by Winslow Swart
On two occasions, I didn’t make the cut to fulfill the dream of sharing my story on the coveted TED stage. What sucked even more was that I had been recruited to apply to speak and still didn’t get in. More on that later.
TED Talks are considered the holy grail of speaking venues. Globally, there very well might not be a more premium platform for speakers and topics. The power of the TED brand can provide the kind of digital traction and credibility not found anywhere else in the metaverse. In case you were thinking “Great! I can promote my brand/company/startup!” etc. Wrong. One of the TED Commandments is no product or self-promotion. Which is a slippery slope for entrepreneurs. But we manage.
Taking the TED or TEDx stage is a do or die proposition. There are no teleprompters and notes are seriously discouraged. If you are doing an 18 minute talk, it has to really be “in you”. If you are successful, your talk will be up on the cloud in perpetuity. If you fail, it won’t, and the opportunity will have been blown. No pressure.
Preparation is key. As soon as I was selected to speak at TEDx Palo Alto College 2019, I was excited and then thought, “Oh crap! This shit is getting real.” So, I used up a life-line and called my dear friend and master storyteller Lorenzo Gomez. I said, “Bruh, you gotta’ help me. I’m really screwed. I have been selected to do a TED Talk.” We grabbed coffee over at the Emma Hotel and he affirmed that I had nothing to worry about. Then we dove into the story arc of my topic and ways to engage the audience.
The next super helpful moment was when my longtime friend Jacob Kluger lent me his copy of the book “Talk Like TED”. I read the whole thing and took most of the advice therein. Then the TED organization sent me my official TED coach, Paulo Ferierra. He was awesome. I did not meet with him in person until technical rehearsal two days prior to the TEDx event. He lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, so we worked together remotely. Once the story was written, it came down to the 200 hours of practice until the entire speech was, “in me” (that’s a Paulo-ism). I can dissect this, but that’s what the coaching is all about.
A memorable part of the journey was the 30 minutes before taking the TED stage and stepping onto the “Red Dot”. Nervous? You bet. Maybe even trembling a bit. A full house audience and the cameras waiting to record every nuance. I was about to bare my soul with the opening of the story which was a bit nerve wracking. I tapped into my own playbook — worked on my breathing, became grounded in my feet and legs and then began to smile with my whole body.
Lorenzo Gomez III and Winslow Swart getting primed to do a TED Talk
I reminded myself to simply fall back on all the prep time and when I stepped up on the stage I really felt happy and fully in the moment.
Getting rejected the two consecutive years prior was a blessing. It just wasn’t my moment, yet. In the startup funding world we often say if you haven’t gotten your 200 “no’s”, you haven’t done the work. Handling rejection well gives you superpowers. So, I was ok with that.
The theme for TEDx Palo Alto College was “DARE”. I had spent the past several years prior challenging and daring people to dream, as I was firmly committed to the dream business and this venue was perfect for that. A few things to think about when applying for a TED Talk. The venue theme will be an important consideration. The other consideration is the topic and you. Is this truly your lane? Is this the topic where you possess an extraordinary level of mastery? Is this the subject area where you don’t need to do any additional research and have spent at least 10,000 hours mastering? Then this is the thing you should be talking about. The next action item is to craft your narrative for the TED stage.
Will it make you famous? Probably not. But you will have the kind of collateral that, when properly positioned, can really help you distribute your message in a credible, meaningful way. This in turn can help gain a lot of digital traction and open other doors. Also, the TEDx alumni from your event are a very cool plus. That includes other speakers, coaches, organizers, and even the audience. It extends to speakers from other years of the same venue, pre and post your talk.
YouTube startup teaser montage video with strategically placed clips from the TED Talk (click)
I have had the privilege of mentoring a few TED Talkers since, which is a fun, very cool honor. I also got to return as a featured TEDx alum and help promote the following years’ event in a vodcast.
If doing a TED Talk is on your bucket or “dream” list, reach out if you need a little help.