 - 7:43one that can be a gift to them
and to all of us.
- Title:
- TED's secret to great public speaking
- Speaker:
- Chris Anderson
- Description:
-
There's no single formula for a great talk, but there is a secret ingredient that all the best ones have in common. TED Curator Chris Anderson shares this secret -- along with four ways to make it work for you. Do you have what it takes to share an idea worth spreading?
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 07:55
Brian Greene commented on English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking | ||
Eren Gokce commented on English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking | ||
Eren Gokce commented on English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking | ||
Camille Martínez commented on English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking | ||
Camille Martínez commented on English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for TED's secret to great public speaking |
Eren Gokce
Hello, (6:42.01) I think the term is word processor, not world processor. I translated Turkish subtitles that way. Thanks for any comments!
Camille Martínez
Hi, Eren,
You are quite right! Thank you for spotting that. I'll post about it in the LC FB page so everyone sees the correction.
Camille
Camille Martínez
Please make this update as well:
6:34 - 6:36
For example, when Jennifer [Doudna]
Thank you!
Eren Gokce
Thank you, Camille! I will let the reviewer know.
Eren
Eren Gokce
6:34 - 6:36 It should be Jennifer Kahn:
http://blog.ted.com/are-we-gods-now-jennifer-kahn-talks-crispr-at-ted2016/
Brian Greene
For the subtitle beginning at 6:34, please use the name Jennifer Kahn, not Jennifer Doudna.