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How to Create Your TED Talk: An 8-Step Process

by Jezra on March 9, 2017

First, A Little Background on TED

The TED conference (which stands for  technology, entertainment, design ) began life in 1984 as a yearly and very expensive conference where industry leaders and creative types gathered to exchange “Ideas Worth Spreading.”

Back then, it was all about the live experience, and speakers were expected to bring some quirky spontaneity to the stage.

But fast forward more than 30 years, and TED has become an institution, spawning countless local “TEDx” events, putting hundreds of speeches online each year, getting millions upon millions of views, and changing the way we all think about public speaking!

So, What  IS  a TED Talk?

According to Chris Anderson, the owner and global curator of TED, every TED talk starts with an idea :

“You have something meaningful to say, and your goal is to re-create your core idea inside your audience’s minds.” —from TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

Anderson calls this idea “the gift in every great talk.” Your idea may:

• Be common-sense (“Every kid needs a champion”) or counter-intuitive (“The way we think about charity is wrong”)
• Describe a scientific breakthrough (“How bacteria talk”) or your own experience (“I am the son of a terrorist, here’s how I chose peace”)
• Motivate people to action (“We need to talk about an injustice”) or greater self-awareness (“Your elusive creative genius”)

But in every case, your TED talk will begin with an idea.

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And whether or not your talk actually builds a model of your idea in your listeners’ brain — Anderson takes that literally, and research on “neural coupling” backs him up — your TED talk exists to communicate this idea to your listeners.

That is your talk’s one and only goal.

Other Qualities of Successful TED Talks

In TED’s secret to great public speaking (an eight-minute video that’s worth watching), Anderson offers three guidelines for creating your TED talk:

• Focus on one major idea

Ideas are complex things; you need to slash back your content so that you can focus on the single idea you’re most passionate about , and give yourself a chance to explain that one thing properly… Everything you say [should link] back to it in some way.

• Give people a reason to care

Stir your audience’s curiosity. Use intriguing, provocative questions to identify why something doesn’t make sense and needs explaining. If you can reveal a disconnection in someone’s worldview , they’ll feel the need to bridge that knowledge gap.

• Build your idea with familiar concepts

Build your idea, piece by piece, out of concepts that your audience already understands … A vivid explanation… delivers a satisfying ah-hah! moment as it snaps into place in our minds.

These are important best practices, but they don’t tell you what to  do  to create a TED talk.

For that, try this…

8-Step Process for Creating Your TED Talk

Step 1. find an idea you want to share.

To hone in on your idea worth sharing, it can be useful to ask yourself things like:

• What’s one assumption I’d like to challenge?
• What’s a belief of mine that has changed, and why?
• What does everyone miss when they think about my area of interest or expertise?

And remember, you’re looking for an idea . As Jeremey Donovan says in How to Deliver a TED Talk ,

…an idea is not a theme, a general truth, a platitude or a big goal. “Everyone wants to feel included” is not an idea, it’s a general truth. “Empowering women” is not an idea, it’s a topic.

Step 2. Develop an unexpected and/or catchy way to state your idea

If your idea can be stated in a catchy way, listeners will pay more attention and remember it more easily. Here are some examples (with more conventional versions of the same idea in parentheses):

• We can solve malnutrition now (vs. Malnutrition is a problem that is finally, in our day and age, able to be resolved by advances in science.)
• Almost dying saved my life (vs. A near death experience created the motivation for me to face and overcome problems that otherwise would have slowly killed me.)
• Never, ever give up (vs. Cultivate the ability to commit without wavering; it’s an essential component of your lifelong success.)

Step 3. Collect anything and everything that relates to your idea

To re-create your idea in the minds of your listeners, you’ll need vivid examples, illustrations, stories, facts, questions, comments, etc.

So take a few days to notice anything and everything that relates to your idea, and collect these materials by writing them down, taking photos, recording your thoughts as sound files, etc.

Examples of things you might collect include:

• a snippet of conversation
• a quote you heard in high school
• a story that relates to your idea
• a fact, or cluster of data that supports it
• a metaphor or analogy that helps explain it
• a personal moment in your relationship with the idea
• a physical object that will help your audience understand it (here, my client Erika Frenkel presents an anesthesia machine )

Basically, anything that comes to your mind at this stage should be collected.

And don’t worry yet about which materials will end up in your talk.

You can’t collect  things and evaluate  them at the same time, so just collect for now; you’ll have a chance to evaluate later.

Step 4. Start imagining how you might open and end your talk

While it’s too soon to choose your opening and close, it’s not too soon to start playing with ideas for these important parts of your talk.

An effective way to begin any speech (not just a TED talk) is to grab your audience’s attention — often with a human interest story, a surprising statistic, an unexpected observation, or a thought-provoking question.

There are probably some great attention-grabbers in the material you collected for Step 3. Pick one that you particularly like, and flag it as a possible  opening for your talk.

As for the close , you’ll probably want to end your talk in a positive, forward-looking way . This is often done by:

• calling the audience to action;
• painting a hopeful picture of the future; and/or
• “paying off” (finishing, resolving) a story or discussion that has run through your talk, so that listeners get a sense of closure.

With your provisional opening and close in mind, you’re now ready to…

Step 5. Put the rest of your materials in a reasonable order

The middle of any speech is tricky, and a TED talk is particularly so, because TED talks can take just about any form you’d like.

So to tackle this part of your TED talk, take the materials you’ve collected and shuffle them until you find a good arrangement. To do this, you can:

• Create a high-level outline (leave out most of the detail, just arrange the big points or elements)
• Write each element (story, comment, observation, fact) on a 3 x 5 card and physically shuffle them to see different possible orders. (You can do this on a table, or digitally, by creating one slide per element and shuffling them with PowerPoint’s “slide sorter” feature)
• Use sound (speaking out loud) instead of writing to put your talk elements into different sequences (Ask: Does it sound right if I tell that story first, then give the fact? How about if I give the fact first, then tell the story?)
• Try any other method that works for you.

How will you know when the order is good?

Keep in mind that your goal is to create an understanding of your idea in the minds of your audience members , and try to arrange your explanations, comments, and stories in a way that leads to that goal. (You’ll get to test this on real people in Step 7.)

Trust your instincts: If something seems out of place to you, it probably is. Try moving it to a different part of your talk or even skipping it, and see if that works better.

And don’t expect to find the best organization for your talk the first time you try, because that almost never happens!

Step 6. Talk your way to a rough draft of your script

This is where your “speaking plan” becomes a “speech.”

Take your outline or list of ordered elements and talk about each item in turn.

When I’m writing a speech, I like to literally talk it out loud and type up what I’m saying as I’m saying it — but you can also use your computer’s voice recognition software to capture your words, or talk into the voice memo feature on your phone (this used to be called “dictating”) and type up the sound file later.

Why  record yourself talking  instead of just writing out the speech?

Because most of us get all formal and stiff when we write, and the ideal for a talk is that it sounds like you’re…  talking !

And here’s a hint:

As you do this step, pay particular attention to the way different elements (materials) that you’ve used in your talk are connected.

If, for example, you tell me that:

• The river flooded, and
• Some people moved out of the neighborhood…

I’ll want to know: Did people move  because  the river flooded? Did most people stay even though  the river flooded? Did the river flood  after  people had already moved?

When you spell things out clearly, people will form a clear picture of your point.

Step 7. Try out your Ted talk draft on a volunteer listener

The point of this step is to get feedback on how to improve the structure and clarity of your draft.

Ask someone you trust — a smart 10-year-old is perfect — to listen to your talk.

Read it to them (because you haven’t finalized, let alone memorized, it yet), and then ask them:

• Did I explain my idea clearly?
• Was there anything in my talk that you didn’t follow?
• Was there anything you didn’t understand?
• Did anything seem out of place?
• Did I lose your interest anywhere?

If your listener wants to discuss the 6,000 facts you left out, or how your talk should really be about X instead of Y, gently lead them back to these questions.

The point is not to  change  your talk. The point is to  improve  it’s effectiveness.

