Write a TED talk to get clear on your ideas

There is a common statistic bandied about that people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying.

You’ll often hear the joke that people would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy.

I don’t share this view. I really enjoy public speaking. It is an opportunity to share your ideas with a much larger group of people than in a classroom or one-one-one.

The format also forces you to think in a structured way about how the information would best be delivered.

The reason I chose a TED-style talk for this exercise, rather than any other type of public speaking, is that the 18-minute format really forces you to condense what you know into a series of pithy insights and a focus on one core idea.

Conversations tend to be rambling affairs where you work out what you are saying, as you are saying it. An 18-minute speech requires us to think about the information first and then structure it in a way that the audience can gain something useful.

A short talk is actually much more difficult to structure than a long one, especially if it is on a topic you know lots about.

All the best talks start with the end in mind.

Think about what the audience needs to take away and then build the talk from there.

Why am I so afraid of speaking?

The primary reason people are afraid of public speaking is that they’re unprepared, or unsure of the content they are delivering.

Most of us presenting our work or assignments at school are terrified because we don’t even know if the content is correct, let alone what transformation we are offering the audience or how to structure the information.

We usually just panic, get nervous, bumble our way through the delivery as if it is a one-sided conversation and sit down again.

This exercise is the opposite of that. It asks you to think about a topic you know enough about that you can offer your audience a transformation. You can memorise the content and delivery because you already have it in your head. You can structure it into a logical sequence because you have enough time to prepare.

If all of those things are in place, delivering the talk should be rewarding and exciting.

Most people have never had that experience and so they think all public speaking is only the bumbling, nervous, I-can’t-wait-until-it is-over kind of experience.

What if I can’t give a speech?

There is a recognised condition called Glossophobia which is classified as speech anxiety or the fear of public speaking.

Some people suffer from this so severely that even the thought of giving a speech will increase their anxiety levels.

Luckily, this exercise isn’t asking you to actually write or deliver a speech. It simply asks you to put yourself in the hypothetical context of giving a TED talk and seeing which topics emerge.

If you suffer from Glossophobia and even just the thought of giving a talk is causing anxiety, think carefully instead about the topics you might be able to teach people one-on-one.

If you are on an 18-minute train ride, what content could you share with the passenger beside you that might teach them something useful, inspiring or thought-provoking before the next stop?