How to Deliver a Great TED Talk: Presentation Secrets of the World's Best Speakers (How to Give a TED Talk) (9 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Turning Your Stories into Mental Movies

Mike Rowe is the host of the series “
Dirty Jobs”
on Discovery Channel. In his
speech on “Learning from dirty jobs,”
Rowe talks about a job where he has to castrate sheep. Examine the following portion of his speech:

In the space of about two seconds, Albert had the knife between the cartilage of the tail, right next to the butt of the lamb, and very quickly the tail was gone and in the bucket that I was holding. A second later, with a big thumb and a well calloused forefinger, he had the scrotum firmly in his grasp. And he pulled it toward him, like so, and he took the knife and he put it on the tip. Now you think you know what’s coming, Michael — you don’t, OK? He snips it, throws the tip over his shoulder, and then grabs the scrotum and pushes it upward, and then his head dips down, obscuring my view, but what I hear is a slurping sound, and a noise that sounds like Velcro being yanked off a sticky wall...

Did you feel grossed out by the description?

Did you perhaps scrunch up your face in disgust, as I did when I heard that portion of the speech?

Did that scene play out mentally in your head like a movie?

Why did that scene affect you so powerfully?

The reason that the scene affects you so much is because it contains a lot of sensory information that brings the scene alive in your mind. Because it contains so many vivid details, you can’t help but watch the scene playing out in your head.

The secret to turning your stories into mental movies for your audience is to make sure your scene is rich in sensory inputs. There are four senses that you need to cover: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic and Smell (VAKS).

Let’s examine each of the VAKS in Rowe’s speech:

Visual -
what could you
see
in the story? You could see the knife and you could see the man firmly holding the sheep’s scrotum with his “big thumb and well-calloused forefinger.”

Auditory -
what could you
hear?
You could hear the slurping sound, “like Velcro being yanked off a sticky wall.”

Kinesthetic -
what could you
feel?
You could probably feel Albert
firmly
holding the scrotum in hand. You might even have been able to feel the sheep’s pain (even though that isn’t specifically mentioned in the scene).

Smell -
what could you smell? In this particular scene, there is no input for smell. However, smell is a powerful sense for transporting your audience into your scene.

If you want to turn your stories into mental movies for your audience, make sure you cover the VAKS. As this example shows, you don’t have to give details about all four sensory inputs, but it is recommended that you do cover at least three out of the four VAKS in order to fully transport your audience into your story.

Also, as this example shows, the descriptions of your scenes don’t need to be very long. You’re telling a story, not writing a novel! In fact, the shorter your descriptions, the faster your story will move along and the more impactful it will be.

IN A NUTSHELL

Turn your scenes into mental movies using the VAKS:

• Visual - what could you see?
  
• Auditory - what could you hear?
  
• Kinesthetic - what could you feel?
  
• Smell - what could you smell?
  
• Pack in as many of the senses as possible
  
• Keep your descriptions short
  

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Analogies, Metaphors and Similes

In his TED talk,
Andy Puddicombe
, a monk, used juggling as an analogy for practicing mindfulness. While juggling three orange balls, he said:

“So for example, right now, if I focus too much on the balls, then there’s no way that I can relax and talk to you at the same time. Equally, if I relax too much talking to you, then there’s no way I can focus on the balls. I’m going to drop them. Now in life, and in meditation, there’ll be times when the focus becomes a little bit too intense, and life starts to feel a bit like this...”

Analogies build a bridge between two concepts or ideas. An analogy demonstrates how two things are alike by pointing out shared characteristics. In his analogy, Andy Puddicombe equates thinking with juggling.

An analogy is a powerful tool for making your ideas concrete. It can be used to aid understanding by comparing an unknown idea or subject to one that is more familiar.

Metaphors and similes are similar to analogies. A metaphor is a figure of speech that uses one thing to mean another and makes a comparison between the two. Here’s an example of a metaphor by Shakespeare:

“All the world’s a stage”

While an analogy compares the characteristics of two things and builds a logical argument based on that, a metaphor says that one thing
is
another. Here is another example of a metaphor by author Wayne Dyer:

“Your body is a garage to park your soul”

A simile is a comparison that links two different things by using the word “as” or “like.”