Step 8. Repeat the following steps as needed

• Based on your listener’s feedback, make changes that will improve your draft. But don’t get carried away editing; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! (And keep your old drafts in case you want to go back to something you did earlier; I number mine v1, v2, v3, etc.)

2. Practice delivering your new draft out loud.

3. Try out your new draft on a volunteer listener, get their feedback , and repeat these steps as often as needed until your talk has taken a satisfying shape.

And finally…

There’s no better time to start working on your talk than now. Even if your schedule is crammed, you’re better off working for a few minutes each day than leaving everything to the last minute!

And as you work this process, remember that perfection isn’t possible.

So instead of striving for perfection, prepare carefully, take your best shot, and try to  relax .

Your audience is going to love this talk — and you deserve to enjoy it, too!

Need Coaching or Speechwriting for Your TED Talk? Get in Touch!

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5 steps to giving a perfect TED Talk

• James Haynes
• August 1, 2022

Table of Contents

Introduction.

If you’re pursuing a speaking career, you’ve likely seen or heard about TED Talks. But have you ever thought about giving one? TED Talks have become one of the most high-profile examples of public speaking gigs today. If you are excited to learn more about how to give a TED Talk or TEDx talk, let this be your guide! (Interested in other avenues for public speaking? We have a piece on how to best get started here .)

What is a TED Talk?

TED originated in the 1980s on the West Coast as a forum for learning about technological developments in particular in Silicon Valley. In the 1990s, the annual conference grew to a major event, spinning off independent events in major cities around the world under the TEDx banner in the 2000s.

According to TEDx Cambridge director Tamsen Webster , TED Talks are much more exclusive and invite-only, since speakers are invited from around the world. But TEDx Talks, the local, community-based independent forums for TED, are easier to access. If you speak at a TEDx, you’re recorded as a TEDx speaker, but your video may be promoted to the official TED website, ted.com and published on the TEDx official YouTube channel.

Some TEDx speakers, such as academic researcher Brené Brown, get invited to the “Big TED” stage after a breakout performance on the TEDx stage. In Brown’s case, her 2010 TEDx Houston talk, “The Power of Vulnerability”, became a top 5-viewed TED Talk online, and she followed it up with a TED Talk titled “Listening to Shame” in 2012. But, TEDx Cambridge director Tamsen Webster cautions, such cases are rare. Hear more from her interview with Grant Baldwin here (discussion of TEDx gigs begins around the 11:30 mark) .

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How to give a TED Talk in 5 steps

Want to learn how to give a TED Talk? Read on for 5 steps to make it unforgettable:

1. Begin with the end in mind

Have you ever been left at the end of a speech wondering, “What was the point of this talk?” Don’t do that to your audience. When creating your talk, determine the destination that you want to take them to. Once you pick a point, then you can work backwards and reverse engineer how to get your audience to that place. (for more on finding your big idea, check out this episode  of The Speaker Lab podcast)

Answer “now what?” for the audience. Your audience is always asking two questions: so what and now what? So what means what does this have to do with me? Now what is what you want the audience to do as a result of your talk. Give them action steps to implement what you taught them. If they hear you speak but literally don’t do anything differently, what’s the point?

2. Hone your big idea

Professional speakers often have an extra barrier to cross when it comes to being selected even for a TEDx event. While not prohibited from participanting, they are generally discouraged unless they have a particularly original new idea. In Webster’s words, “We want to catch the rising star. We want the new idea before it’s out there. If you’ve already got the book talk, and you’re already making money with that talk, that’s probably not the talk that we want.”

What’s the type of idea that TED or TEDx organizers are typically looking for? According to Webster, it needs to have the three Is: Interesting, Important, and Individual. In other words, it needs to have a speaker 1) who is an authority on the topic (due to background, life experiences, research, etc.), 2) who can address an important unmet need in the world, and 3) be passionate to share about it.

One way to break down the big idea is looking at a problem, an idea and a change. Webster gives the example of an entrepreneur unsuccessfully chasing work-life balance. The problem they see is that they want less pressure in their non-work lives. The idea Webster proposes is that what entrepreurs actually need to achieve work-life balance are not external skills: “That’s adding more pressure on you’re on entrepreneur already.” The change could be choosing to accept internal skills and abilities and delegating more things to de-stress.

3. Write out your material and tell a story

Professional speakers don’t just make stuff up. They don’t write a few thoughts on a notecard and then shoot from the hip for an entire presentation. They take the time to write and carefully craft their material.

Humans relate to stories. We connect to stories. Funny stories. Sad stories. Inspirational stories. We love stories. So tell them. Lots of them. Stories will keep your audience engaged and are also easier for you to memorize. Read  this super helpful post  by my speaker pal Josh Sundquist for his tips on writing your speech, setting your fee, and booking your first gigs.

There’s nothing wrong with telling a 3rd person story or using some case study or example. Telling stories that you lived and experienced generally makes the story better for you and the audience. For the audience, they can often times find themselves in your story. For you as the speaker, it’s much easier (and more powerful) to tell a story that you lived versus one you read in a book.

4. Prepare the presentation

Oftentimes speakers want to have Powerpoint or Keynote slides to use as notes for their presentation. This is lazy. Don’t do this. Any slides you use should be an enhancement not a replacement of your talk. If you’re just going to stand up there and read off the screen, what does the audience need you for?

Use Powerpoint to show images that make a point. Some speakers will build their talk around their slides. Start with the talk FIRST and then determine if slides are needed or necessary. Slides are generally most effective for showing images or videos that can’t be conveyed in words. For example, if you were in some death-defying crash and that’s part of your talk, it’s one thing to tell that story, but it’s incredibly more powerful if you show pictures or video of it all.

Consider writing out your material. Professional speakers don’t just make stuff up. They don’t write a few thoughts on a notecard and then shoot from the hip for an entire presentation. They take the time to write and carefully craft their material. There is no right way to create a talk. You don’t need to memorize your talk like a script, but manuscripting can help you to think through the entire presentation and to know exactly how it all flows together. Some speakers prefer to have an outline with several bullet points and flesh it out from there. Every speaker is different. Find a process that works for you.

5. On stage, be an amplified version of you

The bigger the venue, the bigger you need to be on stage. The way you would communicate to a group of 10 people is very different than how you would need to communicate to a room of 10,000. Both should be an authentic version of you, but simply amplified to the setting. The bottom line is don’t try to be something you’re not on stage. Be you.

Keep it slow and steady. When you are talking really fast, it becomes difficult for the audience to follow. It’s hard to keep up and process. Plus the faster you talk, the harder it is to understand what you’re saying. So slow down and enunciate. Give the audience the chance to keep up with where you’re going.

Don’t be afraid of the silence. The silence to a speaker can feel deafening but it can be powerful. Silence shows confidence that you’re in control of the talk and the room and you’re continuing to guide them towards a common purpose. When you make a strong point, don’t rush to the next line. Stop and let it hang there. The silence is your friend.

All in all, though giving a TED and TEDx Talk isn’t going to drive revenue for anyone’s speaking business, it can provide a tremendous platform for reach in your area of expertise, and giving either one is a great feather in anyone’s cap.

If you found this piece helpful, we have a great podcast with Tamsen Webster digging even deeper into the world of TED–especially the ins and outs of the TEDx selection process! She tells us how she helps her speakers prepare for their TEDx talks, how you can get your foot in the door with your local TEDx and how to know if your idea is interesting enough to be considered for a TEDx talk. You can listen to this “inside look” at TED here . Want to read more about speaking tips? Take a look at our 100 tips for motivational speaking for any speaking engagement!

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While you mull all of that over, here are a few rapid fire FAQs about TED Talks. Happy speaking!

What does TED Talk stand for?

TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, the original topics of TED Talks when the organization launched in the mid-1980s.

How long is a TED Talk?

TED Talks are limited in length to 18 minutes or less.

How much do you get paid to give a TED Talk?

Although TED and TEDx Conference speakers do not get paid, presenters may receive travel and lodging costs for the conference they speak at.

Does TED have any tips for giving a TED Talk?

