These 10 tips are the heart of a great TEDTalk.
1. Dream big. Strive to create the best talk you have ever given. Reveal something never seen before. Do something the audience will remember forever. Share an idea that could change the world.
2. Show us the real you. Share your passions, your dreams ... and also your fears. Be vulnerable. Speak of failure as well as success.
3. Make the complex plain. Don't try to dazzle intellectually. Don't speak in abstractions. Explain! Give examples. Tell stories. Be specific.
4. Connect with people's emotions. Make us laugh! Make us cry!
5. Don't flaunt your ego. Don't boast. It’s the surest way to switch everyone off.
6. No selling from the stage! Unless we have specifically asked you to, do not talk about your company or organization. And don't even think about pitching your products or services or asking for funding from stage.
7. Feel free to comment on other speakers, to praise or to criticize. Controversy energizes! Enthusiastic endorsement is powerful!
8. If possible, don't read your talk. Notes are fine. But if the choice is between reading or rambling, then read!
9. You must end your talk on time. Doing otherwise is to steal time from the people that follow you. We won’t allow it.
10. Rehearse your talk in front of a trusted friend ... for timing, for clarity, for impact.
Similarly, please read the information below before preparing your presentation slides.
TEDx SPEAKERS: SLIDES
These tips come from TED's Director of Film + Video, Jason Wishnow:
LESS IS MORE
A single, strong, graphic image or succinct line of text will tell your story better than a crowded collage or packed paragraph. Remember, people need to process everything you’re saying while simultaneously absorbing your slides. Rather than one complex slide, show several slides, each with one idea, image or data point.
Please eliminate slides that are essentially Headline + Bullet-Points. These can get very tired.
IMAGE SIZE
Please design your presentation to fit within any of the following specs
WIDESCREEN HD (16:9 aspect ratio) : 1920x1080 (hi res)
WIDESCREEN HD (16:9 aspect ratio) : 1280x720 (low res)
SQUARESCREEN (4:3 aspect ratio) : 1024x768 (hi res)
SQUARESCREEN (4:3 aspect ratio) : 800x600 (low res)
TITLE SAFE
Please keep a 10%-20% margin around your text, much as you would when typing on a piece of paper. This ensures that everyone will be able to read your slides.
TEXT SIZE
You rarely need more than six lines of text on a slide. Often, only a line or two will do.
| Slide image size | Minimum font size |
| 1024 x 768 | 28 pts |
| 800 x 600 | 24 pts |
| 1920 x 1080 (wide) | 40 pts |
| 1280 x 720 | 28 pts |
TEXT CLARITY
Sans-serif fonts (like Helvetica) are easier to read at a distance than serif fonts (like Times New Roman).
BACKGROUND
A simple, elegant background behind your text should be used to complement and enhance the readability of your words. If using a dark or black background, you may want to make the text bold.
GRAPHS, GRAPHICS AND PHOTOS
Use high-resolution pictures and graphics. Full-quality photos from a digital camera will look better than images pulled off the web.
You must properly license all images for TED’s use in worldwide video and web distribution. Don’t grab images from the web unless they are clearly licensed under Creative Commons for use.
For data graphs or charts, be sure to follow the minimum font size guidelines above for all text, including labels on x- and y-axes and data points.
FIVE EXAMPLES
Five presentations featuring clean, crisp, effective design that worked live at TED, and also online.
1 http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/128 John Doerr - Profit and Salvation in Greentech (2007)
2 http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/1 Al Gore - 15 Ways to Avert a Climate Crisis (2006)
3 http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/187 Larry Lessig - Creativity and the Law (2007)
4 http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/161 Erin McKean - Redefining the Dictionary (2007)
5 http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/148 Rives - 4 a.m. (2007)
TECHNICAL
To avoid last-minute glitches with your presentation onsite, font files should be embedded in your presentation file.
