TED Ideas Worth Spreading

TED.com is a critically acclaimed, award-winning website featuring inspired talks from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Over the last four years, TEDTalks have been watched more than 300 million times worldwide. As well as being an excellent source for public speaking inspiration, the site is unbelievably entertaining and addicting.

In her TEDTalk on creativity, best-selling author Amy Tan, referenced the speaking guidelines that are given to each presenter from the TED organizers. The guidelines are referred to as The TED Commandments and are apparently chiseled in stone. The speakers literally receive a slab of rock.

Now keep in mind, most TED presenters are famous, polished speakers and performers. So the commandments aren't exactly new advice, but they serve as a reminder that the presenter is expected to communicate with enthusiasm on a subject that they feel passionate about in order to engage the audience. That's good advice for any speaker. 

Without further ado, here are the TED Commandments in bold and our interpretation below:

I. Thou Shall Not Simply Trot Out Thy Usual Schtick

Be current, be fresh. 

II. Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Halst Never Shared Before

Talk about what you know, but also about what you'd like it to become. Share your vision.  

III. Thou Shalt Reveal Thy Curiosity and Thy Passion

Never speak about anything of which you have no passion.

IV. Thou Shalt Tell a Story

Involve your audience by giving them something they can care about.

V. Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the Sale of Blessed Connection and Exquisite Controversy

Comment on blogs, read and get involved, share your opinion as well as dissenting views.

VI. Thou Shalt Not Flaunt Thine Ego. Be Thou Vulnerable. Speak of Thy Failure as Well as Thy Success

It's not about you - it's about the audience. Be genuine and real. Be human.

VII. Thou Shalt Not Sell From the Stage: Neither Thy Company, Thy Goods, Thy Writings, Nor Thy Desperate Need for Funding; Lest Thou Be Cast Aside into Outer Darkness

A TEDTalk is not a sales pitch - it's a talk.

VIII. Thou Shalt Remember All the While: Laughter is Good

As long as the humor is not off color or offensive.

IX. Thou Shalt Not Read Thy Speech

Prepare and practice, practice, practice.

X. Thou Shalt Not Steal the Time of Them That Follow Thee

Never speak over the allotted time. Know when to wrap it up. And when doing so, leave the audience with something that they'll be able to remember.

Here's your public speaking homework for tonight: go to TEDTalks and watch a few talks online. I promise, you will be glad you did.

Choosing a Dream Team

Teams are the source of a great deal of the productivity and creativity within an organization. Because they are made up of individuals, teams achieve the best results when comprised of members who exhibit a certain skill set.

Let's assume that you have been asked by your manager to assemble the perfect team. The pool of candidates from which you can choose all have the same level of exceptional technical expertise, as well as fabulous resumes.

So, what are the other skills and abilities you would look for in a candidate when putting together your dream team?

I. The Ability to Listen:
And by listening, we do not mean the words alone. Colleagues give off subtle signs all the time; if you are only listening to what is being said, you are missing at least half of the message. The teammate who listens to what colleagues are saying, but also pays attention to facial expressions, voice control, and body language...in other words...the things that are not being said, is the person you want on your team. By the same token, a valued team member is aware of his/her own actions and how they are perceived by others.

II. The Ability to Coach:
One of the key characteristics of any good team player is the ability to keep feedback positive. An idea might be flawed, but the person sharing the idea is not. The best teammates know that constructive feedback, if handled well, is a good tool for identifying and resolving issues. Positive coaching can help turn a half-baked idea into a brilliant one. 

III. The Ability to Become an Effective Communicator:
How a person shares information, discusses important matters and encourages participation from others will determine his/her effectiveness on a team. In fact, you can drastically improve the quality and functionality of any team by padding it with as many effective communicators as you can get your hands on. Having good communication skills is invaluable; it's the common denominator, the common good of every successful team member.

The faculty at Ty Boyd Executive Communications & Coaching is comprised of experts in the fields of public speaking, business communications and individual coaching. The feedback and direction that our faculty provides empowers team members to make a dramatic difference. You can expect immediate returns when your team invests in a Ty Boyd course or coaching session. Take the lead with Ty Boyd.

Team Building Without Competition

When you want your employees to work together as a group, perhaps breaking them into small teams to compete against each other isn't the best plan. After all, isn't the goal to focus on cooperating and not competing? Team building events should be less about rewarding winners, and more about ensuring that employees learn something that they can use in the workplace.