TED has many resources for aspiring speakers at ted.com. And some past TED speakers have given talks of their own on how to deliver a great TED Talk! See below for a video from TED Curator Chris Anderson, who shares his secret ingredient that all the best ones have in common, along with four ways to make it work for you.

• Last Updated: February 29, 2024

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How To Prepare A Speech Like You're A TED Talk Speaker

It’s no secret that TED Talk speakers are some of the most influential and successful speakers to have ever stepped on stage.

But do you know why their speeches are so effective?

One main reason is the TED Talk format.

You see, to deliver a successful TED Talk speech, you must transfer your ONE big idea in a clear and concise yet powerful way that sticks with your audience… in under 18 minutes.

This short timeframe forces you to make every minute of your speech count.

Every second in your 18-minute speech must be perfectly rehearsed before you step on stage. So that you are able to deliver an impactful speech that gets people to digest your idea, think differently and take some sort of action to better their lives.

Here are 8 tips you can use to prepare like a Ted Talk speaker to flawlessly deliver your BIG idea and give an unforgettable speech.

Discovering Your BIG Idea

“You have something meaningful to say, and your goal is to re-create your core idea inside your audience’s minds.”

Chris Anderson, the owner and global curator of TED, expresses that every TED Talk starts with one big idea .

It’s helpful to come up with your core message BEFORE crafting your speech (and build everything else around it - to support and enhance this message). Struggling to come up with your big idea?

Ask yourself… “What can I say in these 18 minutes that will change someone’s life for the better?”

Break down your answer into one easy-to-understand sentence - the ONE thing you want your audience to walk away with and remember.

Taking the time to flesh out your idea and simplifying it into one sentence, will give you clarity and make crafting the rest of your speech a whole lot easier.

Start With the Beginning and the End

An easy way for you to create your speech in the TED format is to focus on perfecting the beginning and the ending first.

This gives you a sense of structure and balance.

The best way to begin any speech is to grab your audience’s attention right away. There are many techniques you can use to do so.

Here are three:

• Tell an interesting and personal story
• Give a hard-hitting fact or statistic
• Ask a thought-provoking question

As for the end, you’ll want to wrap up your speech in a positive and inspiring way. Aim for a delightful payoff to your story and call your audience to action. Perfecting the beginning and end of your speech will ensure you start off on a high note with your audience deeply invested in your story and leave them feeling empowered to change their lives.

Rehearse One Hour for Every Minute

On TED’s stage, you only get 18 minutes to change your audience’s lives…

So, you need to make every minute count!

The process of giving a short and effective speech requires a LOT more discipline and practice than long speeches.

Think of the rehearsal time needed to perfect your speech in direct opposite of the time you speak on stage.

A good rule to follow is rehearsing for one hour for every minute of your speech.

This will help you gain an inside-out understanding of exactly what you’re going to say, minute by minute, to deliver an engaging speech where every word is important and relevant to your core message.

Watch & Listen to Yourself

In public speaking, a great way to rehearse is to record yourself (your phone will do).

Listen and pay close attention to your tone, speed, volume, rhythm and voice when practicing your speech.

Get used to your voice and listen to your delivery over and over again before you step on stage.

You’ll also want to watch yourself rehearsing, to give you a better idea of how your audience sees you on stage.

If you want to be a motivational speaker, you’ll need to study your body language.

Always look for ways to improve your hand gestures, facial expressions, body movements, posture and eye contact.

Keep practicing until you come across as charismatic and confident.

An added benefit of recording yourself makes the rehearsal feel more real and puts some helpful pressure on you to deliver a successful speech.

Mimic Stage Conditions

When practicing public speaking, it’s far more effective to rehearse as if you were on stage delivering your speech.

Try to replicate the on-stage experience as much as possible:

• Move around freely, don’t stay in one spot for too long
• Practice looking at your audience
• Talk without using any notes
• Practice good body language, etc.

By practicing public speaking the RIGHT way, every time you rehearse, you will train your body and mind to present successfully in the spotlight.

Rehearse In Front of Your Peers

It’s always a good idea to practice in front of a live audience before your speech.

Not only does this simulate the real public speaking experience, but you can also get honest feedback from your peers on ways to improve.

Often, you’ll gain insights that are not so obvious to you, even after watching and listening to yourself via recordings.

One Last Rehearsal Before Your Speech

On the day of your speech, go through your entire rehearsal one more time.

This will get you in the right mindset and assure that you know your speech and are able to deliver it within the time frame.

Many public speakers find it helpful to craft a speech from talking off the cuff rather than writing word to word.

Record yourself each time you practice and jot down notes for improvement.

This will save you tons of editing and eliminate sounding like a robot.

You’ll be able to give a much more natural and engaging speech on stage because you have created your speech from talking rather than writing.

If you want to be a great public speaker you need to study the best in the game. Not just how they perform on stage, but how they prepare before their speech.

By understanding the entire process, you’ll be on the right track to crafting your own masterpiece that is remembered long after you step off stage.

Just remember, when it comes to delivering an impactful speech in a short amount of time, PRACTICE is everything.

Practicing the RIGHT way is your key to success in the few minutes you’re up on stage.

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Home > Blog > Speaking 101 > How To Write A TED Talk Outline From Scratch

How To Write A TED Talk Outline From Scratch

Whether you’re reading this as an aspiring speaker or having just booked your first TED appearance, it’s no secret that TED Talks can be a huge boost for a professional speaker. According to past TED speakers, in fact, giving one can be game-changing in terms of both reputation and speaking fees. That said, prepping for a TED talk isn’t just gratefulness and excitement. It can also be a source of nerves, due to their unique format and the prestige of the TED Organization . Fortunately, mastering how to write a TED Talk outline doesn’t have to be painful. In this guide, we’re going to cover all the steps to knocking one out in no time. 

Before we get into detail, please note that this guide focuses on the technical aspects of writing TED Talk outlines. In other words, while we at SpeakerFlow have no trouble compiling resources, none of us have given a TED Talk. In light of that, I highly recommend also reaching out to other TED or TEDx speakers in your network to learn about their experience and how they recommend preparing for a TED event. That way, when the event itself comes, you’ll be fully prepared and ready to dazzle your audience. ✨

Choose the main idea of your TED Talk.

First, before you begin writing your TED Talk outline, identify the main idea of your talk. Although you may not explicitly state it until the end, this idea will serve as the foundation for your presentation. As such, it should build off your experience as an industry expert while fitting the theme of the TED event. 

One way to approach this is to review past TED Talks to see where they overlap with your primary discipline. One of the most popular, for example, is “ The Danger of a Single Story ” by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In her talk, Adichie mentions that “Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize”. Although she is presenting this idea as it relates to books, the same argument can also be applied to political conversations, social media – any field in which exploring new ideas is key. Likewise, looking at your own field, compare how it lines up with other TED Talks. It may be the source of inspiration you’re looking for. 

Alternatively, another way to approach your main idea is by asking the following questions from TED: “Is my idea new?,” “Is it interesting?” and “Is it factual and realistic?” Ideally, your main idea should check each of these boxes while also corresponding with your area of expertise. That way, you not only share a great idea. You also ensure that you have the greatest possible chance of connecting with your audience. After all, the purpose of TED Talks is sharing “ideas worth spreading” and, consequently, “chang[ing] attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world”. Your TED Talk outline and its main idea should aim to do the same. 

Choose a personal experience that relates to your idea.

Next, after choosing your main idea, ask yourself how it relates to your personal and professional life. What led you to your conclusion about your main idea? Who have you met that’s shaped this idea? How has your stance regarding your main idea changed over time? All of these questions are starting points, but the goal is to take your main idea and summarize how it relates to you, not as a speaker but as a human being. 

Within the TED Talk archive, a great example of this is Monica Lewinsky’s 2015 TED Talk, “ The Price of Shame “. In this lecture, Lewinsky outlines some of the long-term negative effects of public shaming including anxiety, depression, and, in extreme cases, suicide. However, she also opens up about her own all-too-famous scandal with former U.S. President Bill Clinton in the 1990s and how the public shaming that followed made her life painful for decades after. In this way, she not only shows her audience the subject of public shaming from her point of view. She also successfully connects with them, reinforcing her primary argument that those targeted by public shaming are still human and even virtual shaming can have detrimental effects. 

