This may be the last chance for a while. I currently have a couple of coaching slots for anyone doing a TED or similar talk. TEDxUoWaikato doesn't start until August, and after that, I will be busy coaching all of their speakers (last year they had 14 speakers 😅). The program I run over 60-90 days includes 4 workshops, access to online video training, and one-on-one coaching over Zoom. I am based in New Zealand. I coach over Zoom (even for local speakers), and I have coached people globally. Basically, the program looks like this: - We start with a 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 to get clear on your message and the intended outcome of the talk. This is the foundation that the rest of the program is built upon. - Then you will start working on your structure in preparation for the 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽. When working on this, you will have access to videos explaining certain concepts and one-on-one coaching as needed. At the 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽, your progress will be evaluated and suggestions made. When they are implemented, and your Structure is 'signed off', you move to the next stage. - Here we shift gears and move from visual to auditory, as we prepare for the 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽. You will start memorising your talk and evaluating it auditorily rather than in the written form. You will have a few videos and one-on-one coaching as needed. Again, once you are signed off on the 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽, we move on. - Finally, we are working towards the 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽. This is where we refine vocal variety, gestures, movement, any slides or props you might be using, and other aspects of performance. Again, supported by videos and one-on-one coaching as needed. - Once you have completed your 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽, it is just a matter of practice until, ideally, a dress rehearsal on the actual stage the day before, or the morning before your event. As you can see, there is a significant commitment from both the speaker and me in this process. So I do not take clients without first having a chat to ensure that we both have the same level of commitment and are aligned.

There's a lot of pressure these days to be a specialist. To "stay in your lane." To only talk about your one thing. But people are complex. We have multiple interests, perspectives, and experiences. If you only ever present one narrow slice of yourself, you start to seem shallow. Unreal. And ultimately, less trustworthy. Vincent Van Gogh put it well: "It is good to love many things, for therein lies strength." 𝗜 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. I teach communication. But I regularly draw on lessons from martial arts, filmmaking, and podcasting — all things that fascinate me and give me a library of stories to share. Those other interests don't dilute my expertise. They enrich it. They make me more relatable and more real. And if you ever have to speak on a topic you don't naturally love? Your job is to find a connection to something you do love. If you're talking about climate change but it doesn't energise you, think about your grandchildren and the world they'll inherit. If you're presenting on online advertising but it feels dry, consider how it can change the lives of entrepreneurs and their families. The passion has to come from somewhere. Find it. What's an unexpected interest that's shaped how you communicate? 😉

So many things can go wrong. And they often do. But a live demo can be unforgettable... -If you manage the risk. At TEDxRuakura, Mahonri Owen demonstrated a mechanical hand that was operated by the brainwaves of someone in the audience. The headset would read their thoughts, and the hand would open and close. The potential for failure was enormous. WiFi issues. Headset problems. The wrong volunteer. Any of these could have killed the moment. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱. So we mitigated what we could. We pre-selected the volunteer, (the sister of one of our team members). We checked that the headset fit her properly and her hair wouldn't interfere. We had fallback plans if it didn't work. It worked. The demo was a highlight of the event. People were still talking about it at the after-party. If you're doing a live demo, prepare for the worst. Record a backup video of it working. Pre-select your volunteer if you need one. Have a plan for what you'll say if it fails. And never lie to your audience. If you have to use the recording, tell them it's a recording. The reward of a live demo done right is worth the risk. But only if you've done the work to manage that risk. What's the most memorable live demo you've ever seen? Was it a success or a failure? 😉

With my TEDx speakers, we usually start the talk with a blank, black slide. The screen is empty. The audience has nothing to look at except the speaker. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁. When you finally click to your first active slide, it grabs attention. It should happen at a meaningful moment, when the visual actually adds something. But the real trick is what comes next. When you're about to deliver a key line, the moment you want the audience to remember, click to a blank slide first. Their eyes will snap to you. And when you deliver that line, it's YOU they'll associate with it. Not some image. Not some text. You. This is about controlling attention. Slides pull focus. When the screen is active, the audience looks at the screen. When it's blank, they look at you. Most speakers leave their slides up the whole time, competing with their own visuals for attention. The blank slide puts you back in control. It's simple. But it makes your key moments land harder. Have you ever used a blank slide strategically? 😉

I worked with a speaker who had a great idea for a TEDx talk. He had some experience on stage, but all of it had been modeled after Tony Robbins. High energy. Intense. Relentless momentum. The problem was, that style didn't fit his topic. And it wasn't really him either. His natural style was slower. Drier. He had this ironic humour that came out when he wasn't trying to perform. So I suggested we lean into that instead. The talk went well. But what he said afterwards stuck with me: doing it closer to his natural style meant he conserved a lot of energy. He wasn't exhausted from trying to be someone else. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀. I was a Shodan in Kyokushin Karate. I taught for years and eventually ran the dojo. And one thing I learned early: every student has different strengths. My job wasn't to make them fight like me. It was to help them fight like themselves — but better. Bruce Lee said it well: "Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water." The same applies to speaking. You may be more or less humorous than I am. More or less charismatic. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you identify your strengths and maximise them. Beware of mentors or advice that tells you exactly how to do things. Look instead for frameworks you can adapt to fit your individual style. You don't need to be Tony Robbins. You need to be the best version of you. Whose speaking style have you tried to copy — and did it work? 😉