It's January 15th. Have you broken your resolutions already? In 2015, the bar has been raised. The world is watching TED Talks and TED has become the standard for all presentations and public speaking. If you want your career to soar, you'll need to play a bigger game. That means your speaking has to make an impact. Your speaking must inspire and influence.
Let's take a page from Aristotle who revealed the secret of persuasion: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
Ethos refers to trustworthiness, character, or reputation.
Pathos relates to emotions. It's how to empathize with the feelings of the listener; to invoke their imagination.
Logos is persuading through data, logic, or reasoning.
How does this relate to TED Talks? Analysis revealed that these presentations were:
65% pathos or emotions 25% logos or data 10% ethos or credibility.
Most TED speakers relied heavily on storytelling. Yet most other presentations are heavy on data and low on stories. Here are three resolutions that are guaranteed to catapult your speaking skills.
Resolve to Deliver More Stories. For 2015 the best speakers will be the best storytellers. The old saying applies: "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." First make a human connection before you present your data. Lead with a story, support it with data.
Resolve to Use the Rule of Three. When presenting data, use the Rule of Three. TED talks are 18 to 20 minutes. The brain tunes out for longer than 20 minutes. People can easily remember three big ideas or concepts - Just Do It, Yes We Can, Ready, Set, Go.
Resolve to Be Memorable. TED presenters think visually. You won't see slides crowded with text and numbers. Instead, you'll see pictures. Steve Jobs was the master of one picture per slide. The audience will remember 20% of what they hear and will retain 70-85% of what they see. This is supported by research from 3M, Wharton School of Business, and University of Michigan.
One of the best ways to be memorable is deliver something new and do the unexpected.
Let 2015 be the year that you talk like TED. Tell more stories, use the rule of three, be memorable. These are three resolutions you need to keep to get to the next level, earn more, gain influence, and to rock your speech.