The Journey was the Power of my TEDx Talk

As I mentioned in the two earlier posts (here and here) about my TEDx presentation, this was something I wanted to do for years. I had applied to many TEDx programs in cities near and far, and when the opportunity came I was excited. Setting a goal was key, and failures or rejections along the way were by never the end of my journey.

I am a believer in goal setting and working toward achieving that which makes you push yourself. My TEDx experience was a milestone event and involved intensive preparation. It was more than just a speech to me, it was my way to share an important story and key part of my own growth (with the hope it would help others).

But once a long sought target is reached there can be mixed emotions that come along after completion. The TEDx Talk itself was a positive experience, and the waiting six month for the video was frustrating. However, once it was posted and shared with the world I had combined feelings of joy and disappointment.

I had joy because I believe the message was good and people like responded well to the talk (you can go watch it here - https://youtu.be/8sIL_4zOzG8).  And disappointment because I has spent so much time in pursuit of this goal, that once it was over, there was a question of "what's next?". Few people are invited to deliver multiple TEDx Talks, and I do not have the type of fame that is usually involved in being invited to the main TED stage.  This is my one time at doing a TEDx Talk, and I am proud of it (go watch it and share your impressions with me).

Alas, this is another example of the journey itself being the reward.  While I am thrilled with the end product (well, they messed up the audio a little, but it us okay), there is more to it than what you see on the video. There is what I learned along the way, and also the hope that the message will inspire someone in ways I will never know.

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

How to Write and Rehease for a TEDx Talk

Re-Writes and Rehearsing Matters. I received notice that I would be delivering a TEDx Talk five weeks before the event. The topic, "The Art of Giving Small", is not content I present to clients, thus I had to write, rewrite, and rehearse in a short amount of time. While I did not expect my video to "go viral", The honor of being on this stage was something I took seriously. I wanted to do a good job for the audience, the committee that selected me, and the person who referred me to the opportunity. I also believe deeply in the concept of "Compounded Generosity" and hoped to showcase the idea in a good light. Never before have I invested 40+ hours in preparing for a single speech. I realized this was a one=time opportunity, and while my experience of having delivered over 800 professional speeches was important, a shorter TED style talk was unique and was going to require me to push myself. I hired a coach (Hayley Foster - The Short Talk Expert) to help me craft the message. Over and over we re-wrote the words, and she talked me through my core message and coached my on how to highlight the most meaningful parts of my story. Her trained eyes and ears helped me weed out the "fluff" and keep the parts that would paint the picture in the minds of those who would see the talk live or later watch the video. The multiple re-writes and the dozens of times presenting the talk in my living room (and recording it) made all the difference. Had I attempted to do this project without a coach I am not sure the message would have come through as clearly. If I had tried to rely on my skills as a speaker, without the dozens of hours of writing and rehearsing it would not have turned out as well.

I learned through the process that when you are doing something important, you must dedicate the time to craft the final product with all you have. Never leave anything up to chance when you have the choice of being dedicated to the preparation.

Have a Great Day.

thom singer

How To Be Selected for a TEDx Talk

Several people have asked about the background on how I ended up getting chosen to deliver a TEDx Talk (Link to my TEDx Talk, which released online last week, in the comments below). It was a long journey. When TEDx was created by the TED organization in 2009 it seemed unique and cool. I attended an early local TEDx in Austin, TX in 2010 and watched my friend Steven Tomlinson deliver what I still think of as one of the best TED/TEDx Talks I have ever seen. He was my inspiration. I was hooked. I wanted to speak at one of these events, and I applied to several over the following 8 years (30+ online applications). I was rejected from all of them. A possible reason for rejection, as I was told by several people "in the know" was that I was a professional speaker, and that was not what the local TEDx groups were seeking. That is okay, sometimes things you want are not easy to obtain. And yet several of the people I admire in my profession had done TEDx Talks, so I continued to work to create a more compelling application. I was confident that someday the message of "The Art of Giving Small: Compounded Generosity" would find its way to a TEDx stage.

In my case the trick was to never give up, and to network with other people who had given TEDx Talks. Persistence and accepting that it could take years before the right opportunity arrived was the only reason that I was able to complete this goal. It would have been easy to throw in the towel long ago.

In several cases where I applied I was recommended by former speakers from those events. While I was not chosen, when I had a networking connection to the committee I did have phone calls with people who would make the decisions.

Since TEDx events are independent and local programs, each committee has different ideas of what will make the perfect mix of speakers. Instead of seeing this as negative, I kept a positive attitude that if I was not the right fit, it was not the place for me to speak. I listened to each person who shared advice and kept trying to focus on how to have an idea worth spreading.

