PUBLIC
SPEAKING
The TED Talk Format

Nine ways to improve your public
speaking skills
1. Listen to well-known public speakers
Observe their body language- it is usually open and inviting and
not defensive
They use effective gestures to highlight key points in the speech
and do not fidget
Pay attention to delivery - speakers space words and sentences
with pauses to keep the audience engaged, they do not rush
They will probably use anecdotes and humour to grab the
attention of the audience

2. Relax your body language
Most of us have a fear of public speaking - as a result we become tense and it
negatively affects our body language
The best public speakers make proper eye contact with their audience,
maintain proper posture and move in a way that appears natural on stage
Positive body language improves your performance and helps the audience
remember what you say.
Avoid keeping your hands in your pockets or crossing your arms. Instead,
keep your hands by your sides and use purposeful hand gestures.
Look out into the audience. Don’t look down or into your notes for too long.
As the talk progresses and you build confidence, you may concentrate on
certain individual members of the congregation

3. Practice voice and breath control
Many of us become nervous and that confuses our sense of time; we tend to speak
faster than required. Remember, you are participating in a conversation with the
audience, so they must hear you. Therefore, learn to pace your speech and sustain
the same steady delivery.
Some of us become too excited when we are asked to speak on a topic we are
passionate about - this strong concentration of emotions makes us talk far too
rapidly
Stay alert about both the possible above situations - remember your target is to
ensure that the audience understands what you are trying to get across
Practice breath control- use your stomach to push air in and out of your lungs
Before you go on stage take ten slow, deep breaths to calm yourself and put
yourself at ease

4. Prepare talking points
Prepare a list of talking points that will contain the key messages you
want to convey to your audience. These are points that you would
want your audience to know, feel and understand at the end of your
talk
Make a list of 3-5 important points that capture the gist of your
speech and elaborate upon them with underlying points
Speak in chronological order, starting with the message you want to
cover first.
Having an outline of the key points will prevent you from going off
track and forgetting important points

5. Know your audience
Before you make a presentation take time out to understand your
audience so that you can tailor your speech accordingly
What is important to your audience? What are they likely to find
useful? What will interest them?
Consider factors like age, gender, profession etc
The type of event is also important - is it a formal or informal
gathering?

6. Add a visual aid
Add a visual aid, like a Powerpoint presentation
Any aid you use should support your presentation and not prove to be an
unnecessary distraction
Do not read verbatim from your slides, use them to display key points
which you will explain
Avoid text heavy slides - keep the text brief
Use pictures, audio clips and graphs depending on your topic

7. Rehearse
One of the best ways to deliver a great talk is simply practice
Through repetition you can iron out your presentation and phrase parts
of your speech better- you can also edit your speech and adapt it
according to audience response
Once you have rehearsed your speech multiple times, you will feel free
and comfortable to face an audience
Practicing in front of a mirror is highly recommended - you will see
exactly how you appear in front of your audience. This will allow you to
check your body language, mannerisms and also understand your level of
confidence

8. Record your speeches
Record your talks on camera so that you can go back to
them to analyse and improve
Learn to observe yourself- often you are your own best
critic, but avoid unfair comparisons
Examine your body language, how your voice sounds,
pacing, modulation
The best speakers do this on a regular basis to improve
their skills

9. Take a friend’s opinion
When you are starting out, friendly and constructive criticism can be a huge help
Get your friend to watch you carefully
Your friend-critic should be someone you trust so that he or she gives you an
honest assessment about your efforts
Ask them to comment on important facets of your speech - diction, modulation,
pronunciation, body language etc Also if they are related to the subject you are
speaking on or knowledgable about it, ask for tips about improving content
Work in pairs or groups to help each other to develop confidence and brush up
your speaking skills . Networking with other budding or potential public speakers
will help you spot each other’s strengths and weaknesses

Some online resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FOCpMAww28
https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/public-speaking-
tips

What is a TED talk?
TED is a non-profit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of
short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began as a conference
where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today
covers almost all topics - from science to business to global issues in
more than 100 topics. Independently run TEDx events help share
ideas in communities around the world.
TED aims to provide a platform to thinkers, visionaries and teachers
so that people around the world can gain a better understanding of
the biggest issues concerning them. The aim is to create a better
future through a shared understanding.

Speakers and audiences
Speaker list and talks lineup is curated very carefully
Audiences are curated to have a balanced and diverse group for
fruitful discussions
TED tries to reach out to people who cannot afford to come on
their own, communities who do not have access to broadband
and also seeks to incorporate ideas in as many languages as
possible
Most importantly the talks are available free for anyone in the
world

Guidelines
As the global TED movement grows some local events have
been targeted by speakers who make unsupported claims
about science and health
TEDx’s science guidelines clearly state that science and
health information must be supported by peer reviewed
research
There are no formal bans on any topics but biased and
partisan content is not encouraged

Programs and initiatives
TEDx
TED Fellows
TED Ed
TED Translators
TED Institute
The Audacious Project
TED@Work

The 25 most popular talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/171/the_
most_popular_talks_of_all

11 Must See Ted Talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/77/11_m
ust_see_ted_talks

Some talks you can listen to:
https://www.ted.com/talks/shah_rukh_khan_thoughts_on_humanity_fame_and_love?utm_source=ted
comshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tedspread
https://www.ted.com/talks/pratik_shah_how_ai_is_making_it_easier_to_diagnose_diseas
e/details
https://www.ted.com/talks/shohini_ghose_a_beginner_s_guide_to_quantum_computing/
details
https://www.ted.com/talks/kriti_sharma_how_to_keep_human_bias_out_of_ai/details
https://www.ted.com/talks/anirudh_sharma_could_we_capture_air_pollution_to_make_t
he_world_more_beautiful/up-next?language=en