TED Talks

The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

By: Chris Anderson

Narrated by: Chris Anderson, Tom Rielly, Kelly Stoetzel

Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times Bestseller

“Catnip for all the TED fans out there.” —Publishers Weekly

“The most insightful book ever written on public speaking…a must-read.” —Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals

Since taking over TED in 2001, Chris Anderson has shown how carefully crafted talks can be the key to unlocking empathy, spreading knowledge, and promoting a shared dream. Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audience’s worldview; it can be more powerful than anything in written form.

This “invaluable guide” (Publishers Weekly) explains how the miracle of powerful public speaking is achieved, and equips you to give it your best shot. There is no set formula, but there are tools that can empower any speaker.

Chris Anderson has worked with all the TED speakers who have inspired us the most, and here he shares insights from such favorites as Sir Ken Robinson, Salman Khan, Monica Lewinsky, and more—everything from how to craft your talk’s content to how you can be most effective on stage. This is a must-listen for anyone who is ready to create impact with their ideas.

©2016 Chris Anderson (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

One of the VERY Best!

Everything about this audiobook is outstanding. The narrator (who is the author) is an amazing example of what the essence of this book is about: compelling, interesting, significant public speaking–for TED, or any other venue. Anyone interesting in public speaking and in making this a better world will enjoy and benefit from hearing it. One of the best of some 700 audiobooks I have listened to. I was so impressed I bought the physical book as well.

A TED Talk It Is Not!

Any additional comments?

TED Talks are short, pointed and highly informative, this book is neither short or pointed. To be fair, it is informative. I expected a "how to" book and was disappointed not to find that. While the book contains a tremendous number of pointers, all completely accurate, relevant, and worth knowing, it doesn't provide these pointers in a succinct or easily managed way. The book is worthwhile and the author/narrator is passionate and knowledgeable. If one is able to identify within the book someone with a personality like their own they may land on the more correct formula to follow. But so much will require trial and error in live speaking opportunities. I stuck with the book more because I enjoy TED Talks than because of any enjoyment I received from the book. I can easily see the book being the basis of a class on public speaking - a class that I would have gladly taken when I was in college. But alas, sheer willpower and stubbornness are what brought me through to the end.

Excellent tools but loses momentum

The first half of the book was excellent because it provided tools, strategies and examples of how to develop a talk or presentation. The author then transitioned into using technology and finished with global implications of Internet video and compelling talks. I wouldn't recommend the last 2-3 chapters unless that interests you.

Concise, to the point

I've read quite a few books about presenting and public speaking and this is one of the best

Best Guide on TED Talks

The author goes above and beyond in explaining how to give a presentation to a large audience. If you've seen any of the most popular TED Talks, you'll know that the presenters have spent months preparing for an 18-minute presentation and have contingencies for every imaginable obstacle they might encounter, like technical difficulties and lost presentation.

Couldn't stand the narrator

The narrator is very annoying, couldn't listen to it. I am sorry....maybe it's just me:(

Excellent!

This was an excellent book that I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to pursue public speaking, whether it be a TEDtalk, conference presentation, or workshop. I feel much better prepared after listening to this audiobook and feel inspired to share my ideas with the world!

almost perfect

I am a huge fan of Ted. The one thing I had hoped in a book like this that it would cover this subject thoroughly, with some historical perspective. I expected that it would acknowledge that the art of public speaking is 2000 years old it wasn't invented by the Ted people themselves. There is next to nothing mentioned about Aristotle or Cicero or Quintillion or some of the important work by recent communication theorists. is someone who is top public speaking for 30 years, I can tell you it's not all oratory shouted or intoned slowly to large crowds. there is a lively group of people and practitioners who have much to teach. that said, I do think there's a lot of value in this book. We do live in an age whete public speaking is becoming recognized once again is it important tool.

Half Public Speaking Tips - Half History of TED

There are some very good public speaking tips and insights to contemplate in this book. The majority of these tips are geared towards giving a TED style talk, but many are applicable towards any type of public speaking engagement. Even for someone who is comfortable with public speaking, or giving presentations, you'll pick up something from this book.

Interspersed throughout the book, the narrator does give somewhat of a history of TED, which is interesting if you are a fan of TED Talks. The history is usually interwoven or tied to some tip on public speaking, making the historical aside relevant to the chapter.

Those who have not seen many TED Talks before may find this book less engaging than those who are more familiar with TED. If you have watched hours of TED Talks there will be references to videos you have probably seen before, which may help reinforce the driving points the book is trying to make. The good news is if you want to watch a Talk mentioned in the book, most are readily available online, making this book a unique interactive show and tell style guide to public speaking.

Get ready for an exciting journey?

Chris does an awesome job getting you excited to share your passions, even if you don't want to actually give a talk. You will be excited to give it a go after reading even a bit of this book. Then Chris proceeds to tell you exactly how to go about writing, rehearsing, and giving the talk. And it's all done within an ongoing story throughout the book. Fun, fun stuff!

"Dismal Narrative"

Considering the credentials and expectations of the narrator, I was shocked at how poor he came across. He contradicts his methods and delivery in a number of ways. I would not waste any credit on this audio book.

Grating narrating

Why TED, why? Of all the speakers in all the world, you chose this one.

Much more than a public speaking guide

The narrator's intonation takes a little bit of getting used to but then it's a great insight to improving your public speaking. It highlighted so many pitfalls and potential for errors that at some points made public speaking feel even more daunting! However the book also was very informative in helping you to improve.
I really enjoyed all the tidbits of unrelated but interesting facts from various TED talks that were used as examples, they helped to keep my interest sharp.
The suggestions are helpful in all sorts of areas in life - how to dress, how to deal with nerves, what to do with ideas. It's almost a little tech-age life guidance text.

highly recommended

Great narrator. Great tips. Funny and enjoyable.
My presentation skills have improved due to listening and implementing the ideas and tips in this book.

Great info

Great information for anyone who lacks confidence and does not know how to speak to a large group, or maybe just a small group.

Inspiring

Really enjoyed every minute, great insights to what it takes to deliver a quality talk

Fresh and innovative

What did you like most about TED Talks?

The book provides some general guidelines for a good presentation; however it underlines that there is no standard recipe for a successful presentation. A successful presentation is always a mix of inspiration and good preparation.

What other book might you compare TED Talks to, and why?

I found the book quite innovative, so I would not compare it with another book.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This is the first book I listen from Chris Anderson. I knew him from his contributions to the WIRED magazine and only recently I heard that he was the key person behind the TED talks. The fact that he keeps a low profile and does not want to advertise himself through his achievements shows a side of his character that is necessary to build trust in his audience.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moving moments had to do mostly with the story of Chris Anderson; how he started the whole idea and his family background.

Any additional comments?

I recommend this book for all those who enjoy the TED talks. The book demystifies their success and shows that only hard work is the way out. No standard recipe: just hard work and confidence in what you are doing!

Inspiring!

This is easily the best book about how to construct and prepare talks and presentation that I've read. And I've read a few! It bottles up 20 years of Chris Anderson's experience curating TED and all the many different types of speakers who've been on that platform - good and bad. A must read for anyone who (like me) writes and edits presentations for other colleagues to deliver.

Awful!

Gave up at Chapter 6, could not take any more of the narrators limp, condescending tone.

Good content, poor narration

Unfortunately I couldn't get past the hurried, sometimes unintelligible narration. I am sure the messages in the book are worthwhile and useful as this book was recommended to me. I just couldn't listen to the narrator as his words were too quick and rushed. Disappointing for a book on how to speak publically. Perhaps I'll buy a copy of the book. Perhaps