A Great Idea
If ideas are a dime a dozen then what makes a great one?
Speaking as a scientist, understanding how to communicate ideas to other scientists or the public is really important. Fortunately, during my time as a TEDx speaker and now as a speaker coach, I’ve been able to understand how to do this more effectively. My hope with this article is that you gain insight into what makes an idea stand out and how to apply that thinking to your situation.
I’d like to preface this by saying, yes, I do have a life. I’m not just holed up in my room thinking about these questions.
When our team was selecting speakers for TEDxSFU last year, we heard more than 100 ideas over the course of two weekends. We narrowed those speakers down to nine. What made their ideas stand out?
It really boils down to three things.
Accessibility, Uniqueness and The Person.
As a coach, I look for ideas that are global in scope. Global = Accessible. Another way to put it is “Does it speak to some aspect of our shared human experience?”. This is important! We heard a lot of ideas that would have worked well in Vancouver but not anywhere else. Since TED talks are viewed around the world, the ideas shared on stage need to be globally accessible as well.
Earlier last year, my friend Michael and I were grabbing dinner and as we were paying our bill, I struck up a conversation with our waiter. When he found out we were organizing a TEDx conference his first question was, “could I give a TED talk?”.
Fuck yeah he could!
The caveat being that your talk should be unique in its own way. Our waiter could have given a talk about being a waiter, if he was able to impart a unique perspective of the profession.
Sometimes the issue isn’t with the idea but with the person.
An idea can be great, but the speaker themselves might not be the right person to represent it. The youngest candidate we had this year was in elementary school. Being that young, her perspective was definitely unique and her idea was great. But it soon became clear that she needed more life experience as well some more thought, before she was ready to share her particular idea on a stage.
We also had speakers that were inflexible and unable to consider other perspectives. Selecting those speakers would have resulted in talks that were too narrow in focus. Not to mention that coaching them would have been challenging in the worst way possible.
Ultimately, the speakers we selected had a unique idea that was or had the potential to be accessible. What really set them apart however, was their personality. As they explained why their idea was worth spreading, we saw their eyes light up, they stood taller and they spoke louder. They didn’t just say they were excited, they showed it.
So really this boils down to authenticity. As a coach, I really looked for people that were authentic. It’s a package deal.
Let’s focus on you for a moment. While you may not have to give a TED talk in the near future, think about the last time you had to convey information to others. Was it showcasing a student project? Presenting to your coworkers? Telling your friends about the crazy night you had? If you think about it, conveying information is something that we do on a daily basis.
From experience, I feel that the workflow for developing a TED talk can be incorporated into any of the situations I just mentioned. I’ve summarized my thoughts into four key points to keep in mind.
1. What is the human element?
A speaker I was coaching last year was talking about the role of the the autonomic nervous system with respect to acute stress. Because it was so important, the first versions of her talk started with info about the ANS - what it was and how it worked.
The issue was the audience wouldn’t have known WHY she was talking about the ANS. There wasn’t enough context.
In the final version of her talk, she started with a story that conveyed what acute stress felt like. And it was great! Hell, my palms were sweaty after hearing it. And with that feeling present, she then proceeded to educate us on the role the ANS played in what we were all feeling.
She helped the audience realize what stress felt like and the impact it had on them before she started to educate. Mentioning the ANS made sense as the audience knew why it was being mentioned. The end result was that we were more invested in what she had to say.
Regardless of your topic, make it clear how your idea will affect the people in your audience.
Emotion before education.
2. The Problem with “I”.
A quick and easy way to make an audience lose interest is to tell a personal story that does not involve them in any way.
“I went….”, “I felt….”, “I think….”
There’s nothing wrong with sharing a personal story. However, personal stories can be hard to relate to since they tend to be “I” focused. Take the time to think about what your audience may be feeling after hearing your story and acknowledge it. Show them how your story can be incorporated into their lives. After all, your talk is for them.
3. “People will get it”.
I’ve heard variations of this over the last two years and it always pisses me off.
Being a speaker is a privilege. So many people dream about impacting the lives of others but few actually get to actually do it. That privilege comes with a responsibility to actively guide the audience to understanding.
Realistically, yes, you do need to assume a certain level of understanding in your audience. However, that should be the last thing you think about.
The easiest way to facilitate this active guidance is to go through your talk, section by section and consider who is being included and who is being excluded. In one or two lines what could you say that would help those on the outside feel included?
For example, the first part of my talk I showed how eating insects could empower women and address malnutrition. People that found the idea of insects “icky” would have likely felt excluded and disempowered. So I made it a point to acknowledge that view and follow that up with how they too could make change, without having to eat a single insect.
By acknowledging those that have opposing views or not in your target demographic, your talk becomes much more inclusive.
In this day and age, we need more of that.
4. It’s not about you.
I can confidently say that public speaking is scary shit. Figuring out how to handle your nerves is part of the process and it’s one that will be different for everyone. From personal experience, what really helped me feel less nervous was to take myself out of the equation.
This isn’t about you.
This is for the people in your audience that need to hear what you have to say. The people that will take your idea and use it to change themselves, their communities and our world. What you have to say matters to them.
To sum up, great ideas are a combination of Accessibility, Uniqueness and The Person.
Effectively conveying those ideas means identifying the why and actively showing your audience how it affects their lives. It’s not about you but the people you will help.
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Thanks for reading :)
