Connor Beaton – How to Prepare for a TED Talk, Build a Community, and Other Resources

Episode: 051

How do you successfully prepare for a TED talk?

Introduction:
Connor Beaton does a solo show to answer some of his listeners’ common questions. He discusses how he prepared for his TED talk, the elements of what makes a good talk, and then dives further into how he and his team built such a strong community at ManTalks. Towards the tail end of the show, Connor reminds the audience on the importance of staying focused and limiting your distractions as you try to achieve great things.

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Key Takeaways:
[4:04] How did Connor prepare for his TED talk?
[6:10] If there’s a way to invite the organizers of an event (TED talks) to hear you speak, then do it.
[6:35] Have a sticky idea? Share your idea with close mentors and friends, and get feedback.
[8:15] Connor breaks down how you format a Ted talk and make it memorable.
[9:40] TED talks are ideas worth spreading because they’re based in facts. You need concrete evidence to back it up.
[11:35] Practice your public speaking skills.
[12:05] Let your message do your work and allow the slides in the background to back up and re-enforce that.
[12:25] What motivates people to change? What’s the conclusion of your talk?
[16:00] Practice standing in one place.
[16:15] How do I handle my nerves? Connor says there’s no ‘not being nervous’ to this.
[16:25] The more prepared you are, the better you will feel about being able to run through it.
[19:25] Record yourself. Listen to how you sound. It’s one of the most powerful things that you can do.
[20:05] If you have more questions, feel free to email Connor.
[20:20] How do you build a tribe/community? What’s the secret?
[21:10] Who are you serving?
[22:00] Don’t try to please everybody. Don’t make a community that’s for ‘everyone’.
[25:00] Come from a place of giving, not getting.
[25:50] How can you go above and beyond to really create a connection and solve a problem?
[26:25] How do you allow your community to help each other?
[30:45] Connor discusses why you need to eliminate your distractions.
[32:25] How do you build a band of brothers?
[33:20] Half of men over the age of 25 can not identify a best friend. The good news is you can fix it!
[35:25] Think big on a daily basis, but act small. What does that mean?
[37:45] Great things are happening with ManTalks!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Tweetables:

“Come out the gates with something that makes people think, ‘I’ve never thought about this topic that way’.”

“Despite speaking every single month with ManTalks, I was freaked out to go and speak at TED in front of 2,000 people.”

“How do you allow your community to give back to one another?”