In your own TED Talk outline, sharing your experience will accomplish the same thing. Standing on stage, it can be tempting to assume that because you’re in the spotlight, your audience will listen. Yet, any member of your audience (and on the TED team) will tell you that simply isn’t true. As a result, keep in mind that connection comes first from emotional investment. Be yourself and be vulnerable and your main idea will immediately become more intriguing for those watching you, guaranteed. 

Break your idea into manageable pieces or steps.

At this point, it’s time to break your main idea into easily digestible pieces of information. These pieces will make up the sections of your TED Talk outline, ultimately making your talk, as a whole, easier for the audience to understand and remember. It will also make it easier for you to memorize, as it’s generally recommended that you not use notecards during your presentation. 

One common structure is the argumentative approach. In this case, the term “argumentative” doesn’t mean “antagonistic.” Instead, it refers to typical discussion structure, like an argument in a professional debate. In a TED Talk setting, this generally includes three sections. First, introduce your main idea and any background information. Second, present evidence for the main idea, so as to prove your point. Lastly, give your conclusion, based on the evidence provided. In essence, this takes your audience through your thought process, ideally leading them to your conclusion in the process. This structure works well if you have a controversial idea for which you know you’ll have audience pushback or doubt.

Alternatively, for easy-to-accept ideas, another common structure is the step-by-step approach. Here, the main idea and benefits of accepting it are clear. However, after your introduction, the audience is still left asking, “How can I make that happen?” In this case, your TED Talk outline would have sections devoted to each step of the process that answers this question. In this situation, your audience enters your TED Talk interested but apprehensive and leaves confident that they can accomplish the goal your main idea describes.

Again, with these or any structure, your main goals are to (a) bring your audience to your point of view and (b) give them the tools to turn your words into action after they leave the TED auditorium. 

Write your outline using your experience as the intro and your steps as the body section. 

By now, you have all of the necessary components of your presentation in mind. Now, it’s time to build them into a cohesive TED Talk outline. Your outline, as a whole, should begin with a strong introduction, expand into a concise but thorough explanation of your main idea, and end with a reminder of how and why acting on your main idea is necessary. Combined, this invisible structure is a proven way to attract and retain your audience’s attention, as demonstrated by many past TED speakers. Luckily, many of these speakers have also shared their insights, so you can follow their lead and give an equally stellar performance of your own. Below are a few of their most valuable tips and tricks.  

Crafting the Introduction of Your TED Talk Outline

First, begin your TED Talk outline with a powerful introduction. This component of your speech is arguably the most important, as the more easily you can capture your audience’s attention initially, the more likely they are to stay engaged. It’s also important that your introduction provides a clear and easy-to-understand explanation of your main idea. Although the bulk of your explanation will take place in the next section of your TED Talk, the body, giving a simple explanation at the beginning of your Talk doesn’t just lay the groundwork for the rest of your evidence. It also demonstrates, to your audience, that your idea isn’t daunting. That way, they’re able to listen to your later call(s) to action (or your field as a whole) and think, “I guess this isn’t too complicated for me to take an interest in.”

To accomplish these goals, many speakers recommend building your introduction around the personal experience you chose back in Step #2. This allows you to relate more closely to your audience, lead up to the introduction of your main idea, and grab your audience’s attention all in one swift motion. In the event that your main idea is a heavy topic, beginning with a humorous story can also help lighten the tone of your Talk, making it easier for you to be frank with your audience without being depressing. In short, your introduction should be interesting but not overkill, honest but not harsh, and explanatory but not wordy. Remember, it’s only the prelude to the bulk of your TED Talk outline. 

TED’s Introduction Tips

• Be quick and concise (i.e. don’t dance around your main idea).
• Focus on the audience, not yourself.
• Avoid stereotypical openings to presentations (dictionary definition, list of statistics, etc).
• For a well-known main idea, start by clearly stating it.
• For a lesser-known main idea or an idea in a lesser-known field, start by explaining a related topic or idea that is well-known. Then, link that back to your main idea.
• For emotional or heavy topics, start by candidly stating it. Avoid being candid to the point of being harsh, and avoid anything that suggests you’re trying to force an emotional reaction. 

Building the Body of Your TED Talk Outline

After constructing the introduction, it’s time to draft the body of your TED Talk outline. For this part of your Talk, the focus should be on retaining your audience’s attention and providing sufficient evidence to support your main idea. Here, it’s important to again provide balance, showcasing necessary information for your thesis but not so much that your audience loses interest or gets confused. In addition, the body of your outline should build upon your introduction and provide next steps for your audience to take with them, once your TED Talk is over. That way, your main idea lives beyond the room and the audience is guaranteed a more impactful presentation. 

To meet these objectives, the best TED speakers use the “manageable pieces” we covered back in Step #3 to build a sort of story or handbook. For the former, each piece is a different event that leads into the conclusion, or the happy or sad ending of your story. This is especially useful if you’re focusing on an emotional topic or lacing your personal experience throughout the content of your presentation. For the later, each piece is more evidence-oriented with each piece acting as support for your main claim. Contrary to the “story” layout, this structure is used largely in science-oriented presentations, where strong empirical evidence is mandatory. 

In essence, regardless of the route you choose, each “piece” is a different subsection of this section of your Talk. This allows you to build on top of each individual piece of information and, in doing so, bring your audience to understand and accept your conclusion. 

TED’s Body Paragraph(s) Tips

• Build a list of the evidence you want to cite in your presentation, keeping in mind that you will need more evidence surrounding things you need to convince your audience of. Then, with the help of a friend or daily member (not a colleague), remove any evidence that isn’t absolutely essential to your argument. 
• Focus on new information. If you must include basic information, for the sake of introducing more advanced information, keep it brief.
• Use empirical evidence, not anecdotal evidence.
• Keep your verbiage simple. If you must use complex terminology, leave time to briefly explain it. 
• Acknowledge and politely address any contradictions to your main idea. These include, according to TED speakers, “controversies in your claims, legitimate counterarguments, reasons you might be wrong, or doubts your audience might have about your idea.”
• Use slides to help explain complex or pivotal points in your presentation. For slides with citations, be sure to keep your citation confined to a corner of the screen, so that it doesn’t detract from the primary content of the slide.

Forming the Conclusion of Your TED Talk Outline

Lastly, every good TED Talk ends with a killer conclusion. As mentioned a few times in this guide, there are two things that your conclusion should be above all else: positive and compelling. While the body paragraphs of your TED Talk outline are all about explaining your main idea, your conclusion should drive home why it’s important. It should also communicate this in a positive way. Even for tough topics and uncomfortable situations, the purpose of TED Talks is to showcase problems and propose solutions. That way, members of the audience can approach them not only with well-rounded knowledge about the issue at hand but also with an “I can handle this” attitude. 

Depending on your personal style, there are many ways you can accomplish these goals and end on a high note. Some speakers opt for a joke, others an inspirational quote, and still others a straightforward reminder of why the audience should care. Keeping those options in mind, below are the most commonly-cited conclusion tips from past TED speakers. 

TED’s Conclusion Tips

• End on a high note. Your audience should, ideally, leave with a sense of positivity towards you and your main idea. 
• End, if appropriate, with a call to action and a reminder of why your main idea is worth implementing in their lives.
• Avoid ending with transactional language or anything sales-related (book cover, company logo, etc.). The goal of the talk is to share ideas, not promote a specific individual, business, product, or service. 

Support your TED Talk outline with visual aids.

The next step in preparing for your TED Talk is adding visual aids. For many presentations, visual aids are immensely helpful both for the audience and the presenter. If you’re explaining a complex process, for example, a visual diagram can make it easier to understand. Likewise, if you’re describing a story, including images of the people involved can help your audience better follow along. In short, while you shouldn’t rely on visual aids to communicate your message on their own, they should act as supporting characters in your presentation. 

