Ryan Foland speaks with Laura Sievert, organizer of the TEDxQuincy conference, and director of the Quincy Arts Council. After watching over 500 pitches, she has learned a thing or two about pitching talks — both good and bad. Ryan and Laura share tips on how to be a great storyteller and speaker. They also focus on what event organizers are looking for when booking a speaker, and how to engage them and their audience. Listen to this podcast to find out: How to make connections with people, either individually or audience-wide. How having a well-defined and engaging elevator pitch can help you get on more stages. The benefits of having short but information-dense talks for modern audiences. Some top tips for creating visual presentations that help, rather than hinder, your talk. Why you need to show your expertise to organizers if you want to get hired.

2. LAURA SIEVERT
"We can make an impact
from wherever we are"
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3. RYAN FOLAND
"You can be curious about a lot of stuff
and not take action, and therefore it
doesn't work."
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4. LAURA SIEVERT
"You can solve a lot of problems in the world if
you're a good listener, and if you're always
curious."
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5. LAURA SIEVERT
"If you care about it, tell me why you care about it.
I want to see it in your face and hear it in your voice and I
want you to have done the hard work of distilling this idea
into something that I can wrap my arms around and love."
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6. LAURA SIEVERT
"You need to distil your pitch, so that it is
understandable. But it can't be so simplistic as
to be unreasonable."
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7. LAURA SIEVERT
"I really challenge people to say, "Is this adding to what
you're doing or is it taking away? Are they paying attention
to you, and your face, and your expression, or are they
paying attention to 6 words on the screen?"
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8. BLAISE PASCAL
"I would've written less but I had not
the time."
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9. 1. Put a professional surrounding behind you.
2. Certainly, do rehearse and don't seem unrehearsed.
3. Don't read your pitch.
4. Pick the best 3 parts and keep it short.
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Laura Sieverts top 4 tips for creating a video pitch

10. RYAN FOLAND
"Speaking is an art form, at the end of the day
the way that you establish and tap into your
creativity to inspire others, it's an art form."
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