What makes a TED Talk go viral? These 5 nonverbal patterns may explain. Hand gestures might make a talk feel more compelling.
In a poll that asked volunteers to rate TED Talks, there appeared to be a correlation between the number of hand gestures a speaker made and how well people rated their talks. Photo: James Duncan Davidson. Collage by Josh Roos/TED. All TED Talks are good. Why do only some go viral? Over the last year, a human behavior consultancy called Science of People set out to answer this question. So why do some TED Talks rack up millions of views, while others on similar topics get less attention? “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” We spoke to Van Edwards to find out more. What initially piqued your interest in looking TED Talks? We’re always looking for something that is counter to logic.
I had to figure out how we could turn this into an experiment. At TEDxVilnius, photographer Jurga Anusauskiene captured speakers’ nonverbal communication in photos. And what is thin-slicing? Top Ten TED Talks of All Time. We can learn so much from TED Talks–not just from their content but also from their delivery.
In our lab we have done research on what makes a TED talk go viral and found that the best TED speakers indicate charisma, credibility and intelligence incredibly quickly. The best way to learn what they do is to see them in action. Here is a list of the top ten TED talks of all time. #1. Do Schools Kill Creativity? By Ken Robinson Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
Nonverbal Notes: Lots of eye contactLeaning in towards the audienceSmiling and laughter at his jokes. This Presentation Trick Makes You Sound Brilliant. Critique of Allan Pease’s TEDx talk on body language. Short of time?
Skip to the critique itself Have you seen Allan Pease’s great TEDx talk? It’s called: “Body language – the power is in the palm of your hands.” As you might feel too (if you watch it below), I found it enthralling for 2 reasons: The topic’s fascinating: How you routinely use your hands has strong yet subconscious effects on your dealings with other people, and even on your own feelings.Allan delivered the talk in a highly engaging way, with passion, humour, and audience involvement too. You’ll find specific tips on how you can avoid some of its weaker aspects In this post, you’ll find some of the talk’s best points picked out, plus specific tips on how you can avoid some of its weaker aspects in your own talks. You might like to watch the talk here. In the sections below, you’ll find concrete examples from Allan’s talk, marked on a 3-point scale from “strong” to “weak”.
Strong: These parts are some of the talk’s best points. So let’s get started… “Good morning!” Speaking Skills.
Design Tips. Conference. 5 Rules for More Effective Presentations. Presentation software can be a wonderful tool if used correctly. It can also be a dangerous distraction that interferes with communication rather than facilitating it. The line between the two is thin. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/mbbirdy Over the course of my career, I have sat through hundreds of presentations. Most of them were done with PowerPoint. I often think the presenter would be more compelling if he would ditch the presentation software and just speak. But alas, It has become a staple of corporate life. So if we can’t outlaw presentation software, at least we can improve how we use it. Don’t give your presentation software center stage.
Finally, I would encourage you to hone your PowerPoint or Keynote skills like you would any other essential business skill. Question: What rules would you add? Or upgrade to a self-hosted WordPress blog? How to wow! with a presentation. Here's How to Take Your Presentation to the Next Level. TED All-Stars. Meeting.