BE YOURSELF, NOT SIMON SINEK. (Bring *your* voice to TED.)

BE YOURSELF, NOT SIMON SINEK. (Bring *your* voice to TED.)

You've likely watched a LOT of TED Talks. So names Sir Ken Robinson, Brené Brown, Simon Sinek, and my “alumni” client Dr. Robert Waldinger are familiar — or will be soon.

They have tens of millions of views and each enjoy TOP 10 TALK status. Nearly every hopeful TEDster fantasizes about the same, wondering...

“How’d they do it?”

Well, know this...

And I say this, personally knowing the backstory of a number of the TED luminaries:

They are true to their own true self and own true personality.

They didn’t succeed on stage by adopting a persona.

Each brought their authentic selves to stage. And in doing so, their message radiated.

Please. Do. The. Same.

Studying Simon Sinek and bringing a version of him to stage is, well... comical.

Even cringe-worthy.

[ ] Hand mic.

[ ] Stickie flipchart.

[ ] Winsome phrasing.

[ ] Rolled up shirt sleeves.

[ ] Sharpie-drawn framework.

None of that is WHY his message radiated.

Believe me. You know that too, right?

Well, we all do, but then again, I know a popular brand guru who actually attempted just that.

Were you to dig up his TEDx Talk out of the YouTube cemetery, you would check off this list:

[ y ] Hand mic.

[ y ] Stickie flipchart.

[ y ] Winsome phrasing.

[ y ] Rolled up shirt sleeves.

[ y ] Sharpie-drawn framework.

#PainfulStuff

He had a good insight set to share. But his inauthentic delivery sapped the talk's TED Spread™ potential.

And at last count, there are 4 similar talks languishing away on YouTube’s TEDx channel.

Yes, in studying the top TEDsters, there are some best practices worth gleaning. But they’re overarching commonalities — principles — not techniques.

Garb and stage props aren't part of the mix.

In your center stage moment, you want both your message and who you are — as in how your family, friends, and coworkers know you to be — to be aligned.

Audiences can sense inauthenticity. They recoil from it.

And the video views will reflect the same.

So wear what you’re comfortable wearing. (More on that later.) Use the technologies that are most natural for you. (Yep, more on that later.)

And bring your message to stage in your style.

Let Simon be Simon.

DEVIN D. MARKS is known as The TED Talk Whisperer. His Boston-based firm, Hutchinson, Marks + Company, has represented hundreds of TED, TEDx, and TED-style speakers with millions of views. His team helps leaders, just like you, catalyze insights.

You can call Devin at 617-804-6020; or email him by clicking here.   

FIND YOUR TED TALK TYPE.

Ever wonder what category of talk you are best suited to deliver? There are 8 distinct types of TED Talks that take center stage. To get clarity on which one could be yours, click here. 

In just 12 questions you’ll have your answer and a PDF with worksheets, TEDster examples, and ways to begin shaping your idea worth spreading!

Want one example of a talk type? Complete your quiz and you'll receive a 12-page summary with worksheets. Here’s a brief look at one of the 8 classics: 

The “HOW TO” Talk. 

Your primary goal in your future TED Talk is best categorized as a “HOW TO” due to your focus on education and improvement through the teaching of new skills or strategies! Some attributes of a HOW TO talk tend to include the following:

[ ] Offer the audience clarity on next steps

[ ] Practical demonstration of a task or skill

[ ] Voice exercises, circuit board set-ups, etc.

[ ] Includes an understanding of the audience

[ ] Hands-on and helpful to audience members

[ ] Educationally-minded and grounded in an insight

Do this, click here to learn what form your BIG IDEA worth spreading will take!

A BREAKAWAY TALK: >1M <1Yr.

American democracy cannot be great until it is good, says lawyer, Harvard professor, and former governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick. A self-identified patriot, Patrick stands behind the fundamental values and civic ideals that he believes make the US unique — and outlines how the country has strayed from those same edicts. Calling for a collective patriotism free from cynicism and fatalism, Patrick underlines the urgency to reset national aspirations in order to save democracy.

I love to highlight and celebrate talks (whether from my clients or otherwise) that have just recently surpassed the one-million-view mark. They are special. Former Governor Deval Patrick's TEDxBerkshires Talk** about patriotism is one of those.

Now, it is said that 100K views make for a "viral" talk, and I'm not quibbling there. (And pre-Pandemic I wasn't a fan of the word viral either!) But those are a dime a dozen.

What marks a BREAKOUT in my way of thinking is a talk with 1M views.

What's more, is when a talk hits that marker within the first year.***

That 7-figure marker within a concentrated timeframe is a signal that there's something truly extraordinary going on in the talk, and around the topic. It is truly an idea worth spreading!

So my equation is as follows:

BREAKAWAY TALK = >1M + <1Yr

** While my firm is Boston-based, sadly, I wasn't invited to play a role in this talk. Kudos to the team that did! (If it was you, please touch base.)

*** A talk that's garnered 1M cumulative views... whether in 2 or 11 years, isn't what we're talking about. Again, the equation that matters IMHO is: >1M + <1Yr = Breakaway Talk.

Hope you can become one of our breakaway (or impactful) TEDsters!

When you're ready to take center stage (or center screen), let us know. Whether you're working on a commencement address, an all-hands preso, a keynote... or a TED Talk, you will want to be:

[ ] Clearly-Focused

[ ] Story-Wrapped

[ ] Action-Igniting

And those three priorities make our TED Messaging Method so very, very connecting and compelling. Click here to begin a conversation.

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