Book Review - TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris J. Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chris J. Anderson takes the reader through strategies of some of the most famous TED Talks, and how a perspective public speaker can utilize them - no matter the talk or presentation they're giving.

He warns of pitfalls for the reader to avoid, such as a take vs give talk where the speaker is trying to gain something from the audience instead of giving, which can lead to the talk becoming little more than an elaborate sales pitch. Or trying to impress your audience with your greatness. Even if the talk is about you and your accomplishments, your audience generally doesn't want to sit through an hour of bragging.

He gives suggestions for how to structure your talk, all the way down to the singular decision of should it be memorized or not. There are pros and cons no matter the decision, and I enjoyed reading how both may work and may not work for a particular speaker.

Most importantly, I feel, was he gives the reader the okay to be human on the state. To make mistakes. To have to bring note cards. To fumble. In fact he gives numerous examples on how this can work to an advantage. Embraced, but not beaten to death with apology after apology, a mistake or two can actually endear you to your audience. You're sharing a vulnerability - and with that people are more likely to want to root for you. To see you surmount your obstacle and succeed.

Specifically those people interested in TED Talks.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in the slightest in public speaking - be it for a school presentation, a dreaded board meeting, or for fun. I learned so much from it and will definitely be keeping it on hand to review when the need arises!

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