In his
I Have a Dream
speech, Martin Luther King used the following simile:

“until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream …”

In his TED talk, Andy Puddicombe also uses similes to make his speech more concrete. He says:

“You know, the mind whizzes away like a washing machine going round and round, lots of difficult, confusing emotions, and we don’t really know how to deal with that, and the sad fact is that we are so distracted that we’re no longer present in the world in which we live.”

The second simile he uses compares meditation to aspirin:

“I assumed that it was just like an aspirin for the mind. You get stressed, you do some meditation.”

You don’t really need to memorize the differences among analogies, similes and metaphors in order to be able to use them effectively. Just know that comparing two different things and likening them to each other is a powerful public speaking tool.

To come up with your own similes, metaphors and analogies, ask yourself, “What can this idea be compared to? What are its main characteristics and how are they similar to other concepts?”

IN A NUTSHELL

• Use analogies, similes and metaphors to make your speech more concrete and memorable.
  
• Ask yourself, “What can this idea be compared to?”
  
• Try different analogies and metaphors until you find one which works best for your speech
  

PART 4

CREDIBLE

In this section, you will learn how to make your messages credible by learning how to:

• Build your credibility during your introduction
  
• Add internal credibility to your messages
  

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Building Credibility with Your Introduction

We’ve all heard that “first impressions are important,” but what you may not realize is that first impressions are
everything!
People’s first impressions of us are extremely crucial because everything we do afterwards gets filtered through their initial impressions of us.

In other words, if someone initially thought you were selfish, then everything else you do afterwards (say, you pay for their meal) will be interpreted as selfish. (“He paid for my meal. He probably wants a favor from me.”)

Perhaps a study by Harold Kelley (1950) will prove just how important initial impressions are. In this study, students were informed that a guest lecturer was coming to the university. Some of the students were given Description A [below] about the lecturer and the others were given Description B [below]:

A. Cold person, industrious, critical, practical and determined
B. Warm person, industrious, critical, practical and determined

As you can see from the list, all the words on the list are identical – except for the first one. How would this affect the students’ perceptions of the lecturer?

As it turns out, the students who read Description A had a harsher perception of the lecturer than those who read Description B – even though all the words other than the first ones were the same. What’s even more surprising is that those who had been told that the guest lecturer was “cold” gave him much lower ratings than those who had been told he was “warm.”

What does this have to do with public speaking?

A bad introduction can spell disaster for your speech even before you begin speaking. A great introduction, however, can enhance your credibility as a speaker and get your audience excited and fired up about listening to you.

Since a great introduction is so crucial to the success of a speech, it is your responsibility to make sure that your introducer gives you an introduction that will set you up for success. I generally recommend that you write your own introduction and give it to the person introducing you. Simply send them an email saying, “To make your job easier, I’ve got an introduction that you might like to use. I’ve attached it to this email for you to look through.”

If, for some reason, it isn’t possible to get your written introduction to the person who will be recommending you, I suggest you chat with him/her before the event to make sure that you are okay with his/her introduction.

Here are four principles you should follow when writing your own introductions (or introducing someone else):

SHARE RELEVANT CREDENTIALS

Academic degrees, awards and appearances in the media are symbols of authority. These symbols are credibility badges for speakers. A speaker who has a PhD, appeared on CNN, wrote for Fortune magazine and won the Nobel Prize is going to have a ton of credibility. The thinking is that, “If this speaker has a PhD, it means that he’s knowledgeable. Plus, if CNN trusts him and I trust CNN, then it obviously follows that I should trust him.”

When writing your introduction, consider the following questions: Why are you qualified to speak on this topic? Do you have a degree in it? Have you published a book or a paper on it? Have you won any awards for your work in this field? Have you written for any well-known publications? Have you appeared on any TV or radio shows?

One important and obvious point is that you should only share your
relevant
achievements. Sure, you may have won an award for being the fastest swimmer in school, but if your speech is about how to retire as a millionaire, it obviously follows that you should not include that achievement in your introduction (unless, of course, your swimming award somehow relates to being a millionaire).

You may be thinking, “Of course I know to include only my relevant achievements!” but you may be surprised at how many people violate this obvious guideline. Sometimes speakers are so attached to the awards they won in the past, they feel that they
have
to include them in the introduction (even though the awards have nothing to do with the topic at hand). Don’t make the same mistake!

