Summary of How to Deliver a TED Talk

Jeremey Donovan

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Editorial Rating

The rating – what does it mean?

At getAbstract, we summarize books* that help people understand the world and make it better. Whatever we select for our library has to excel in one or the other of these two core criteria:

Enlightening – You’ll learn things that will inform and improve your decisions.

Helpful – You’ll take-away practical advice that will help you get better at what you do.

We rate each piece of content on a scale of 1–10 with regard to these two core criteria. Our rating helps you sort the titles on your reading list from solid (5) to brilliant (10). Books we rate below 5 won’t be summarized. Here's what the ratings mean:

10 – Brilliant. A helpful and/or enlightening book that, in addition to meeting the highest standards in all pertinent aspects, stands out even among the best. Often an instant classic and must-read for everyone.
9 – Superb. A helpful and/or enlightening book that is extremely well rounded, has many strengths and no shortcomings worth mentioning.
8 – Very good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that has a substantial number of outstanding qualities without excelling across the board, e.g. presents the latest findings in a topical field and is written by a renowned expert but lacks a bit in style.
7 – Good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that combines two or more noteworthy strengths, e.g. contains uncommonly novel ideas and presents them in an engaging manner.
6 – Notable. A helpful and/or enlightening book that stands out by at least one aspect, e.g. is particularly well structured.
5 – Solid. A helpful and/or enlightening book, in spite of its obvious shortcomings. For instance, it may offer decent advice in some areas while being repetitive or unremarkable in others.

*getAbstract is summarizing much more than books. We look at every kind of content that may matter to our audience: books, but also articles, reports, videos and podcasts. What we say here about books applies to all formats we cover.

Qualities

Applicable
Well Structured
Concrete Examples

While the rating tells you how good a book is according to our two core criteria, it says nothing about its particular defining features. Therefore, we use a set of 20 qualities to characterize each book by its strengths:

Applicable – You’ll get advice that can be directly applied in the workplace or in everyday situations.
Analytical – You’ll understand the inner workings of the subject matter.
Background – You’ll get contextual knowledge as a frame for informed action or analysis.
Bold – You’ll find arguments that may break with predominant views.
Comprehensive – You’ll find every aspect of the subject matter covered.
Concrete Examples – You’ll get practical advice illustrated with examples of real-world applications or anecdotes.
Controversial – You’ll be confronted with strongly debated opinions.
Eloquent – You’ll enjoy a masterfully written or presented text.
Engaging – You’ll read or watch this all the way through the end.
Eye opening – You’ll be offered highly surprising insights.
For beginners – You’ll find this to be a good primer if you’re a learner with little or no prior experience/knowledge.
For experts – You’ll get the higher-level knowledge/instructions you need as an expert.
Hot Topic – You’ll find yourself in the middle of a highly debated issue.
Innovative – You can expect some truly fresh ideas and insights on brand-new products or trends.
Insider’s take – You’ll have the privilege of learning from someone who knows her or his topic inside-out.
Inspiring – You’ll want to put into practice what you’ve read immediately.
Overview – You’ll get a broad treatment of the subject matter, mentioning all its major aspects.
Scientific – You’ll get facts and figures grounded in scientific research.
Visionary – You’ll get a glimpse of the future and what it might mean for you.
Well structured – You’ll find this to be particularly well organized to support its reception or application.

Recommendation

Author Jeremey Donovan knows TED. An experienced Toastmaster, he applies a deep understanding of the dynamics of public speaking to the format of the renowned TED presentations. He adopts a straightforward, everyman tone to remind readers that anyone – no matter how inexperienced – can address a TED audience successfully. Donovan’s advice makes a lot of sense in this easy-to-follow TED Talk template. Amusingly, he neither confirms nor denies that he ever spoke at a TED gathering. Rather, he writes that he “studied” many TED presentations to break down their structure, flow, strengths and weaknesses. getAbstract recommends the fruits of his avid study to anyone aspiring – or scheduled – to speak at a TED convocation, as well as to everyone who wants to organize and present material effectively.

About the Author

Group vice president of marketing at Gartner Inc., an IT research and advisory firm, Jeremey Donovan is a TEDx organizer and Toastmasters International member.

Summary

TED: “Technology, Entertainment and Design”

TED, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing forward-thinking concepts and practices from the arenas of technology, entertainment and design, organizes “exclusive conferences” and posts presentations from those conferences online for free viewing. Each TED Talk takes place in front of a live audience and must take 18 minutes or less. The world’s most successful entrepreneurs, most brilliant scientists and most famous pop stars have all given TED Talks, as have thousands of lesser-known, hardworking people. You can tell your own inspirational tales at TED – or anywhere – if you can harness and share your emotions in a compelling narrative.

Have you struggled to overcome an obstacle? Have you persevered despite disaster? Has something or someone you love been taken from you? Can you recount an ordinary drama in an “extraordinary story”? To reach listeners’ hearts and minds, harness your story’s feelings, inspiration and impact, and present them in an organized, cogent structure.

The “Ten Commandments”

TED provides a list of do’s and don’ts – its Ten Commandments of content and delivery. This set of “...

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F. G. 7 years ago

I started reading the book before my discovery of GetAbstract. The book was a little dry in some areas, and I felt some topics belaboring some of the points.

After reading the Abstract, it made perfect sense. I can always go back to the Chapter in the book if I need to.

Thank you for this great service!!!
H. R. 8 years ago

http://www.slideshare.net/InspirationalMoments/jeremey-donovan

Check out also the above on Presentations. Useful tips if you have a big presentation to deliver.
- Stephanie Ryter 8 years ago
  
  Thanks for sharing!

Summary of How to Deliver a TED Talk

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Editorial Rating

The rating – what does it mean?

Qualities

Recommendation

About the Author

Summary

TED: “Technology, Entertainment and Design”

The “Ten Commandments”

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My Highlights

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Summary of How to Deliver a TED Talk

Looking for the book? We have the summary! Get the key insights in just 10 minutes.

Instant access to over 22,000 book summaries

Editorial Rating

The rating – what does it mean?

Qualities

Recommendation

About the Author

Summary

TED: “Technology, Entertainment and Design”

The “Ten Commandments”

Instant access to over 22,000 book summaries

My Highlights

Comment on this summary

More on this topic

By the same author

Customers who read this summary also read

Related Channels

Looking for the book?
We have the summary! Get the key insights in just 10 minutes.