In March 2012, civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson delivered a talk to 1,000 people attending a conference in Long Beach, Calif. He received a standing ovation and his presentation has been viewed nearly 2 million times online.
Stevenson’s talk was only 18 minutes long. Before they left the conference center that day, the attendees donated a combined $1 million to his nonprofit, the Equal Justice Initiative. That’s more than $55,000 for each minute he spoke.
Companies invest thousands of dollars every year to host offsite meetings, training sessions, product introductions and executive presentations. Imagine if the next offsite your employees attend captivates and motivates as well as Stevenson’s talk. Carmine Gallo, a communications coach for some of the world’s most admired brands, says you don’t have to imagine…You can make it happen.
In his new book, “Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds,” Gallo shares insights from his analysis of the hugely successful global conference series. Gallo’s previous book, “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs,” inspired business leaders at every level to adopt Jobs’ techniques to transform their own presentations.
“I was flattered by the attention, but I wanted to reassure readers that the techniques I explored in “Presentation Secrets” were not exclusive to Steve Jobs,” Gallo states in the introduction to his new book. “The Apple co-founder and technology visionary just happened to be very good at putting them all together. The techniques were very ‘TED-like.’ ”
We’re all in sales
You don’t have to aspire to give a TED talk, or even a public presentation, to make use of TED speakers’ insights. Gallo cites author Daniel Pink’s sentiment that “like it or not, we’re all in sales now” as reason enough to learn these skills and adapt them to everyday life.
“It will teach how to incorporate the elements that all inspiring presentations share, and it will show you how to reimagine the way you see yourself as a leader and a communicator,” he says. “Remember, if you can’t inspire anyone else with your ideas, it won’t matter how great those ideas are. Ideas are only as good as the actions that follow the communication of those ideas.”
Here’s a look at some of the secrets Gallo shares regarding the success of TED talks. Each can be translated to your next offsite.
Unleash the master within.
Passion is the foundation of success in business, in careers and in public speaking. Effective stories, slides and body language are important components of a persuasive presentation, yet they mean little if the speaker isn’t passionate about his or her topic.
The first step to inspiring others is to make sure you’re inspired yourself. Once you discover that which makes your heart sing, the stories you tell, the slides you use, and the way you deliver your content will come to life. Don’t be afraid to share your excitement. It will rub off on your audience.
Master the art of storytelling.
Bryan Stevenson, the speaker who earned the longest standing ovation in TED history, spent 65 percent of his presentation telling stories. Stevenson’s topic — the imbalance of poor and/or African American individuals that are incarcerated in U.S. prisons — is weighty and politically charged.
“You have to get folks to trust you,” Stevenson told Gallo. “If you start with something too esoteric and disconnected from the lives of everyday people, it’s harder for people to engage. I often talk about family members because most of us have family members that we have a relationship to. I talk about kids and people who are vulnerable or struggling. All of these narratives are designed to help understand the issues.”
Says Gallo, “Many business professionals are intimidated to tell personal stories in a PowerPoint presentation, especially if the content contains data, charts and graphs. But if Stevenson, a speaker who successfully argues cases in front of Supreme Court justices, can find power in stories, then the rest of us should take a cue from his experience.”
Stay in your lane.
If you try to be something or someone you’re not, you’ll fail to gain the trust of your audience. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met leaders who are passionate, humorous, enthusiastic and inspiring, only to discover that the minute they get onstage they become soulless, stiff, boring and humorless,” Gallo writes.
When you deliver a presentation, your goal should not be to “deliver a presentation.” It should be to inspire your audience, to move them, and to encourage them to dream bigger. You cannot move people if they don’t think you’re real.
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, nearly got sick when he was asked to speak early in his career. After some woeful appearances, he committed himself to becoming a better speaker. “Good speakers aren’t just lucky or talented — they work hard,” he says. “If you speak with conviction and you’re passionate about your subject, your audience will be far more forgiving of your mistakes because they’ll have faith that you are telling the truth. Prepare, then take your time and relax. Speak from the heart.”
Bryan Stevenson’s 18-minute TED Talk generated $1 million to his nonprofit, the Equal Justice Initiative.
