Issue No. 256 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features a short, but sweet, how-to-give-a-talk toolbox—leveraging the tricks of the trade of the “world’s most inspiring presentations.” And…by the way…guess what Yahoo’s new CEO, Marissa Mayer, has mandated? Weekly staff meetings—every Friday—reports the Wall Street Journal. Plus, this reminder: check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings.
Top TEDTalk Secrets
If I were writing my Buckets book today, I would add another core competency, The Speaker Bucket (No. 21).
In one of my Top-10 books for 2008, I quoted Bert Decker, author of You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard: “Your ability to communicate is the single most important skill determining your success in every aspect of your life. You dare not make the mistake of thinking that communication is nothing but dumping information on another person.”
As co-dependents to bad speakers, somehow we allow mind-numbing keynote addresses, board and committee presentations, staff reports, and—oh my!—sermons, to turn our minds to mush—as we patiently wait for that magical phrase, “And in conclusion…”
The solution? At your next staff meeting, coach your wanna-be-presenters with books from your “Speaker Bucket” bookshelf. Here’s another good one:
How to Deliver a TED Talk: Secrets of the World’s Most Inspiring Presentations, by Jeremey Donovan.
The author researched hundreds of online videos of the most popular 18-minute talks presented at the highly acclaimed TED Conferences. In just 107 big-print, fast-reading pages, he boils it all down. But it’s not a speaking-tips-for-dummies blah/blah/blah book, it’s much, much better—and rich in detail where it matters.
If you’re not familiar with TED Conferences (“Riveting Talks by Remarkable People”), check out the website. The 2013 conference is Feb. 25 to March 1 in Long Beach, Calif., and attendance is by application only. Cost: $7,500 per person (not a typo). Did I mention it’s already sold out? A same-date conference is in Palm Springs for just $2,500 per person. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is often described as “the ultimate brain spa.”
Donovan’s prepare-a-talk toolkit has two sections: “Content, Story & Structure” and “Delivery & Design.” The detailed chapters range from “How to Craft Your Catchphrase” to “How to Conclude Your Talk.” (Pastors: please read this…please!!)
Golfers are constantly challenged to master a zillion golf swing details—all at the same time (head down!). Ditto speaking tips (head up!). Yet Donovan gently brings the reader/would-be speaker along the journey, one practical step at a time:
--Humor: “The fundamental principle to remember is that humor is rooted in surprise.”
--Stories: “If you would like to bore people to tears until they tear out their hair and claw their eyes out, then hammer them with facts for the entire 18 minutes of your TEDTalk.”
--PowerPoints: “…four of the ten most viewed TED presenters used no slides in their talks.” Yet if you must, the author recommends the 7x7 rule, limiting each slide to no more than seven bullets and no more than seven words per bullet. He quotes speaking coach Craig Valentine, “Use slides as a place where you take off and land. Nothing more.”
The author dissects Malcolm Gladwell’s popular TEDTalk, “Choice, Happiness and Spaghetti” (more than 2 million views). In the video, Gladwell invests all 18 minutes in telling a story about Dr. Howard Moskowitz, market researcher and psychophysicist, and his unusual spaghetti sauce crusade with the food industry. Click here to watch the video.
Donovan’s lesson? “Malcolm Gladwell’s second clever choice was to make Howard Moskowitz the hero. As a speaker, one of the worst things you can do is put yourself on a pedestal. Position yourself as an equal, perhaps a guide, but not superior to your listeners.”
About 74 percent of all people suffer from the fear of public speaking (known as Glossophobia). This book could help your boss, your direct reports, your board members, your volunteers—and dozens of others. And as we say often, “Delegate Your Reading” to someone on your team—and then add this helpful toolbox to your resource shelf—and mentor your people with niche books and niche chapters.
By the way, adds Donovan in Chapter 7: How to Conclude Your Talk, “When you provide a clear signal that you are moving to the end of your speech, people will increase their level of attention.” (Hang on, this eNews will terminate shortly.)
So this is the third book I’ve added to my ad hoc “Speaker Bucket” shelf. Another good one is 15 Minutes Including Q&A: A Plan to Save the World From Lousy Presentations, by Joey Asher.
To order this book from Amazon, click on the graphic below for How to Deliver a TED Talk: Secrets of the World’s Most Inspiring Presentations, by Jeremey Donovan.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) Around-the-room (30 seconds or less per person): tell us about the most effective speaker or presenter you have heard in the last two years—and why.
2) According to Jeremey Donovan, “the average TEDTalk employs language at a sixth grade level.” And he adds, “In my moderately scientific analysis, the most viewed TED speakers deliver an average of one joke per minute in their keynote speeches.” What do you think about that stat?
Defog Financial Reports With Dashboards - Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit
One of the big ideas in Chapter 15 (The Budget Bucket) in my book, Mastering the Management Buckets, is to eliminate the fog of numbers-only financial reports by leveraging the visual clarity of dashboards.
The dashboard on an airplane delivers instant feedback. Ditto a financial dashboard. For more help (for nonprofits), read The Nonprofit Dashboard: A Tool for Tracking Progress, from BoardSource. The book includes a CD-ROM with add-water-and-stir spreadsheet templates.
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