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

Some people think that there's a TED Talk formula:

"Give a talk on a round, red rug."

"Share a childhood story."

"Divulge a personal secret."

"End with an inspiring call to action."

No.

That's not how to think of a TED Talk.

In fact, if you overuse those devices,

you're just going to come across as clichéd or emotionally manipulative.

But there is one thing that all great TED Talks have in common,

and I would like to share that thing with you,

because over the past 12 years, I've had a ringside seat,

listening to many hundreds of amazing TED speakers, like these.

I've helped them prepare their talks for prime time,

and learned directly from them

their secrets of what makes for a great talk.

And even though these speakers and their topics all seem

completely different,

they actually do have one key common ingredient.

And it's this:

Your number one task as a speaker

is to transfer into your listeners' minds an extraordinary gift --

a strange and beautiful object that we call an idea.

Let me show you what I mean.

Here's Haley.

She is about to give a TED Talk

and frankly, she's terrified.

(Video) Presenter: Haley Van Dyck!

(Applause)

Over the course of 18 minutes,

1,200 people, many of whom have never seen each other before,

are finding that their brains are starting to sync with Haley's brain

and with each other.

They're literally beginning to exhibit the same brain-wave patterns.

And I don't just mean they're feeling the same emotions.

There's something even more startling happening.

Let's take a look inside Haley's brain for a moment.

There are billions of interconnected neurons in an impossible tangle.

But look here, right here --