TED Talks: Learning to Give Memorable Presentations

By Nick Seaver, June 16, 2011

TED

For my money, there is no better collection of compelling and memorable presentations than those appearing on the TED Talk website. The entire premise of the TED conferences is that they provide a forum that brings together accomplished speakers from a variety of fields and have them present “ideas worth spreading.” A quick browse of the site provides a talk for virtually any interest you might have.

We often talk in our workshops about the need to be a student of the media to improve your interviewing skills. This holds true when it comes to improving your presentation skills as well—and TED.com is one of the best classrooms available.

One case study giving an engaging presentation came from Dr. Elliot Krane, a pain expert at Stanford University and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Elliot, who was a 2010 –’11 Mayday Pain & Society Fellow (with whom Burness works), gave a talk on chronic pain. You can read more on Elliot’s work on the Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship website.

Elliot’s talk, despite not being news in a “breaking” sense, has resonated across the internet and around the globe, receiving extensive coverage from The Washington Post to AOL Health/Huffington Post. So what makes journalists, bloggers, patients and associations alike stop, watch and share this video? We think it’s some of the qualities that we frequently discuss:

  • A compelling story about one person: Chandler the dancer
  • A creative and captivating demonstration: feathers and blowtorch
  • Clear analogies (the wiring of a house) and clear explanations of complex science
  • And most importantly, a passionate and engaging delivery

What are your thoughts? Please share thoughts on this video, or any other TED talks you recommend in the comments section.

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