Team building is about appreciating individual strengths and differences, while building rapport and trust and creating a climate of communication. In a positive environment, employees interact confidently and courteously and relationships are built on goodwill. Colleagues are more willing to speak to one another, to listen more attentively, to ask questions and to offer valuable feedback. So what is the best way to create this type of climate? How about teaching employees to communicate effectively. 

Excellence in Speaking is an entertaining, interactive course where participants prepare short talks on simple topics. Our approach to public speaking combines professional coaching with peer review - and that's where the team building comes into play. Each participant functions in several roles: introducer, speaker, and coach. They not only learn how to deliver a presentation, they learn how to give and receive feedback to support their fellow classmates. 

"Team building was not the primary goal of our course, " says Anne-Boyd Moore, CEO of Ty Boyd Executive Communications & Coaching, "it's just a wonderful outcome of the experience. Everybody in the room is experiencing the same thing...rolling up their sleeves...becoming more vulnerable with each other...and when you begin to do that, when you share vulnerabilities with each other, you can't help but form a strong bond. And that's how a team is born."

The faculty at Ty Boyd will work directly with your organization to implement this course so that it aligns with your organization's cultural directives. When a group experiences this course in a team setting and collectively challenges the fear of presenting, bonds are created that can last forever...and nobody has to compete or suffer through the indignities of team building exercises. It's a win-win.

A Passionate Presentation

To be an effective communicator, you need good, solid tools - the basics - a voice, eye contact, gestures, and body language. Of course, it helps to be a good listener and to be organized, as well. And the very best communicators know how to embrace their personal style and deliver a clear, concise message. But make no doubt about it, these skills are cosmetic.

That's not to say that they aren't meaningful; these skills are of the utmost importance. Using effective eye contact, presenting with poise, being aware of gestures and body language, controlling your voice - all of this helps to create an intimate relationship with an audience. It doesn't matter if  you are talking to two people or two thousand people, the audience will view you as a trusted advisor if you have honed these speaking skills. But be careful; you don't want to look like someone who is putting on an act, someone who isn't genuine, because phoniness is a huge turn off to an audience.

And after all, that's what it's all about....the audience.

It's not about impressing people with your communication skills, it's about providing a meaningful message that benefits the audience and inspires them to act. It's about creating an experience and it's about connecting with people. Instead of focusing on you, focus on the individuals who showed up to listen to you. Sure, effective communication skills benefit every speaker, but they should ultimately serve the audience.

So, how can you best serve an audience? Inspire them with passion. Unlike the other speaker tools, this one is not a cosmetic skill that can be polished, this one needs to come from within you. Passion is the unleashing of your genuine excitement for the message and for the audience.You will need to either find your passion or feed your passion. Discover what makes you happy and do it, because when you do, you will be infused with enthusiasm and energy.

Understand that your passion might not be career related. Just because you are not passionate about accounts payable doesn't mean you can't enjoy your job. You may find your passion in something else like coaching soccer after work. It's ok to feed your passion in the evenings and on weekends rather than during the work day. Just find it. Because once you do, you will see that passion spills over into all areas of your life.

Find it or feed it, but bring that passion to your presentations. A message delivered with passion becomes enormously powerful. 

Ben Does Life. Passionately.

I first learned about Ben Davis in the December issue of Runner's World magazine.

But long before I tuned in, Davis' YouTube video "My 120 Pound Journey" received more than 1.5 million views, his blog, "Ben Does Life" went viral, he was a guest on NBC's Today Show, and he signed a book deal to write about his incredible journey. In January 2009 Ben Davis made the decision to get a grip, get himself out of his depression and do life. Ever since I found him, I cannot get enough of him. 

His is an inspirational journey, for sure. Ben Davis started running, started a blog to document his success and as a result he started living. To date he has lost 120 pounds and while I have no intention of becoming a runner, I am still motivated by Ben's story. Even if you are at your goal weight, fit as a fiddle, and healthy to boot, Ben Davis' advice that "the journey's not going to be easy, but the end results are worth it" can be applied to any struggle in life. His blog is entertaining and well-written. He is honest, vulnerable and real. His message is simple and powerful and his passion is palpable: "If you want to do something with your life, if you really want to do it, just do it. I promise that you can. You just have to do it. And when you do, you'll be happier for it."

