This document provides guidance and instructions for speakers at the TEDxBaltimore event on January 30, 2015. It outlines deadlines for submitting talks, scheduling rehearsals, and multimedia. Speakers are encouraged to craft a narrative around an "idea worth spreading" and use storytelling techniques. The organizers are available to help speakers practice and refine their talks to ensure a successful event.

1. TEDxBaltimore
x
=
independently
organized
TED
event
SPEAKER
MANUAL
We
want
you
to
give
a
breathtaking
talk!
TEDxBaltimore
/
January
30,
2015
/
tedxbaltimore.com
Page 1 of 7
TEDxBaltimore
will
be
held
on
Friday
January
30,
2015
Location:
Morgan
State
University
Murphy
Fine
Arts
Center
2201
Argonne
Drive
Baltimore,
MD
21251

2. PIN
THIS
PAGE
ON
REFRIGERATOR
By
Friday
Jan
2,
2015:
You
submit
the
text
of
your
talk.
We
will
review
the
narrative
and
provide
feedback
on
talk
mechanics,
flow,
and
clarity
Monday
Jan
5
to
Friday
Jan
23,
2015:
We
schedule
a
Skype
call
or
in-­‐person
meeting
for
you
to
rehearse
your
talk
Thursday
Jan
29,
2015:
Mandatory
TEDxBaltimore
/
January
30,
2015
/
tedxbaltimore.com
Page 2 of 7
rehearsal
at
venue
Speaker
dinner
Friday
Jan
30,
2015:
TEDxBaltimore!
CONTACT
INFO
NAME
FOR
HELP
WITH
EMAIL
Sarge
Salman
>
Your
TEDxBaltimore
talk
Camille
Blake
Fall
>
Travel,
lodging,
transportation
>
Complimentary
tickets
>
Rehearsal
&
conference
schedule
>
Any
special
needs
Crystal
Dimeler
>
Talk
slides
&
multimedia
Practicing
your
talk
is
the
sole
predictor
of
an
awesome
talk!

3. OUR
COMMITMENT
TO
YOU
Our
TEDxBaltimore
conference
is
about,
for
the
lack
of
a
better
term,
the
no-­‐name
speaker,
a
regular
citizen
with
a
commitment
to
a
vision,
an
ideal,
a
cause.
Shining
the
spotlight
on
you,
elevating
your
message
above
the
noise,
and
disseminating
to
the
world
your
“idea
worth
spreading”
is
our
privilege.
The
theme
for
TEDxBaltimore
2015
is
COLLISIONS
At
the
very
least,
collisions
require
two
"things"
coming
in
contact.
Those
things
can
be
ideas,
objects,
people,
or
combinations
thereof.
Collisions
need
not
be
violent
or
destructive.
How
will
you
interpret
it?
Our
commitment
to
you:
• Our
cardinal
priority
is
to
help
you
deliver
your
best
talk
ever
• We
will
distribute
and
promote
your
message
online,
in
print
media,
TEDxBaltimore
/
January
30,
2015
/
tedxbaltimore.com
Page 3 of 7
and
on
broadcast
television
Our
goals
for
the
conference:
• Students
will
contribute
to
the
success
of
the
conference
• Conference
program
will
not
be
deprived
of
the
community’s
diversity
• The
conference
will
have
an
economic
impact
• The
audience
will
be
diverse
• The
gathering
will
foster
networking
opportunities
• The
deaf
and
hard
of
hearing
will
participate
in
the
conference
• Set
a
ticket
sale
record:
1,298
Speaking
at
TEDxBaltimore
is
a
wonderful
and
unforgettable
experience.
I
hope
you
rise
to
the
invitation
and
share
your
most
compelling
idea.
We
are
vested
in
your
success
and
we’re
here
to
help
you
achieve
it.
Go
ahead,
take
us
on
a
journey,
share
with
us
a
great
story!
On
behalf
of
the
entire
TEDxBaltimore
team,
Sarge
Salman
Curator

4. YOUR
NARRATIVE
TEDxBaltimore
/
January
30,
2015
/
tedxbaltimore.com
Page 4 of 7
FIRST,
WATCH
“What
makes
a
great
talk,
great”
by
TED
Curator
Chris
Anderson:
http://goo.gl/t0T2oy
THEN,
TELL
A
STORY.
Be
passionate.
Make
the
audience
laugh.
Make
them
cry.
Make
them
feel
what
you
feel.
Hand
gestures,
movements,
demonstrations,
and
the
pitch
of
your
voice
all
contribute
to
the
atmosphere
that
you
want
to
convey.
UNDERSTAND
THE
FORM
• TEDx
talks
are
short,
ranging
from
5
to
18
minutes.
The
short
format
allows
an
audience
to
focus
on
one
subject,
your
“idea
worth
spreading”
• Exceeding
your
allotted
time
slot
will
not
improve
your
talk,
that
only
steals
time
from
the
speakers
following
you
DEVELOP
YOUR
IDEA
• Your
idea
can
be
new
or
surprising,
or
challenge
a
belief
your
audience
already
has.
Or
it
can
be
a
great
basic
idea
with
a
compelling
new
argument
behind
it
• An
idea
isn’t
just
a
story
or
a
list
of
facts.
A
good
idea
takes
evidence
or
observations
and
draws
a
larger
conclusion
• The
audience
relies
on
you
to
give
accurate
information.
You
are
responsible
for
fact-­‐checking
the
content
of
your
talk
CRAFT
YOUR
NARRATIVE
ON
PAPER
• The
primary
goal
of
your
talk
is
to
communicate
an
idea
effectively
to
a
smart
lay
audience
• The
introduction
is
crucial
to
“set
the
hook,”
to
draw
in
the
audience
and
put
them
in
the
appropriate
frame
of
mind
• The
body
of
your
talk
should
flow
and
converge
on
the
conclusion
• The
conclusion
allows
you
to
leave
the
audience
feeling
positive
toward
you
and
your
idea
• Write
your
narrative
or
script
on
paper
for
others
to
review
and
offer
insight
One
useful
approach
is
to
begin
with
the
end.
First,
identify
your
“idea
worth
spreading.”
Then
go
to
the
beginning
and
craft
your
narrative
forward,
converging
on
the
end.
Practicing
your
talk
is
the
sole
predictor
of
an
awesome
talk!