One example of this is the 2012 TED Talk, “ Strange Answers To The Psychopath Test ” from British writer and documentarian Jon Ronson. In this Talk, Ronson tells the story of his experience with a criminal who faked psychopathy in order to avoid prison time. Although it’s not a complicated story, Ronson’s slides provide a visual for the audience to follow as he explains his conversations with Tony, the aforementioned criminal. First and foremost, this makes it effortless to follow along with his story, despite any tangents or jokes that may otherwise distract from the “plot”. Secondarily, each slide also allows Ronson to add an extra “punch” to the comedic twists of his story. This makes his TED Talk, as a whole, not only engaging but also memorable, as the audience leaves with both visual and audible memories of the experience. 

To sum things up, although visual aids aren’t always necessary, they can provide support for your main idea and make it more notable for the members of your audience. Keep this in mind, as your write your TED Talk outline. Then, consider simple explanatory slides where your outline could use some reinforcement.

Practice reading your TED Talk outline aloud (to be sure it’s not too long).

Next, after your outline and visual aids are prepared, it’s time to practice. It goes without saying that more practice only leads to a better presentation in the end. However, in the case of a TED Talk, practice is equally important when it comes to staying beneath the 18-minute time limit. According to the TED Organization, this limit is non-negotiable, regardless of the speaker or the complexity of their chosen topic. This is for two reasons, the first of which is the audience’s attention span. As TED puts it , “We’ve found that a carefully prepared presentation of this length can have an astonishing impact.” In other words, 18 minutes allows the speaker enough time to share their idea without risking the attention of the crowd. The second reason is simply to create a level playing field. That way, no speaker is given preference based on their idea or their reputation. 

That said, depending on the setting, the length of a TED-affiliated presentation can range from fewer than six minutes to the maximum 18-minute limit. Part of this depends on the platform in which your Talk takes place. If you’re speaking at a TEDx event , it may be shorter. If you’re speaking at the annual, five-day TED Conference , it may be longe. For virtual speakers, it may even be extended to allow for additional audience engagement, such as a post-talk Q&A session. 

Essentially, the length of your TED Talk and, by extension, your TED Talk outline, is contingent on the setting, size, and budget of the event hosting you although it should be around 18 minutes. To be sure you’re under the limit, verify your limit with the event organizer. Then, practice performing your outline, cutting it down as needed to meet that limit. 

Practice and refine your outline until you’re 100% confident in it.

Finally, once you have your outline prepared to meet the time limit, there’s only one thing left to do: practice. As any professional speaker will tell you, nothing bad comes of over-preparing for an event. Likewise, when preparing for a TED Talk, the most beneficial thing you can do is rehearse as much as possible. 

In fact, the following excerpt sums up the recommendations of TED event organizers and TED speakers better than I could:

“We can’t stress this enough. Rehearse until you’re completely comfortable in front of other people: different groups of people, people you love, people you fear, small groups, large groups, peers, people who aren’t experts in your field. Listen to the criticisms and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. If someone says you sound ‘over-rehearsed,’ this actually means you sound stilted and unnatural. Keep rehearsing, and focus on talking like you’re speaking to just one person in a spontaneous one-way conversation.”

To summarize, if you want to write a solid TED Talk outline, the greatest thing you can do, besides preparing your main idea and personal experience, is practice as much as you can. That way, whether you’re nervous on stage or just nervous about the TED stage in particular, you’ll be able to confidently deliver your Talk and meet the TED goal of “chang[ing] attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world” head-on.

For more detailed information about the TED Organization and its events, check out our previous blog, “ What Is A TED Talk? The Fundamentals of TED Explained “. Additionally, for TED Talk outline tips and tricks straight from the TED team, see their TEDx Speaker Guide or their Illustrated Guide for TEDx Speakers . 👍

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How to Deliver a TED Talk

Last Updated: February 21, 2023 References

This article was co-authored by Pete Canalichio . Pete Canalichio is a Brand Strategist, Licensing Expert, and Founder of BrandAlive. With nearly 30 years of experience at companies such as Coca-Cola and Newell Brands, he specializes in helping brands find the most authentic parts of their story to build a brand strategy. Pete holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS in Physics from the United States Naval Academy. In 2006, he won an MVP Award from Newell Brands for his contributions to their Global Licensing department. He’s also penned the award-winning book, Expand, Grow, Thrive. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 74,494 times.

The first TED conference in 1984 brought together people from the fields of technology, entertainment, and design. In the decades since, it has expanded to include a second annual conference, TEDGlobal, as well as the TED Fellows and local TEDx programs, and an annual TED Prize. TED also features a series of videos recorded at its conferences and by its partners, the TED Talks, given by speakers in many fields who share the organization's mission of spreading ideas. [1] X Research source If you have an idea worth spreading, you may wish to give a TED Talk or simply emulate its format.

Deciding What to Give a TED Talk On

• Your idea should be something your audience hasn't heard before, or at least not in the way they've heard it presented before.
• Your idea should be a realistic one, something that your target audience can put into practice or be able to get the right people in their personal networks to put into practice. [3] X Research source

• If you're given a shorter time limit when asked to speak at a TED event, use that time limit instead.

• Education. These TED talks inform the audience about the world around them. Topics often include the biological, physical, or social sciences, as well as information on new technologies and inventions and how they will impact the listeners' lives. The speakers for these talks often have advanced degrees in one of the sciences, but not always.
• Entertainment. These TED talks often cover the creative arts, whether it be writing, art, music, or performing, and delve into the process behind the art.
• Inspiration. These TED talks seek to elevate their audience's perception of themselves and the world around them, to think about things in new ways, and to apply that knowledge to their lives. Many of the speakers of this type of TED talk use their own experiences as examples to others. [6] X Research source

Preparing Your TED Talk

• Your outline, however, should be something your audience can discern without being obvious. In other words, you don't tell them what you're going to say before you say it (no “Here's what I'm going to share with you today”) and what you've said after you say it (no “And in conclusion …”). [7] X Research source
• If you've been scheduled to speak at a TED event, your outline, or a full script, needs to be sent to the event organizer about two months in advance of your appearance. This lets the event organizers provide preliminary feedback. [8] X Research source

• If your idea is one your audience knows is relevant to them, state it clearly early on. If it's not one your audience realizes is relevant to them, show them how it relates to something they do know is relevant to them,
• If your idea is an emotionally heavy one, start with an understated but forthright approach. Let your audience come to feel about the topic instead of dictating their emotions.
• Avoid using a string of statistics. A single relevant fact carries more weight, particularly if it comes as a surprise to your audience. [9] X Research source

• Keep and devote more time in your talk to information that's new to your audience and eliminate and devote less time to things they've already heard.
• Use more evidence that's supported by your own and your audience's observations and experience (empirical evidence) than by telling what happened to someone else (anecdotes).
• Keep the use of specialized terminology to a minimum and, where possible, present it in such a way that your audience can figure out the definition in context.
• Respectfully acknowledge legitimate doubts and contrary evidence.
• Save citations until after you've made your point or post them in small print at the bottom of relevant slides.
• Consider having someone help you gather and select your evidence. [10] X Research source

• Contact the event organizer for information about the resolution and aspect ratio for slides before you start making any. If the organizer doesn't provide you any technical specs, use a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16 to 9.
• Use each slide to support only one point in your talk. Avoid using bullet points to make multiple points in your presentation.
• Let the slide speak for itself. Don't put a lot of explanatory text on the slide or devote time to explain what the picture on the slide represents. If your slide features a chart or infographic, keep it simple.
• Use only images you own or have permission to use. If you're using an image under a Creative Commons license, cite the source of the image at the bottom of the slide.
• Either fill the entire slide with your image or keep it in the center of the slide; don't put content in the edges.
• Use a sans serif font (Arial, Helvetica, Verdana) of point size 42 or larger. (Sans serif fonts are easier to read from a distance than serif fonts like Times New Roman.) If you are using a custom font, be sure to send it to the organizers in advance. [11] X Research source (Presentation software typically can display only the fonts installed on the projecting computer.)