The opportunity to speak at TEDx Wyandotte (Kansas City, Kansas) came about via a connection to a friend who had been a speaker at this event the year before. Working with the committee was a good experience, although there was some back and forth on parts of how to present the message. This is a good thing and something to keep in mind if you want to speak at a TEDx event. The organizing committee will want you to show them your body of work and they will want to give advice and council. Some speakers push back on any type of suggestions, but in this case they made me work hard and think about every part of the message I ultimately delivered. In 2018 my goal to present a TEDx Talk was realized, but once I was selected is when the real journey began. I will write more about how to prepare for a TEDx.

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

TEDx San Antonio

Today was TEDxSanAntonio.  My 17-year-old and I spent the day together listening to the inspiring speakers and participate in this 5th Annual event.

Yes, we live in Austin. Texas.... not San Antonio.  But TEDxAustin has apparently died off (temporarily, they say).  I had attended the Austin event a several times, and always found it cool to be part of the TEDx community.  The ideas that most speakers share are original and make me think. My daughter is on the planning committee for the TEDx youth event in Austin, and is a big fan of all things TED.  Since San Antonio is only 70 miles away, it was an easy decision to drive down for the day.

Wow, what a great event.  All the speakers were good, and covered a wide variety of topics that linked to the theme of "Ideas in Action".  Three of the speakers were outstanding (this is my opinion, haters leave me alone):  SJ Murray -"Hardwired for Story", Trevor Muir - "Should School Take Place in the Real World", and Leezia Dhalla -"Hiding in Plain Sight".  Each of these presentations were a perfect combination of powerful content with excellent speaking skills.  

I was surprised that more people from Austin did not attend the TEDxSanAntonio event.  Our two communities are separated by approximately 70 miles and are two of the fastest growing cities in the United States.  The San Antonio community is filled with amazing people who are as nice as you find anywhere on the planet.  While we did not know many people at this event, those who we met were friendly and welcoming.  

When it comes time for the 2015 event, I would happily head back to San Antonio to participate again.  Kudos to the organizing committee who curated a perfect day.  

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Cool Things My Friends Do (Week #108): Jessica Pettitt's TEDx Talk - The Day Everything Changed

Each week on this blog I enjoy highlighting some of the cool things my friends do in their personal and professional lives.

Jessica Pettitt has been featured before in "Cool Things My Friends Do".  It is always interesting how those who do one cool thing seem to repeat the process of pushing the envelope again  and again.

Jess is a professional speaker who I met through our active involvement in the National Speakers Association.  She has become a special friend and confidant.  She is the type of buddy we all should have, as she is always there to support the people in her life in good times and bad.

Recently Jessica had the opportunity to deliver a TEDx Talk. (Interestingly, the first ever "Cool Things My Friends Do" post was about another friend's TEDx Talk).  I would enjoy the chance to someday speak at a TEDx event, and if I ever have that honor, I hope I can ROCK THE STAGE like Jess did at "TEDx - The Evergreen State College".

Check out the video below.  If you like her message, share it with a friend.



(If you can not see the embedded video, here is the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXWcor-GnZ8&feature=youtu.be)

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Cool Things My Friends Do: Hayley Foster - The Short Talk Expert

Each Friday on this blog I enjoy highlighting some of the cool things my friends do in their personal and professional lives.

My friend Hayley Foster is known as "The Short Talk Expert". She has been speaking, training and consulting for over 30 years, and now trains speakers (both professional speakers and others) in how to properly craft shorter format presentations.  She has been working with the TEDx speakers and program organizers since the early days, as she was one of the organizers of the first TEDxNASA in November 2009 (which was one of the first ever TEDx Events).

Hayley has a particular expertise in the art of the TED Style Talk. Her unique background together with her TEDx experience resulted in the creation of a proprietary process for crafting original, passionate core messages with a wide variety of presenters, from teen novices to world-renowned experts. Hayley has been the designated Speaker Coach for all six TEDxNASA events, as well as having worked with speakers for many other presentations. She has coached over 250 TEDx speakers to date (including over 100 professional speakers).

This week Hayley is releasing a new mini-book (Minibuk) called "Don't Tank Your TED Talk: 12 Mistakes Professional Speakers Make".  The book is written for the experienced speaker who may mistakenly think their TED presentation is just a shorter version of their regular "shtick".  However, that can be a big mistake, as a TED Talk is more than an 18 minute (or shorter) presentation, and a speaker trying to get all their material into that format can easily flop.