Davis is an average, everyday hero whose passion inspires people of all walks of life...all over the world. His initial quest for happiness lead him on a journey that constantly presents new and exciting opportunities. Along with is brother and father, Ben Davis started a grassroots movement called "Do Life" - essentially taking the idea behind "Ben Does Life" and applying it to any body's life. This past summer, the three Davis runners set out across America and Canada to host their first annual Do Life Tour. Not all of the participants in the 5K events had lost weight; some had quit smoking, some had changed careers, some had removed themselves from debt or ended drug and alcohol addictions, and some were taking their very first steps on their journey to happiness. Doing life is really about taking responsibility for decisions and making the necessary changes - it can be applied to any aspect of your life.

Ben Davis embodies passion. He discovered what he loves, what makes him happy and his joy has spilled over into all areas of his life - as is evident when you read his blog. I have not had the pleasure of hearing him speak in public, but something tells me I would enjoy it immensely. He has the power to harness his passion into his written words, so I assume he can do it with the spoken word, as well. Having that skill in his back pocket puts him on the road to becoming a master communicator. All of the other tools that every speaker needs like a voice, a smile, eye contact, gestures, body language, organization, etc., can be learned and polished. But, Ben's passion is not something he learned, it's something he ignited and wanted to share. That's why we at Ty Boyd Executive Communications & Coaching get so emotional about learning presentation skills; it's not about packing your speaking toolbox with a bunch of practical skills, it's about self-empowerment. Once you have that passion and the tools you need to share it, you are able to communicate with an audience at a whole new level.

Ben did not embark on his journey alone. He often uses the words "we" or "us" when he writes about his training  - referring to his brother and father who have been at his side every step of the way. A journey is always more fun when you can share it with others.

We hope you'll let Ty Boyd, Inc. join you on your journey to becoming a better communicator.

Laurie Reid manages the written word at Ty Boyd Executive Communications & Coaching producing Words Well Spoken, Ty Boyd's newsletter as well as electronic communications to our clients. Since graduating from the Excellence in Speaking class in April of 2011, Laurie has not stopped speaking. Her colleagues are hoping that she takes up running....

Invest in Your Employees

Ever since the economy took a nose dive resulting in massive layoffs - some 14 million Americans out of work - employees have considered themselves lucky to have a job. But being a layoff survivor can come with a lot of stress and anxiety brought on by the increased workload and uncertainty of the future. Typically, raises and bonuses reflect an employee's value and worth, but they are usually the first to disappear in troubled times. Perhaps those who are gainfully employed should thank their lucky stars, but a smart manager understands that good employees still need to be acknowledged.

A recent Accountemps poll of over 1,400 companies revealed that one in four businesses plan to add subsidized training and education to retain or attract top talent. "Offering training and mentoring opportunities also helps businesses develop a more skilled workforce," says Max Maessmer, Chairman of Accountemps. This type of perk is a cost effective way for companies to say thank you to valued employees. Perks improve morale and productivity, ultimately benefiting the individual and the company. In addition to perks like career development and training seminars, little things like premium parking and gym memberships go a long way in showing the staff that a manager is grateful for their efforts.

In good times and in bad, companies keep close tabs on the cost associated with training and developing staff. But the flip side of that is the cost associated with not building employees' capabilities; the cost of lost business that results from not having the skills to grow a company. Leadership, communication, innovation, and interpersonal skills are fundamental requirements in today's workplace. The best employees, those employees a company wants to retain, seek opportunities to learn and grow in their careers. Companies who view workshops and seminars as a luxury and not as a competitive and strategic necessity are missing the boat. The question is not "what if we train our employees and they leave the company?" the question is, "what if we don't develop our employees and they stay?"

Career development has always been important, but in today's business climate where salaries are frozen and bonuses slashed, employees are looking for a place to work that fosters personal growth. Career development and training has become as important as the compensation package. When employees know that a company believes in their personal growth, they are more likely to stay with that company for a longer period of time. A lower turnover rate translates into a productive, motivated, enthusiastic workforce and that's just as important as investing in equipment and paying the rent.

Presentation skills. Leadership. Public speaking. Sales communications. Develop these crucial talents with Ty Boyd Executive Communications & Coaching. We serve corporations who want to maximize their people - and people who want their careers to soar.