• Your conclusion may include a call to action, if appropriate, as long as that call to action isn't a sales pitch asking them to buy something. [12] X Research source

Rehearsing Your TED Talk

• Yourself in a mirror. This lets you practice your body language.
• Family and friends. These can provide initial feedback, but may be more useful as a source of encouragement.
• A personal speaker coach.
• A speakers' group, such as Toastmasters.
• A class related to the subject of your talk. For example, if your TED talk relates to marketing, you could speak in front of a college marketing class.
• A company speaker event, either at your own company or a company connected in some way to your talk. [13] X Research source

• Online rehearsals through Skype. These let the event organizers provide feedback on how your talk is structured, how well you've paced it, and how clearly you deliver it. These online rehearsals usually are scheduled a month in advance of the event.
• Dress rehearsals on stage at the event site. These provide you with an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the venue, as well as to prepare for any possible surprises, such as unexpected laughter. [14] X Research source

Giving Your TED Talk

Expert Q&A

• If you're unsure as to the specific needs of your audience when formulating your TED talk, you can fall back on the four basic needs of to be loved and to belong, self-interest, personal development, and hope for the future. [16] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Adding humor to a TED talk can be helpful, but not in excess. Most stand-up comedy routines involve connecting a series of unrelated subjects instead of a series of related points. [17] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about speaking in conferences, check out our in-depth interview with Pete Canalichio .

• ↑ http://www.ted.com/pages/about
• ↑ http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_speaker_guide.pdf
• ↑ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-managing/leadership/7-tips-for-choosing-your-ted-talk-idea/article15182124/
• ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2012/04/02/giving-a-presentation-dont-tell-em-what-youre-going-to-say/
• ↑ http://www.inc.com/magazine/201310/burt-helm/how-to-give-a-great-ted-talk.html
• ↑ http://www.webinknow.com/2013/05/how-to-prepare-and-deliver-a-tedx-talk.html

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How to Give A TED Talk: Deliver Your Speech With Confidence

So you landed a TED talk. Now what?

While speaking at TED requires practice and speech memorization, those tips don’t tell you how to give a TED talk. We also discussthose concepts more in part two of this three-part series: How to Plan A TED Talk .

Here, we will expound on some TED talk tips you can use to bring a stage presence like that of Brene Brown.

This article will help you:

• Understand how to give a killer presentation with TED Talks
• Finish crafting a TED Talk presentation that resonates with your audience
• Uncover top TEDx presentation tips so you can deliver a viral-worthy talk

Now that you know about this article let’s dive into the steps involved in giving a TED talk people will reference for generations to come

1. Speak Boldly and Confidently

Politicians, professional athletes, and paid speakers have one thing in common: they must speak boldly and exert confidence to perform successfully in their careers. For example, a football player could exert confidence through fearless action taken on the field. Meanwhile, he may have to speak boldly in a press conference to exert that same confidence level.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke confidently when he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and, as a result, thousands gathered to hear what he had to say. Therefore, spoken confidence is key to gaining influence and getting others to listen to your words.

So, if you want to give a talk at a TEDx event that’s worth listening to, speak as though the entire world is listening. Here’s one exercise you can do that can help you exert more confidence through your spoken word:

The MountainTop Excercise

Close your eyes and picture yourself on the edge of a cliff. In this scenario, you aren’t afraid of heights. You’re far enough back to avoid fear but far enough forward for everyone below to listen to you and take notice. Then, take a deep breath and imagine the entire world is standing below the cliff. There’s one thing you feel you should tell them. You boldly proclaim your idea to the entire world.

When it’s time to give your speech, make sure to speak with the same level of authority you would on the cliff talking to millions of people.

2. Give Your Audience Time To Retain Your Content

When planning a speech for the TED stage, the most significant gift you can give your audience is a moment to absorb your content. This concept of paying attention to your audience is why comedians often pause after delivering a joke. They understand if you don’t have time to process the joke, you won’t laugh; and more than likely won’t return to another one of their shows.

Plan out pauses in your script as you prepare to speak at a TEDx event. If you don’t incorporate breaths ahead of time, you might rush through your talk when it’s time to deliver it. However, if you intentionally create a habit around pausing after crucial moments, your audience has the time to rest and retain what you’re telling them.

3. Plan On-Stage Movement

Have you ever acted in a play? If so, you know that directors often make stagehands mark off certain areas with tape. This taping method helps actors know where to go during different scenes and creates muscle memory while giving their lines in practice.

The primary purpose behind this planning is to help deliver a fluid performance to your audience. You don’t want your on-stage movement to be aimless because that creates a visual distraction for those watching your performance.

As a TEDx speaker, you need to prepare how to use the stage. First, create blocking zones within your presentation timeline. For example, zone one could be planting your feet, executing a point, and pausing. Zone two could mean shifting your feet, delivering a new concept, and pausing.

Planning on-stage movement lets you think about how your action supports the concept you’re trying to deliver.

4. Engage With TED Talk Slides

Growing up, you might recall a teacher writing something on a board and then turning around to face you and discuss the lesson. Imagine if the teacher wrote on the board and tried to explain the lesson while writing. His or her back would be to you while presenting, which isn’t ideal.

In the same way, we won’t want a teacher to present while writing, we shouldn’t talk while delivering a slide during a speaking presentation The goal of this concept is never to compete visually with something else on-stage.

As TEDx speaker, we want to be the primary point of focus. So, when you are engaging with tech, you need to reference the slide and then show it without speaking. Only once the audience has seen the slide do you reference it verbally.

TED Talk Slide Example

For example, if our talk is about world hunger, we might have a statistic about the number of children that don’t receive dinner each night within a particular region. Before sharing a slide with that statistic, we might say, “What we’re talking about is the number of children who don’t get dinner each night.” Then we’d point to the slide or gesture toward the PowerPoint and say, “Let me show you.”

We pause when the slide with the number 35% appears so the audience has time to digest the material. Then, once this number has registered with the audience, we might say, “35% of children in Madagascar don’t get a meal each night.”

Breaking up your speech and slides helps you engage with your audience on a new level.

More TED Talk Presentation Tips

Whether you’re speaking at an in-person TED conference or a virtual TEDx, your big ideas are only worth sharing if you’re comfortable presenting them. In other words, confidence in yourself and your speech is the key to effectively presenting for the TED community.

Therefore, we’ve come up with a few final tips you can use to prepare for your 18-minute talk successfully:

How to Memorize A TED talk

We spoke about the concept of memorization more in our previous article: How to Prepare A TED Talk . We discuss memorization elements such as muscle memory, focused thoughts, and body conditioning. Here we’re going to focus on the role teaching plays in the TED talk memorization process.

Studies show that individuals who teach what they’ve learned have better knowledge retention than those who spend the same time re-studying. The same rule applies to speech memorization. Taking opportunities to discuss your speech topic with others helps you remember it better than simply reviewing lines repeatedly.

Giving The TED Talk of Your Dreams

We hope that you now feel confident in your TED talk journey. From speech writing and applications to preparation and memorization tips , our goal with this series has been to equip you with the necessary resources to follow this TEDx path.

While the TED stage isn’t an overnight process, it’s a learning experience that can propel you forward in your career. So, what are you waiting for? Reach for the stars. Follow your dreams, and change the world.

Check out more great articles from the Thought-Leader Blog covering TEDx Talks, success mindsets, and everything else in between

How to Get a TED Talk

How to prepare a ted talk, how to market yourself effectively, how to become a keynote speaker, how to speak professionally.

.

, , , , , , .

Prepare your speakers + performers

There is a lot of time and effort that goes into speaker preparation. Crafting, memorizing, and delivering a TED-like talk is drastically different from giving a speech or lecture.

You’ll want to be there for your speaker every step of the way, to help them feel supported and empowered. There are several steps to take in the prepping process:

Outline + script

Your speaker’s outline and script will be a multiple draft process, so be prepared to guide them through it.