SHARE YOUR STRUGGLES BEFORE YOUR SUCCESSES

You don’t have to have a PhD and appear on CNN in order to gain credibility as a speaker. In fact, some of the best motivational speakers in the world promote the fact that they
don’t
have degrees. For example, the popular motivational speakers Les Brown and Anthony Robbins openly share with their audiences the fact that they don’t have any formal education beyond high school. So, how are these speakers are able to win the trust of their audiences?

The answer lies in the fact that the speakers share their struggles as well their successes. An introduction to a Les Brown seminar usually begins with the story of Les Brown’s struggle, and then goes on to share the story of Les Brown’s success. Let’s have a look at a typical introduction of Les Brown:

“Les Brown is a popular motivational speaker, author and coach who helps people have a larger vision for their lives. Les Brown’s life itself is a testament to the infinite human potential. Born in an abandoned building on a floor in Liberty City, a low-income section of Miami, Florida, Les was adopted at six weeks of age by Mrs. Mamie Brown, a 38 year old single woman who had very little education or financial means.

In the fifth grade, Les Brown was mistakenly declared “educably mentally retarded” and placed back in the fourth grade and later failed the eighth grade. The label and stigma severely damaged his self-esteem for many years. Mamie Brown’s believe in her son’s ability to achieve whatever he set his mind to achieving made a difference in his life.

Les Brown’s determination and persistence searching for ways to help Mamie Brown overcome poverty and his philosophy “do whatever it takes to achieve success” led him to become a distinguished authority on harnessing human potential and success. Les Brown’s passion to learn and his hunger to realize greatness in himself and others helped him to achieve greatness in spite of not having formal education or training beyond high school.”

By sharing your struggles in your introduction, you let your audience know that you are just like them – that you have gone through the same struggles they may be going through. It gives the audience the feeling, “If he can do it, so can I!” This helps you create empathy and build a connection with your audience.

Next, when you share your story of success, you win the respect of your audience for having overcome your struggles. You also gain credibility because you managed to turn your struggles into successes. To paraphrase Anthony Robbins, “You may not have a PhD, but you do have a PhD in results!”

When sharing your success, try to share as many specifics as possible. If you are giving a talk on weight loss and you lost weight, how much weight exactly did you lose? If you went from being in debt to being a millionaire, exactly how much debt were you in and how many millions do you have now? People associate specificity with credibility, so make sure you share the specifics!

USE PAST CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

A third way to gain credibility as a speaker is to use client testimonials in your introduction. For example, let’s say Melissa is a consultant who’s giving a speech about best consulting practices. Part of her introduction could include an excerpt from a testimonial she received from her work with Microsoft:

As a consultant, Melissa has worked with 400 of the Fortune 500 companies. Bill Gates’ said, “Melissa is one of the best independent consultant’s Microsoft has hired. We expect her marketing strategy will increase our profits by $200 million this year.” In this presentation, Melissa will share with you her five tips for becoming a highly-paid and sought after consultant…

ANSWER THE WIIFM QUESTION

One of the most important parts of the introduction is to answer the audience’s “What’s in it for me?” question.

Apart from building your credibility as a speaker, your introduction also has to fire up your audience for your presentation. It has to get them excited about what’s coming next.

Therefore, in your introduction, you need to make it clear what benefits your audience will receive from your speech. After establishing the speaker’s credibility, the introduction should tell the audience what value they will get from the speech. Thus, continuing with the previous example, this part would look something like this:

In this presentation, Melissa will share with you her five tips for becoming a highly-paid and sought after consultant. By the end of the presentation, you will have learned the exact process she used to land a six-figure contract with Microsoft. You will walk away with the exact marketing blueprint she uses every time to get big clients knocking on her door instead of chasing after them. You will also pick up a special technique Melissa uses to get an additional $20,000 in income every time she lands a consulting assignment. So, if you’re ready to become highly-paid and sought-after consultant, please welcome Melissa…

IN A NUTSHELL

Provide the emcee with your written introduction. Make sure your introduction follows the following guidelines:

• Share relevant credentials to establish yourself as an expert
  
• Share your struggles before your successes
  
• Use past client testimonials
  
• Answer your audience’s WIIFM question