Speaker Preparation presentation by Ruth Milligan at TEDx workshop at TEDActive, Palm Springs, February, 2011. This includes speaker notes.

1. TEDx@TEDActive 2011
Influencing Speaker Preparation
Ruth Milligan
TEDxColumbus / ar.tic.u.la.tion
Monday, February 28, 2011
Presented to TEDx organizers at the TEDx workshop at TEDActive in Palm Springs, February
27, 2011.

2. Monday, February 28, 2011
Every speaker has their own preparation style, right?
And we know that they can’t wait until the last minute to get their talk ready. But what can
you do to help influence their speaker preparation path? I have three points:
Recruit with expectations
Manage the timeline
Help guide the story

3. Recruit with clear
expectations.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Expectations aren’t set when you accept a speaker, they are made when you have an initial
conversation.
The best way to a great speaker is to start laying out expectations with the first conversation.
“You realize this is a unique talk, probably one you’ve never given before. Even though
you’ve talked about your idea before, we’ll want to shape the talk to be concise, absolutely
non-promotional and embrace great storytelling like visual transport, emotional appeals,
some vulnerability and tons of passion.”
Talks can take up to 1 minute = 1 hour of new prep at least
Make sure they are in town that day and several days before
And what’s the one thing you’d want to convey, starting them to think on “which piece from
the collection” would be best to present. Every idea has several paths/angles, but we’ll only
choose one.

4. Manage the Milestones.
Monday, February 28, 2011
A great way to keep the speakers on task is to AT LEAST keep them on task as best as
possible with a general preparation plan. This will not work for everyone, so then consider it
a vision - even if you can’t work the plan.

5. Monday, February 28, 2011

6. TEDxColumbus Speaker Milestones
Expectation Email
Acceptance
Abstract
One-on-One Story
Meeting
Deck
Rehearsals
Monday, February 28, 2011
You have to treat this like a show production with deliverables and deadlines - and it is your
job to hold them accountable. Here are a few of our important milestones.

7. Critique the story.
Monday, February 28, 2011
At the time that you have a meeting to discuss the actual story they will present, you can
start to help massage it with a few specific questions. Before I share those questions, here’s
one overlay that can be a worthwhile exercise: ask yourself, does the story have a hero and
villain? I had one speaker whose “villain” was so weak and un-compelling, I predicted a
boring talk. I realized it too late -- and he was perceived that way on the stage.

8. VILLAIN = PROBLEM
HERO = IDEA
Monday, February 28, 2011
Remember, this isn’t about superman. Or even something that is a critical need. But that the
speaker can clearly compel through his/her story some sort of “conflict” if you will- that will
have a journey through their talk.

9. Tell me a story about a
an idea...
Monday, February 28, 2011
And here goes the five questions. I pay homage to Blake Snyder’s book, Save the Cat, for
inspiring these. He uses them for screenwriting, I belive they are highly applicable to our
work as TEDx organizers.

10. That I can
relate to.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Translation: Give the story context. If you are talking about a minute discovery (from a
primary researcher), force them to give a context as to why that discovery is important - so
that the audience can find a connection to it.

11. That I can learn
from.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Aren’t you always inspired more when you have learned something new?

12. That I can
follow.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Translation: If you tell me you are going to climb to the top of the tree in the 18 minutes,
don’t also take me through the woods and to the river...if I know where you are headed
(especially since you told me the most important thing up front) then I can better follow your
narrative.

13. Makes me want
to root for you
to win.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Remember that hero? We want to root for him or her, right? We want them to WIN that
conflict. One of the ways to do this is to demonstrate when they were the bug, not just the
windshield. Have your speakers show vulnerability as to how they overcame obstacles (i.e.
FAILED) to achieve their greatness, discovery, innovation...
(This photo is of my son after a series of surgeries at his first soccer season. See, didn’t you
want to root for him more after you heard that he’d overcome some major obstacles?)

14. Has stakes that
are primal and
ring true for me.
Monday, February 28, 2011
The reason that Brene Brown’s talk is so universally loved is that she’s dealing with something
so core for us all - what it means to be wholehearted. She can ring true with everyone. Talks
don’t always achieve this but if they can, all the better.

15. Monday, February 28, 2011
Thanks for listening today. May you remember something! :)

16. Ruth Milligan
ruth@articulationinc.com
www.articulationinc.com
www.tedxcolumbus.com
Monday, February 28, 2011