TEDx Publishing Guidelines + Fact-Checking Guide

TEDx organizers share the responsibility of maintaining TED’s values and upholding our audience's trust. Our publishing guidelines and fact-checking guide will help you to responsibly share ideas with a global audience.

Create + prepare slides

Slides are a significant part of a speaker’s talk, so you want to make sure they create the most impressive slides possible.

Your speakers should be taking weeks or months to rehearse and memorize their talk. Learn more about speaker coaching, and how to spot warning signs that a speaker isn’t prepared.

Day of the event

TEDx speakers have just as much pressure as you do on the day of your TEDx event, so it’s critical to make them feel nurtured and excited.

Up first: Outline and script

Trump arrives in Atlanta, talks about Fani Willis, stops at Chick-fil-A

Trump visits atlanta for fundraiser.

Former president Donald Trump spent the day in metro Atlanta as part of a fundraising stop. He didn't hold back on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' recent attempt to get his appeal for her disqualification thrown out.

ATLANTA - Former President Donald Trump arrived in Atlanta at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport shortly before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday for a luncheon fundraiser with local business leaders.

The 45th president is reportedly on a tour to raise money as he continues his campaign to return to the White House. Fox News reported he raised more than $50 million in Florida just days prior.

Trump greeted a couple of dozen supporters at the airport upon his arrival. He then answered several questions from the press.

Former President Trump speaks to press in Atlanta

Former President Trump spoke to the press upon his arrival in Atlanta. He spoke about several things, including Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the Georgia election interference case.

Trump refrained from directly responding to a question about his opinion on abortion, emphasizing that it is a settled issue and up to the states to decide. 

"For 53 years, it has been a fight," Trump stated. "Now, the states are handling it. Some have handled it very well and others will end up handling it very well. That’s something that the states will make a determination on."

He also criticized President Joe Biden.

When asked about Fani Willis' recent attempt to get his appeal of the disqualification ruling thrown out, Trump dismissed the case as "totally discredited" and labeled it as "election interference."

"I think that case has been totally discredited. It's on behalf of her and her lover, Wade. Mr. and Mrs. Wade. And I think the case has been totally discredited. I would hope, it seems to be. And we'll see how that ends. The one in New York is totally discredited. Every legal scholar said they have no case. It's a horrible thing, but it's election interference," Trump said.

Fox 5 reached out to District Attorney Fani Willis’ office for a response to Trump’s comments but her office stated they are declining to comment at this time.

Trump was also met by former senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue.

After Trump left the airport, he stopped at a Chick-fil-A on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW in the Vine City area. 

While details had not officially been released, the Georgia Recorder reported that Trump was in town to attend a fundraiser luncheon with local business leaders and supporters like former U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot and Georgia Aquarium, Tommy Bagwell, a prominent figure in the poultry industry, Don Leebern III, known for his involvement in the beverage sector, and Bill White, an advocate for Buckhead.

The Georgia Recorder reported that attendance at the fundraiser was priced at $6,600, with an additional $25,000 fee per couple for a photo opportunity with the former president.

This was Trump's second visit to Georgia in a little more than a month. On March 9, he and President Joe Biden hosted dueling rallies in the state ahead of winning their respective primaries. 

Trump loses motion to dismiss Georgia charges

A Fulton County Superior Court judge denied former President Donald Trump’s request to toss his case because of the First Amendment.

Recently, the former president asked a Fulton County Superior Court judge to dismiss the Fulton County election interference case on the grounds of free speech.

The indictment issued in August 2023 by a Fulton County grand jury accused Trump and 18 others of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia after the Republican incumbent narrowly lost the state to Biden. Trump’s attorneys argued that all the charges against him involved political speech that is protected even if the speech ends up being false.

But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote that at this pretrial stage he must consider the language of the indictment in a light favorable to the prosecution. The charges do not suggest that Trump and the others are being prosecuted simply for making false statements but rather that they acted willfully and knowingly to harm the government, he wrote.

Trump and his co-defendants have filed a new request asking McAfee to reexamine his dismissal.

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CEO shares her No. 1 simple tactic for getting people to listen to her: 'Forget about trying to be confident'

If you want people to listen to you , you need to be clear and concise. Using "ums" and "uhs" in your next conversation or presentation won't help you get your point across.

A trick that you may have learned in grade school can help mitigate that, says Talia Fox, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based executive coaching firm KUSI Global and a public speaking coach for over 20 years.

To communicate effectively and keep herself on track, Fox leans on a five-point outline — the same kind you may have learned while writing essays in English class:

• One quick, attention-grabbing introduction
• Three core talking points that move your purpose forward
• One compelling statement to conclude your story

With this structure, "you could give me a topic and I can turn it into a speech on the spot," Fox tells CNBC Make It. "You can turn that into a one-minute talk, a 10-minute talk, a 20-minute talk or even an hour and a half talk."

The strategy's usefulness go beyond presentations, she says. Say you're asking your boss for a promotion, for example. In just three sentences, you can give them a clear, convincing argument with concrete examples of your contributions:

• I'd like to be considered for a role in upper management.
• I've consistently identified and solved problems for our team, effectively demonstrated leadership skills throughout my time here and fostered relationships across the organization.
• I'm positive that I've gone above and beyond my current job requirements, and I'd love to continue boosting company productivity in a more challenging role.

Once you have your words in place, you need one more element, Fox says: Exude confidence, even if you aren't 100% sure of yourself at that very moment.

"People think confidence is something that you need to have internally," she says. "The whole world, including billionaires, feel insecure. Forget about trying to be confident, it's going to be an up-and-down thing. But you can practice your posture, your voice tone, your eye contact. Try to know the behaviors that result in confidence."

You can calm your nerves before broaching any important conversation — the kind where you might need people to listen to you — by doing activities like taking a walk, meditating or practicing positive affirmations, ex-Disney recruiter Simon Taylor told Make It last year.

Even telling yourself things like "I'm capable" or "I'm confident" can help you "overcome nerves and get grounded," Taylor advised.

Want to make extra money outside of your day job?  Sign up for CNBC's new online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started and real-life success stories. Register today and save 50% with discount code EARLYBIRD.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

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Brittany Tearfully Reveals Jax Didn’t Make Her “Feel Attractive”: “He Puts Me Down a Lot”

Brittany Cartwright cried as she talked about her marriage during a girls night on The Valley .

Girls night takes a serious turn on The Valley when Brittany Cartwright tearfully opened up about her marriage troubles, admitting that husband Jax Taylor doesn’t make her “feel attractive.” 

How to Watch

Watch  The Valley  on Bravo Tuesdays at 9/8c and next day on Peacock . Catch up on the Bravo app . 

Brittany made the heartbreaking admission in a new preview clip of Season 1, Episode 5 as the ladies gathered in their jammies for a fun-filled night of drinking and games. 

  “Describe the last sex you had,” a pregnant Janet Caperna read from one question card to kick off the festivities. 

While Janet happily described her last rendezvous in the bedroom with husband Jason , Brittany confessed that she and Jax were going through a difficult dry spell.

“Um, the last time I had sex? Um, probably like a month and a half ago at least,” she admitted. 

The others encouraged her to talk to Jax about the issue, but Brittany insisted the bar owner already “knows” her feelings. 

“It’s been a whole thing,” she said before breaking into tears. 

Brittany Cartwright says Jax Taylor doesn't always treat her well

Brittany opened up more about the marital woes to producers, saying that Jax could sometimes be  “really hard on" her.

Here's what you missed on Bravo:

Brittany Cartwright & Jax Taylor Reunite for Their Son's 3rd Birthday Bash (PICS)

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“He kind of puts me down a lot whether it’s about if I go out and have a girls night and don’t feel good the next day or the way I look,” she shared. 

Your partner is supposed to lift you up and make you feel good about yourself and I feel like he’s doing the opposite to me right now and that really sucks because I’ve been in his corner through all the sh-t he’s put me through. I’ve always stuck up for him, I’ve always believed in him and I just feel like I don’t get the same thing in return," she continued.