5. TEDxBaltimore
/
January
30,
2015
/
tedxbaltimore.com
Page 5 of 7
MULTIMEDIA
Once
you’ve
written
your
narrative,
then
you
can
consider
accessorizing
the
talk
with
multimedia.
• The
use
of
slides
is
not
required
• Ask
yourself:
Would
my
slides
help
and
clarify
information
for
the
audience?
• Multimedia
should
serve
audience
understanding.
Slides
are
not
for
your
bullet
points
and
reminders.
For
that,
you
can
use
note
cards
in
your
pocket
If
you
choose
to
incorporate
media
(slides,
audio,
video)
in
your
talk,
• You
must
submit
your
final
slides/video
to
us
by
Friday
January
23,
2015.
Otherwise,
we
cannot
guarantee
you’ll
be
able
to
use
them
• We
only
accept
presentations
in
PowerPoint
or
Keynote
format,
videos
in
mp4
format
or
DVD.
Do
not
send
us
.pdf
files,
image
files,
or
prezi
links
• When
creating
your
slides:
use
a
16:9
aspect
ratio
(Powerpoint)
or
1280x720
or
higher
resolution
(Keynote)
• Avoid
the
use
of
animated
transitions
between
slides,
they’re
a
distraction
• Use
a
sans-­‐serif
font
(such
as
Helvetica)
it
is
easier
to
read
from
a
distance
• To
avoid
last-­‐minute
glitches
with
your
presentation
onsite,
font
files
should
be
embedded
in
your
presentation
file
• Use
a
dark
background
color.
White
or
light
colors
project
a
very
bright
light
in
the
background
and
distract
(audience
won’t
focus
on
you!)
and
you
will
be
a
lot
harder
to
photograph
• Less
is
more.
Don’t
cram
too
much
on
each
slide.
General
rule
of
thumb:
2
slides
per
minute
• 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

6. WORDS
OF
WISDOM
THOUGHTS
FROM
A
TEDx
ATTENDEE
TEDxBaltimore
/
January
30,
2015
/
tedxbaltimore.com
Page 6 of 7
Ø The
bar
for
TED
Talks
is
that
someone
gets
on
the
stage
and
says
“look
at
this
interesting
stuff
I’m
doing”
Ø The
talks
I
talk
about
all
week
are
the
ones
where
the
person
gets
on
the
stage
and
says
“look
at
this
interesting
stuff
I’m
doing
and
here’s
why
I’m
passionate
about
it”
Ø The
talks
I’ll
talk
about
all
year
are
the
ones
where
the
person
gets
up
there
and
says
“look
at
this
interesting
stuff
I’m
doing
and
here’s
why
I’m
passionate
about
it
AND
here’s
why
you
should
care
about
it”
HOW
TO
GIVE
A
TERRIBLE
TED
TALK
(Advice
from
TED
Curator
Chris
Anderson
on
what
NOT
to
do)
• Take
a
long
time
to
get
started,
chatter
away
• Slow
down
and
pompously
orate
• Make
sure
everyone
knows
how
important
you
are
• Keep
referring
back
to
your
brilliant
book
• Use
abstract
language
and
lofty
concepts.
Provide
no
concrete
detail.
Exhibit
faux
intellectualism
• Who
needs
substance?
Just
inspire!
• No
need
to
build
an
argument
and
persuade
the
audience
• Use
pseudo–scientific
jargon
to
beef
up
your
talk
• Be
very
serious.
Humor
is
a
distraction
• Slip
in
some
snarky
political
comments
• Give
lots
of
info
on
the
history
and
structure
of
your
organization
• Cram
in
every
single
aspect
of
your
work
• Wing
it
• Memorize
90
percent
of
your
talk.
Visibly
stress
out
during
the
remaining
10
percent
• Avoid
eye
contact
with
the
audience
• Don’t
risk
being
true
to
you
• Manipulate
audience
emotions
• Use
a
gratuitous
picture
of
a
family
member
• Talk
fast
to
cram
more
in
• Make
a
subtle
funding
pitch

7. WE’RE
HERE
TO
HELP
YOU!
TEDxBaltimore
/
January
30,
2015
/
tedxbaltimore.com
Page 7 of 7
The
organizers
of
TEDxBaltimore
are
veteran
TEDx’ers
who
know
the
essence
of
a
great
talk.
Feel
free
to
bounce
ideas
off
of
us.
Need
to
practice
your
talk?
Need
a
design
consult?
We’re
here
to
help
you!
NAME
FOR
HELP
WITH
EMAIL
Sarge
Salman
>
Your
TEDxBaltimore
talk
Camille
Blake
Fall
>
Travel,
lodging,
transportation
>
Complimentary
tickets
>
Rehearsal
&
conference
schedule
>
Any
special
needs
Crystal
Dimeler
>
Talk
slides
&
multimedia