I've coached over 100 TEDx speakers since 2014.
Some talks went viral. Some didn't. But after a decade of watching speakers succeed and fail, the patterns are remarkably consistent. And the #1 mistake I see? ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ '๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐' ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ. They explain. They summarise. They give information. But they don't take the audience on a journey. They don't make them feel what it was like to be there, to experience the moment, to wrestle with the problem. The best talks don't describe an experience โ they recreate it. When a speaker shares a pivotal moment, I don't want them to tell me what happened. I want to see it. I want to feel the tension, the doubt, the breakthrough. That's the difference between a forgettable talk and one that changes how people think. If you're preparing a talk or pitch, ask yourself: Am I explaining my topic? Or am I bringing my audience into the experience of it? One informs. The other transforms. Which are you doing? ๐