What has Brittany Cartwright said about her breakup with Jax?

The couple announced they were taking some time apart in February, just weeks before The Valley premiered .

Brittany told Page Six part of the reason for the split was because she didn’t feel valued in the relationship.

“We’ve been together nine years, and people stop appreciating and take you for granted after some time, and that should never happen in a marriage,” she explained at the time . “So, that’s what I’m trying to get back, and if it doesn’t come back, we won’t get back together.”

Brittany gave an update on the status of her relationship on an April 2 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen , admitting she was hopeful the couple would go to marriage counseling, but so far Jax has resisted the idea .

"Everything is kind of up in the air right now," she said of where the two stand today. "I feel like I'm really strong right now, I feel like I've grown a lot in the past couple years, especially after having Cruz, I've gotten so much stronger and I feel like I deserve better."

To find out more about the issues that drove the couple apart, tune in to The Valley Tuesday nights on Bravo or available streaming the next day on Peacock.

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What Caitlin Clark said after being taken No. 1 by Indiana Fever in 2024 WNBA draft

Superstar Caitlin Clark was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever on Monday night at the 2024 WNBA draft .

Here is what college basketball's all-time leading scorer said after she was drafted. This Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Now that you're officially the No. 1 pick, what about your game do you feel like is going to translate best over to the W and specifically in Indiana?

"Yeah, I think the biggest thing is definitely my passing. I think that's at times what gets overlooked in my game. I think the scoring and the long shots is what everybody falls in love with. Then obviously going to an organization that has, in my eyes, one of the best post players in the entire world. My point guard eyes just light up at that. And obviously, Aliyah (Boston) has been one of my teammates before. I'm excited. I can't wait."

Who's your biggest rival going into the season?

"I don't really feel like I have a rival. I think the biggest thing is the WNBA is so competitive right now. Every single time you step on the floor, it's going to be a rivalry. I think so many teams are loaded with so much talent. This is the most competitive league in the entire world. Less than 144 spots.

"So you'd better bring it every single night, and I think that's exactly what I'm going to do."

I saw you share a moment with (Iowa coach) Lisa (Bluder) after getting the pick. Can you take us through what that conversation was, what you guys were talking about, and what it meant to share that with her after you guys are essentially the two who believed you could make it to back-to-back Final Fours?

"I think the biggest thing is I vividly remember Coach Bluder during my home visit in my recruiting. ... the biggest thing is we talked about this moment, we dreamed of this moment, but she also believed I would be here and she coached me really hard to get to this moment.

"There was a lot of ups and downs. Something I really appreciated about Coach Bluder is no matter what awards or success or wins we ever had or I had, it's like she never stopped coaching me, she never stopped holding me accountable. She always thought there was ways for me to get better. She still thinks that, and I still think that."

Which player are you looking forward to playing with or against this season?

"Definitely Aliyah Boston. Come on now. I think also Erica Wheeler. A vet, somebody that has been in the league a long time, somebody that is in the organization ... somebody that I can lean on."

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You've had a whirlwind and a long season. Are you glad that this part of it is over and that you can kind of focus on being a WNBA rookie?

"I think obviously the course of the last few weeks has been pretty insane in my life, the last two months playing basketball as long as I possibly could in my college career, and then went home for a couple days. I got off the plane when we landed in Iowa City, drove directly home, had my mom cook me a meal, and then I drove back to Iowa City the next day. We had our celebration, and then I flew to L.A., flew to New York and now I'm here sitting at this stage.

"I think the biggest thing is I'm just very lucky to be in this moment, and all these opportunities and these things, they're once in a lifetime, and when things might get tiring or you have to do stuff, I think the biggest thing is look at it just as an opportunity. This isn't something everybody gets to do."

How do you plan to maximize this business opportunity now that you are in the WNBA? Also, what has been the biggest piece of business advice that somebody has given you going into this next phase in your basketball career?

"I feel like it doesn't change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year. Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year, and I don't know if I would be in this moment if it wasn't for a lot of them, and my mom has done a lot, my dad has done a lot.

"I think that's just the biggest thing. The advice I would say is just lean on the people around you. I don't have to do every single thing. ... My focus is solely on basketball."

The Fever haven't been to the postseason since Tamika Catchings was on the team. You've had some time to think about what your role could be in Indiana. How important or how excited are you about the prospect of hopefully getting the Fever back into the playoffs with this young core that you're building around?

"... our goal is to get back to championship habits, and I think it's so cool for me. Like I vividly remember my freshman year during the bubble, we played Kentucky in the round of 32 and Tamika was calling the game and I was like tweaking out. Like I couldn't believe she was calling one of my games. Somebody I idolized, somebody that I loved and somebody that is not only a great basketball player and everything that she did but she's a tremendous person.

"I think that speaks to the organization as a whole and everything that they do is so first class, and I'm very lucky to be going there."

Can you take us through the emotions of being the No. 1 all-time scorer in the NCAA to the emotions you felt when you heard your name called today?

"... I feel like this was definitely a little bit more emotional for me, and I think that's because when you're in the heat of competition, you don't have time to really feel your emotions.

"But when you're kind of just sitting at a table waiting for your name to be called, I think that really allows the emotions to feed you and you're with your family. ... So sharing that moment with them and enjoying it, and people that have really had my back and believed in me more than anyone is super special."

You're going to a basketball-crazy state in Indiana. Indiana is basketball. Basketball is Indiana. Just your thoughts of being part of that.

"Well, I know the Indiana Hoosiers didn't love me too much during my career, but hopefully we can turn a lot of them into Fever fans, if they're not already.

"I think going to a state that supports not only basketball but women's basketball, going and playing in front of — at Indiana, the place is sold out. Doing the same for the Fever is certainly our goal, and having a lot of fans there every single night.

"For myself I can't imagine a more perfect fit ... I couldn't be more excited to get there."

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‘3 body problem’ creators say season 2 “gets really wild in the best possible way” – contenders tv.

• ‘Genius: MLK/X’ Team On Creating “Aha Moments” To Bring Fresh Perspective To Civil Rights Leaders  — Contenders TV

By Destiny Jackson

Destiny Jackson

Awards Writer

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Executive producers Gina Prince-Bythewood , Reggie Rock Bythewood and co-showrunners Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon were at Deadline’s Contenders TV event Saturday to discuss the historical importance of showing Black stories onscreen in the latest season National Geographic ’s anthology series Genius .

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Undoubtedly, there have been copious amounts of media and examinations on the lives of X and King, the two most pivotal figures in fighting against racial injustices and prejudice. However, Jackson and Macedon went undeterred in trying to find a new way to tell their story in Genius MLK/X .

“We gathered a multitude of historians and people who knew either Martin or Malcolm to give us the behind-the-scenes insight as to who they were as people,” Macedon explained. “I have a degree in history, so I went into this very cocky. I felt like I was going to know exactly who these men are. But about an hour and a half [into these conversations], I realized I didn’t know [certain specific things]. And that was the impetus of the birth of this series, those ‘aha moments.’ We wanted the audience to have several aha moments of the things they didn’t know, accompanied by learning about those two men.”

RELATED: Contenders TV – Deadline’s Full Coverage

A challenge that came up while creating the series was in balancing historical fact and entertainment, especially when it came to wanting to balance Black hardships and Black resilience. 

“We didn’t want it to feel like a museum piece,” Bythewood said. “We wanted this to be for a contemporary audience. When you deal with stories that have a racial background or historical background, there’s an impetus to treat it like a homework assignment.” 

Macedon added: “We wanted [encapsulate this vibe] by casting a younger version of Martin, Malcolm, Betty [Shabazz] and Coretta [Scott King] because it is this entertainment piece as well. We wanted the audience to see this cast bring these people that we think we know to life, see them in love and see them make mistakes, fall down and get back up. It’s interesting because oftentimes we think of Dr. King or Malcolm X as older, but Dr. King was 26 when he led the Montgomery bus boycott. And we also want to have the audience lean in and see these young people achieve these incredible things. We hope you can watch this and be inspired as well.” 

Check out the panel video above.

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