Monthly Archives: May 2015

Your Words Will Inspire Others to Take Action

It’s relatively easy to simply get up and speak in front of a group. But to design a meaningful message and then deliver it in a powerful way so that it has the impact you want is far more difficult.

I’ve been a master trainer for years and have learned a lot through my share of mistakes. I’m very comfortable now with my skills in knowing what will work or not with different kinds of audiences, in different venues and with different desired outcomes.

So if your goal is to inspire others to take some kind of action, then think carefully about these three “best practices” as you start to prepare. These three elements will give you an excellent framework for your 18-minute “TED-like” Talk. You will be pleasantly surprised at the impact you can have!

  • First, know what is important to your audience! What is meaningful to them?
  • Second, speak from your heart – your passion is what will engage your listeners.
  • Third, be clear about the action you want them to take and why.
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Talk Like Ted

Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds, by Carmine Gallo, St. Martin’s Press, New York, N.Y., 2014.

I’m an experienced public speaker, but when I was asked recently to give a “TED-like talk,” I was understandably a bit intimated. As luck would have it, I had picked up Gallo’s newest book in the Dallas airport just days before.

Gallo has written an excellent “how to” book on designing and delivering a powerful, engaging but succinct message in just 18 minutes. Gallo’s guidelines are based on his extensive research of the most popular TED presenters as well as studies of recent developments in neuroscience and communications. So with Gallo as my guide, I’m already working up my presentation to give at the Career Center at the Association of Talent Development (ATD) ICE annual conference to be held in Orlando, Florida in May. I’ll let you know how it goes!

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