Attendee Acceptances are rolling out! Are you psyched? We are!

As a member of the speaker team, Waleed Ali Khan thought it would be appropriate to write about what he is doing in terms of speaker preparation so that as audience members, you know what to expect. Here’s what he has to share:

We call TED a conference only because it is the closest form of communication that unfimiliar people can relate to. However, a talk delivered at a TED or TEDx event is incomparable to any other form of communication out there in the world. TED talks are less of talks and more of performances aimed at inciting an emotional response among its audience members. They are also the perfect way to present an idea worth sharing in a way that people truly believe in it.

Take a look at this three minute talk below: It is one of the funniest, most inspirational talk I have ever seen in three minutes:

Our speakers hail from different backgrounds and hence have different approaches to public speaking. Their familiarity with technology also varies significantly, and so does their exposure to the TED format. Therefore, our first mission was to encourage all speakers watch a couple of TED talks before they prepare their own talks. This involved us sending them sample videos through e-mail to each of our distinguished speakers.

We then prepared a document, called the “Speaker Toolkit” that gave the speakers all the information they needed to execute a successful TEDx talk. Information included was the format of the talk, the content that TED talks do not encourage (political discussion, bragging etc) and information on how the Speaker Team can help them in their preparation. We also gave them a copy of the TED Commandments – Guidelines prepared by TED for TED speakers. In terms of format, we told them that the slides need to be simple and succinct (if used). Any technical jargon needs to be avoided, and complex information needs to be explained in layman’s terms. Of course, TED encourages humor where appropriate!

The time that will follow will involve constant communication with these speakers, where we will ask them to send us their presentations, give them advice, and help them rehearse. The audience needs to appreciate the fact that the speakers are preparing diligently to make their talks happen. They will draft, redraft and rehearse their talks in order to effectively communicate their message in a succinct yet entertaining manner.

Here’s wishing our speakers the best of luck!