London workshop: Creating a TED-quality talk, April 3

I've been coaching speakers at the TEDMED conference and speakers on TEDx stages around the world for six years...and have trained many more corporate and nonprofit executives to learn how to give presentations in this distinctive way. Now I'm bringing my small-group workshop on creating a TED-quality talk to London for the UK Speechwriters Guild and European Speechwriter Network. Read on for the details!

What previous participants say

I debuted this workshop in April in Cambridge, UK, at the Spring Speechwriters and Business Communicators conference, and also have offered it in Washington, DC. Now it's getting its debut as a standalone, day-long workshop in London. UK workshop participant Dr. Lucy Rogers gave the talk she worked on during the workshop at InspireFest 2015. She said, "Immediately after the talk I had some great feedback – both on twitter and in real life. I even got asked if I had given it as a TED talk – and that I should. I was really chuffed by this - I was aiming for the “TED Quality” talk that Denise had highlighted in her workshop."

What you'll learn

Using examples from different TED formats, I will help you think about how to go beyond merely mimicking this popular style to create your own original and compelling TED-style talk. You'll discover how to plan for the video as well as for the stage, and how to think about your delivery, as well as your talk structure and presentation. You'll learn how and why TED presentations engage, inspire, intrigue, surprise, and put forward "ideas worth sharing." Specifically, you will learn:

• How to get past the obvious and identify the real story that will become your script
• Vulnerability, intrigue, and more: The qualities that take TED talks viral
• What to leave out of your talk
• Structures and how much you can get into the shorter formats
• How to decide whether you benefit from using props, slides, or a demonstration
• Considerations that will help you plan for the video
• Top delivery tips specific to TED talks, from strong starts to gesture, pace, and vocalizing

Who should register

You should register for this workshop if you:

• want to give a TED talk, or a TEDx talk, or a TEDMED talk, OR just want to emulate them, shake up your speaking style, get beyond a standard informational PowerPoint presentation
• are intrigued by the idea of speaking without a lectern or notes, briefly and with impact
• wondering how you can get your complex topic into a form that advocates just one big idea per talk
• know, or suspect, that there's no one set format for TED talks...but don't know where to begin

You do NOT need to have a talk prepared to take this workshop, since the workshop is designed to walk you through the planning process. However, it will help if you can arrive at the workshop with some ideas about the "one big idea" you are hoping to communicate in your talk, and be prepared to discuss it.

You do not need to be a member of either speechwriters group to attend (although they are wonderful networks for speakers and speechwriters).

How to register

Register here for the workshop. Your registration fee of £649.00 plus £129.80 VAT also includes lunch and refreshments. Registration will remain open until 31 March, or until all seats are filled--but this is a small-group, interactive workshop, and seats are limited, so register soon!

Speechwriters: Don't be confused

I'm also leading a breakout group on "How to prepare your speaker for a TED talk" at the Oxford Speechwriters' and Business Communicators' Conference 2017 the previous week to this workshop, on 30 March. That's a much shorter, more focused session, and will not replicate the contents of the 3 April workshop in London. To attend that breakout session, you must be registered for the Oxford conference at the link above.

Want a bespoke training program instead?

Each year, I train a few groups of executives in bespoke training programs that result in a cadre of speakers who can give talks in the style of TED. Sometimes, their organization or company is preparing them for a major conference, or providing leadership training, or developing a group of eloquent messengers for their cause or company.

I've conducted this type of training for health care executives working for WellSpan Health in Pennsylvania; for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality projects in 16 cities around the U.S.; and for The Nature Conservancy's Science Impact Project. You can read more about how this mix of workshop and 1:1 coaching works in my post on Coaching a cadre of conference speakers to give TED-quality talks. For more information about such a program for your executives, email me at eloquentwoman AT gmail DOT com.

Please join us!

I'm looking forward to helping another group of speakers figure out this engaging way of communicating ideas, and hope you can join us. Please do share this information with colleagues and friends who may be interested. I hope to see you there!

(Creative Commons licensed photo by TEDxStellenbosch)

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