Her book is ready for sneak preview premier at the 2013 National Speakers Association Annual Conference (which kicks off TODAY). If you are attending, you can find Hayley and talk to her about her new book (she might even have a copy or two with her!).  Or you can send her an email minibuk1@shorttalkexpert.com  for more information.

The book will soon be available for purchase on her website at http://www.shorttalkexpert.com/minibuk1 on August 1, 2013.

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

TED Talks - What Would You Do?

The influence of TED continues to grow.  Several of my friends have "Attending TED Global" on their "bucket list".  Countless communities are hosting TEDx events.  The TEDxYouth movement is gaining more traction.  Since June 2006 the TED videos have continued to populate the web and many have gone viral, achieving millions of views.

TED is about "Ideas Worth Spreading", but many people do not really understand what it means to give a TED Talk.  TED stands for "Technology, Education and Design", but it has come to mean so much more.  While not every TED Talk is itself a great presentation, the ones that have reached around the world are amazing examples of what happens when ideas are clearly and concisely communicated.  It is not only about content (although this matters), but the combo of the knowledge being shared and the speakers ability to deliver the message in a way that touches the soul of others.

Amazing TED Talks do not need a technically great or experienced speaker, as many who speak at various TED events are not trained orators... but the best speakers respect the art of speaking and dedicate many hours to honing their presentation.

I have begun to ask all my clients "If given the opportunity to speak at TED or TEDx... what would you talk about?"  This is a great exercise, as if someone was really given the opportunity to speak at one of these events it would be a once in a lifetime event.  Thus it would be foolish to waste the chance to deliver your great idea, concept, and story.   TED talks are limited to 18 minutes (some even shorter), and thus this is not a typical speech.  You have to get clear on what is the core of your idea, and there is little time to say everything.  The speaker must not make it self-centered or a sales pitch..... it has to be about the impact of the idea.

If invited to the TED stage you have to cut through much of your superficial story and leave behind all your "shtick".  It is different than most other presentations you would be asked to deliver, and if done right you could impact the world.  To explore this idea is to dig deeper into what matters to you, and what idea you think is worthy of such a platform.  We do not often have to get as serious about our thoughts as a potential TED speaker, but it can open up your blind spots and even if you never are on a TED stage, you will think differently about the topics you share in other parts of your life.

So what would be the message of your TED Talk?

Have A Great Day

thom singer

TEDxYouth@Austin - Guest Blog Post By Jackie Singer

My 15-year-old daughter, Jackie Singer, asked if she could write a guest blog post after her great experience attending the inaugural TEDxYouth@Austin event. Jackie is a high school sophomore.

TEDxYouth@Austin

By Jackie Singer

I had the opportunity to attend the first TEDxYouth@Austin. Because I have grown up in the speaking industry (my father is a professional speaker and I have attended the National Speakers Association's "Youth Leadership Program" for several years) I am often hypercritical of speakers. Too often speakers do not have both interesting information and the skills to inspire an audience. However, I truly enjoyed listening to what every speaker had to share atTEDxYouth.

The speakers and performers included Joseph Asfouri, Chris Kocek, Shree Bose, Ashley May, Premier and Final Cut, Garrett Weber-Gale, Joaquin Zihuatanejo, West Ridge Middle School Future City Team, Michael McDaniel, LimitLess Dance, Brandi Burton, Peter Stone, Ruby Jane, Jia Jiang, and Lizzie Velasquez. Each of them added something to make the event a success.

It was inspiring to hear the stories of those who had overcome big challenges and achieved their dreams. At the same time, I was disappointed in myself that I didn't start playing the violin at the age of two, had won two Olympic gold medals, or achieved something else on this level.

I believe that the team who created this event was fantastic in choosing a wide variety of speakers, of all ages and of very different backgrounds. The unique mix of speakers and entertainment was key in keeping hundreds of middle and high school kids entertained for over four hours. The hosts, Louis Lafair and Nancy Giordano, (and the entire planning committee) did a great job.

The break was also great, when we were given the opportunity to meet the speakers and ask them questions. The snacks were also a nice plus, but my favorite part of the break was the activity. Everyone had been given colored stickers with their name badge and right before break, the hosts explained that if we were to exchange our stickers with others, ending up with one of each color, we could get a keychain made by a 3D printer (that in itself was pretty awesome). The idea was for us to reach out and meet new people, talking to those who we would have otherwise ignored. Unfortunately, everyone was just asking for different colors and trading rapidly in an attempt to gain every color and then rush to get the keychain. We probably should have taken more time to talk with other attendees!

Although I was not able to stay for the reception, I walked away with a very memorable experience. I had a lot of fun and I can’t wait for next year’s TEDxYouth@Austin.

-jackie singer