tedxbaltimore 2015 - speaker manual

TEDxBaltimore / January 30, 2015 / tedxbaltimore.com of 7

TEDxBaltimore x = independently organized TED event

SPEAKER MANUAL We want you to give a breathtaking talk!

TEDxBaltimore will be held on Friday January 30, 2015

Location: Morgan State University

Murphy Fine Arts Center 2201 Argonne Drive Baltimore, MD 21251


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By Friday Jan 2, 2015: You submit the text of your talk. We will review the narrative and provide feedback on talk mechanics, flow, and clarity

Monday Jan 5 to Friday Jan 23, 2015: We schedule a Skype call or in-‐person meeting for you to rehearse your talk

Thursday Jan 29, 2015: Mandatory rehearsal at venue Speaker dinner

Friday Jan 30, 2015: TEDxBaltimore!

CONTACT INFO NAME FOR HELP WITH EMAIL Sarge Salman > Your TEDxBaltimore talk

Camille Blake Fall > Travel, lodging, transportation > Complimentary tickets > Rehearsal & conference schedule > Any special needs

Crystal Dimeler > Talk slides & multimedia

Practicing your talk is the sole predictor of an awesome talk!


OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU Our TEDxBaltimore conference is about, for the lack of a better term, the no-‐name speaker, a regular citizen with a commitment to a vision, an ideal, a cause. Shining the spotlight on you, elevating your message above the noise, and disseminating to the world your “idea worth spreading” is our privilege. The theme for TEDxBaltimore 2015 is COLLISIONS At the very least, collisions require two "things" coming in contact. Those things can be ideas, objects, people, or combinations thereof. Collisions need not be violent or destructive. How will you interpret it? Our commitment to you:

• Our cardinal priority is to help you deliver your best talk ever • We will distribute and promote your message online, in print media,

and on broadcast television

Our goals for the conference:

• Students will contribute to the success of the conference • Conference program will not be deprived of the community’s diversity • The conference will have an economic impact • The audience will be diverse • The gathering will foster networking opportunities • The deaf and hard of hearing will participate in the conference • Set a ticket sale record: 1,298

Speaking at TEDxBaltimore is a wonderful and unforgettable experience. I hope you rise to the invitation and share your most compelling idea. We are vested in your success and we’re here to help you achieve it. Go ahead, take us on a journey, share with us a great story! On behalf of the entire TEDxBaltimore team, Sarge Salman Curator


YOUR NARRATIVE FIRST, WATCH “What makes a great talk, great” by TED Curator Chris Anderson: http://goo.gl/t0T2oy THEN, TELL A STORY. Be passionate. Make the audience laugh. Make them cry. Make them feel what you feel. Hand gestures, movements, demonstrations, and the pitch of your voice all contribute to the atmosphere that you want to convey. UNDERSTAND THE FORM

• TEDx talks are short, ranging from 5 to 18 minutes. The short format allows an audience to focus on one subject, your “idea worth spreading”

• Exceeding your allotted time slot will not improve your talk, that only steals time from the speakers following you

DEVELOP YOUR IDEA

• Your idea can be new or surprising, or challenge a belief your audience already has. Or it can be a great basic idea with a compelling new argument behind it

• An idea isn’t just a story or a list of facts. A good idea takes evidence or observations and draws a larger conclusion

• The audience relies on you to give accurate information. You are responsible for fact-‐checking the content of your talk

CRAFT YOUR NARRATIVE ON PAPER

• The primary goal of your talk is to communicate an idea effectively to a smart lay audience

• The introduction is crucial to “set the hook,” to draw in the audience and put them in the appropriate frame of mind

• The body of your talk should flow and converge on the conclusion • The conclusion allows you to leave the audience feeling positive toward you

and your idea • Write your narrative or script on paper for others to review and offer insight One useful approach is to begin with the end. First, identify your “idea worth spreading.” Then go to the beginning and craft your narrative forward, converging on the end.

Practicing your talk is the sole predictor of an awesome talk!


MULTIMEDIA Once you’ve written your narrative, then you can consider accessorizing the talk with multimedia.

• The use of slides is not required • Ask yourself: Would my slides help and clarify information for the audience? • Multimedia should serve audience understanding. Slides are not for your

bullet points and reminders. For that, you can use note cards in your pocket

If you choose to incorporate media (slides, audio, video) in your talk,

• You must submit your final slides/video to us by Friday January 23, 2015. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee you’ll be able to use them

• We only accept presentations in PowerPoint or Keynote format, videos in

mp4 format or DVD. Do not send us .pdf files, image files, or prezi links

• When creating your slides: use a 16:9 aspect ratio (Powerpoint) or 1280x720 or higher resolution (Keynote)

• Avoid the use of animated transitions between slides, they’re a distraction

• Use a sans-‐serif font (such as Helvetica) it is easier to read from a distance

• To avoid last-‐minute glitches with your presentation onsite, font files should

be embedded in your presentation file

• Use a dark background color. White or light colors project a very bright light in the background and distract (audience won’t focus on you!) and you will be a lot harder to photograph

• Less is more. Don’t cram too much on each slide. General rule of thumb: 2

slides per minute

• You must properly license all images for TED’s use in worldwide video and web distribution. Don’t grab images from the web unless they are clearly licensed under Creative Commons for use


WORDS OF WISDOM THOUGHTS FROM A TEDx ATTENDEE

Ø The bar for TED Talks is that someone gets on the stage and says “look at this interesting stuff I’m doing”

Ø The talks I talk about all week are the ones where the person gets on the stage and says “look at this interesting stuff I’m doing and here’s why I’m passionate about it”

Ø The talks I’ll talk about all year are the ones where the person gets up

there and says “look at this interesting stuff I’m doing and here’s why I’m passionate about it AND here’s why you should care about it”

HOW TO GIVE A TERRIBLE TED TALK (Advice from TED Curator Chris Anderson on what NOT to do)

• Take a long time to get started, chatter away • Slow down and pompously orate • Make sure everyone knows how important you are • Keep referring back to your brilliant book • Use abstract language and lofty concepts. Provide no concrete detail. Exhibit

faux intellectualism • Who needs substance? Just inspire! • No need to build an argument and persuade the audience • Use pseudo–scientific jargon to beef up your talk • Be very serious. Humor is a distraction • Slip in some snarky political comments • Give lots of info on the history and structure of your organization • Cram in every single aspect of your work • Wing it • Memorize 90 percent of your talk. Visibly stress out during the remaining 10

percent • Avoid eye contact with the audience • Don’t risk being true to you • Manipulate audience emotions • Use a gratuitous picture of a family member • Talk fast to cram more in • Make a subtle funding pitch


WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU! The organizers of TEDxBaltimore are veteran TEDx’ers who know the essence of a great talk. Feel free to bounce ideas off of us. Need to practice your talk? Need a design consult? We’re here to help you! NAME FOR HELP WITH EMAIL Sarge Salman > Your TEDxBaltimore talk

Camille Blake Fall > Travel, lodging, transportation > Complimentary tickets > Rehearsal & conference schedule > Any special needs

Crystal Dimeler > Talk slides & multimedia

tedxbaltimore 2015 - speaker manual

Presentations & Public Speaking