TEDx Talk Economic Topics

TEDx Talks are a showcase for speakers presenting well-formed ideas in under 18 minutes. If
you havent seen a TEDx Talk, go to TED.com and watch at least one. Your TEDx Talk will
be 5-7 minutes long.

Developing your Idea
An idea isnt just a story or a list of facts. A good idea takes evidence or observations and
draws a larger conclusion. You do not need to be the worlds foremost expert on your topic, but
you do need to be an expert. Please remember that the audience relies on you to give accurate
information, so whatever you say in your talk will need to be fact-checked. This is especially
true for facts that are taken for granted (such as statistics, historical anecdotes, scientific facts,
etc.).

Write the premise of your TEDx Talk. Answer these three questions:
Is my idea new?
Is my idea interesting?
Am I saying something that people havent heard before?
If the answer to any of the above questions is no, then you will need to rework the
delivery so that the answer to each of the questions is yes.

Steps
1. Start by making your audience care, using relatable examples and intriguing ideas
2. Explain the idea clearly and with conviction
3. Describe the evidence
4. End by addressing how your idea could affect your audience if they were to accept it
Remember: The primary goal of your TEDx Talk is to communicate an idea effectively, not
to tell a story or to evoke emotions.

Introduction:
A strong introduction is crucial
Draw in your audience members with something they care about
o If its a topic that the average person thinks about a lot, start with a clear statement
of what the idea is
o If its a topic that the average person never thinks about, start off by invoking
something they do think about and relate that concept to your idea
o If the topic is something fun, but not something the average person would ever
think about, open with a surprising and cool fact or declaration of relevance (not a
statistic)
o If its a heavy topic, find an understated and frank way to get off the ground; dont
force people to feel emotional
Get your ideas out as quickly as possible
Dont focus too much on yourself
Dont open with a string of statistics

Body
In presenting your topic and evidence:
Make a list of all the evidence you want to use; Think about items that your audience
already knows about and the things youll need to convince them of
o Rank all of the items on your list based on what a person needs to know before
they can understand the next point, as well as from least to most exciting.
o Cut out everything that is not a crucial point of your argument
Spend more time on new information: if your audience needs to be reminded of old or
common information, be brief
Use empirical evidence, and limit anecdotal evidence
Respectfully address any controversies in your claims, including counterarguments,
reasons why you might be wrong, or doubts your audience might have about your idea.

Conclusion
Find a landing point in your conclusion that will leave your audience feeling positive
toward you and your ideas chances for success. Dont use your conclusion to simply
summarize what youve already said; instead tell your audience how your idea might
affect their lives if its implemented

Slides
Slides can be helpful for the audience, but they are by no means necessary or relevant to all
topics. Before making slides, ask yourself:
Would my slides help and clarify information for the audience?
Does my slide have more than 4 bullets on it?
Does my slide have more than 25 words on it?
Is the font difficult to read?
If the answer to any of the questions above is no, then you will need to rework or delete the
slide. Remember: the slides are meant to accompany your TEDx Talk. They are not meant to
be read as the presentation. You should not be reading the information off of your slides.
Things that can go on your slides:
Images and photos: to help your audience remember a person, place, or thing
o People will understand that images represent what you are saying, so there is no
need to verbally describe a photo that is on the screen
Graphs and infographics
o Keep graphs visually clear, even if the content is complex. Each graph should only
make one key point
Use as little text as possible you want your audience to listen to what you are saying
Bullet points should all support the same point
Cite all information you put on your slides especially pictures or photos

Rehearse
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Rehearse what you have to say until you are completely
comfortable with your TEDx Talk.
Timing: Time yourself. Practice with the clock winding down. Do this until you get the
timing right.
Posture: practice standing still. You do not need to be stiff and uncomfortable, but you
do need to look professional and knowledgeable.
Technological glitches: Be prepared for the worst. You should be able to give your
TEDx Talk even without your slides.


















TEDx Talk Worksheet
What is our topic?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

What are the facts that we currently know about our topic?









Conduct research to find facts about your topic. You must use at least 5 reliable sources.
Source #1: ____________________________________________________________________
Facts:










Source #2: ____________________________________________________________________
Facts:








Source #3: ____________________________________________________________________
Facts:












Source #4: ____________________________________________________________________













Source#5: ____________________________________________________________________










Idea of the TEDx Talk: An idea isnt just a story or a list of facts. A good idea takes evidence
or observations and draws a larger conclusion (you can also think of this as the thesis).

Our Idea: _____________________________________________________________________

Is our idea new? Yes No
Is our idea interesting? Yes No
Are we saying something that people havent heard before? Yes No

If the answer to any of the questions above is no, you will need to rework the idea until each
of the answers is yes.


Introduction: How will you draw in your audience members with something they care about?




Write the Introduction:














Is my idea explained clearly in the introduction? Yes No
Did I get my idea out quickly? Yes No
Is my introduction focused on the idea? Yes No

If any of the answers is no, rework the introduction until the answers are all yes.
Body: Make a list of all of the evidence you want to use; think about the things that your
audience already knows, and what youll need to convince them of.



























Rank all of the items on your list based on what a person needs to know before they can
understand the next point.








Counterclaims: List all of the controversies in your claim, all counterarguments, reasons why
you might be wrong, and doubts the audience might have about your idea. These should all go
in the column on the left. In the column on the right, respectfully address each of these.









































Cost/Benefit Analysis: List all of the costs and benefits of your idea for each of the categories.

Costs Benefits
Financial










Social










Government










Consumer











Conclusion: Write your conclusion. Find a landing point that will leave your audience feeling
positive toward you and your ideas chances for success. You conclusion should NOT simply
summarize what youve already said. Instead, it should tell your audience hos your idea might
affect their lives if its implemented.


















Does my conclusion leave my audience feeling positive? Yes No
Did I avoid summarizing what Ive already said? Yes No
Does my conclusion tell my audience how my idea will affect their lives? Yes No

If the answer to any of the questions is no, rework the conclusion until all of the answers are
yes.

Slides: Slides can be helpful, but are not necessary.

Do my slides help clarify information for the audience? Yes No
Do my slides have more than 4 bullet points each? Yes No
Do my slides have more than 25 words on it? Yes No
Is the font difficult to read? Yes No

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, rework the slides until all of the answers
are no.