TED's secret to great public speaking | Chris Anderson | TED

Translator: Helena Bedalli Reviewer: Anisa Fezga Some people think TED talks have a formula: "Give a speech on a round red carpet." "Tell an internal

secret

." "Closing with an inspiring call to action." No. This is not the case with TED talks. In fact, if we abuse these tools, we will appear to be stereotypes or manipulators of emotions. But all TED Talks have something in common and I want to share it with you, because over the last 12 years I have sat in the front row listening to hundreds of TED Talks like these. I helped them prepare their debut speeches and learned from them the

secret

s to a successful speech.

Although the speakers and their topics seem quite different, they have one key ingredient in common. And this is it: the number one task as a speaker is to put in the mind of the listener a special gift: something beautiful and strange that we call an idea. I'm explaining this to you. Here's Haley. She's going to give a TED talk and, frankly, she's very scared. Video Host: Haley Van Dyck! (Applause) Over the course of 18 minutes, 1,200 people, many of whom have never met before, discover that their brains are beginning to synchronize with Haley's brain and with each other.

They are starting to show the same brain wave patterns. And I don't mean that they feel the same emotions. There is something else. Let's look inside Haley's brain for a moment. There are billions of neurons interconnected in impossible nodes. But look here: several million of them are connected to each other in a way that represents a single idea. Incredible, this same motif is being created right now within the minds of each of the listeners. Indeed, in a few minutes, a motif involving millions of neurons is teleported to 1,200 minds, simply because people hear a voice and see a face.

But what is an idea? You can think of it as a source of information that helps you make sense of the world. Ideas are born in different forms and measures, from the most complex and analytical to the simplest and aesthetic. Below are some examples that have been shown on the TED stage. Ken Robinson says: Creativity is the key to children's future. (Video) Ken Robinson: I think creativity is now as important in education as literacy and should be treated the same way. Chris Anderson: Elora Hardy...it's beautiful to build with bamboo. (Video) Elora hardy: she grows everywhere, she is strong, elegant, resistant to earthquakes.

CA: Chimamanda Adichie: People are more than a single identity. (Video) Chimamanda Adichie: A single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with them is not that they are false, but that they are incomplete. CA: Your mind is overflowing with ideas, and not by chance. They are carefully connected to each other and together form the wonderfully complex structure that is our view of the world. It is the operating system of the brain. This is how we understand the world. And it's based on millions of individual ideas. For example, if an element of your worldview is the idea that cats are cute, when you see that, you will react that way.

But if another element of the vision is the idea that leopards are dangerous, when you see them you react differently. So it's understandable why the ideas that make up your world are crucial. You need them to be as reliable as possible: a guide to the scary but wonderful world outside. Now, different people can have very different views. For example, how would you react when you see this image? (Video) Dalia Mogahed: what do you think when you see me? "A woman of faith," "an expert," "perhaps a sister"? Or "oppressed", "manipulated", "terrorist"? CA: However, your answer has millions of people who will react differently.

That's why ideas matter. If communicated properly, they are capable of changing, forever, how a person thinks about the world and how they guide their actions now and in the future. Ideas are the

great

est force in shaping human culture. So, if you agree that the number one task as a speaker is to build an idea in the audience's mind, here are four guidelines on how to accomplish this task: First, limit yourself to a single idea. Ideas are complex things; The content of the speech should focus on a single idea that you are most passionate about and give you the opportunity to adequately explain it.

You have to put things in context, give examples, give it life. Pick one idea and make it the thread of your entire speech, so that everything you say relates to it in some way. Second, give your audience a reason to listen. Before you begin to build within the

public

mind, you must ask permission to enter. And the way to achieve it? Curiosity. Awaken the

public

's curiosity. Use provocative questions to identify why something doesn't make sense or requires explanation. If you can point out a disconnect in one's vision, this gap in knowledge will need to be filled.

And once you ignite this desire, it will be very easy to start building your idea. Third, build the idea, piece by piece, from concepts the audience already understands. Use the power of language to weave concepts that already exist in the listener's mind, not in your language, but in theirs. Start where they are. Speakers often forget that many words or concepts they live by are completely unknown to the audience. Metaphors play a key role in showing how parts relate to each other, because they show the final form of the schema, based on an idea that listeners already understand.

For example, when Jennifer Kahn wanted to explain the incredible new biotechnology called CRISPR, she said: "It's like, for the first time, you have a computer program to edit DNA. CRISPR allows you to cut and paste genetic information very easily. One Vivid explanation like this brings a moment of clarity to the mind. It is important that you test the speeches with trusted friends and discover the moments when they seem confused. Fourth, this is the last idea worth sharing yourself. : "Who will benefit from this idea?" If the idea is only useful to you or your organization, then I'm sorry, but it's probably not worth sharing.

But if you think the idea has. the potential to brighten someone's day or improve someone's future, then you have the key ingredient to a truly powerful speech that is a gift to the audience and to us all.