March 28, 2023
In May 2022, I gave my first ever TEDx talk on the Secret to Building Lasting Confidence.
Within 24 hours of being on YouTube, my TED talk had been watched by 40k people.
The same day, the global TED organization selected my talk out of hundreds of other talks as “Editor’s Pick.”
What most people don’t know. I only had 6 days to prepare for that.
In this article, you’ll learn 4 rather unusual strategies that I’ve used to prepare for my TED talk.
You can use these strategies the next time you find yourself, preparing for a presentation or speech, especially when there is little time.
The moment, I was invited to give the TED talk, my mind started racing:
“What if I black out in front of everyone?”
“What if my head turns completely red?”
“What if the powerpoint stops working?”
When I noticed these thoughts from coming, I asked myself. “You know what, bring it on. What would actually be the worst thing that could happen?”
After indulging in theses thoughts a bit more, I realized that the worst thing could happen would be that I’d poop my pants on stage. That would be worst thing that could happen.
When I realized that, I started visualizing that event.
I visualized myself on stage, pooping my pants.
I went into all the details I’m gonna spare you in this article.
But I also went into the details how dealt with that “problem”. How I continued my talk and how I crushed it at the end.
After doing that visualization for a few times, I realized that, yes, that would suck, but that I could handle it.
So the moment you give a big presentation, ask yourself: “What would be the worst thing that could happen?
Then go ahead and visualize that worst thing, but also you overcome it.
For my TED talk every single word mattered.
I needed to know every single word by heart. How did I do that?
By reading out the script in different voices, intensity, and accents.
For example, part of script I was reading out as if I was…
I know, it may sound a bit wacky, but reading through your script using different voices and accents is a great way to make practicing fun and to really get to know your material.
Of course, you don’t have to use any of these voices in your actual speech; this is just to prepare for your presentation.
Many times throughout my life on stage, I spoke with a voice that was too low.
A voice that didn’t’ sound very confident and that was tough to be understood in the back of the room.
To avoid that, I did something that is a little weird, but extremely effective to give your voice power.
I went to a park in Amsterdam, picked a tree that was about 10 meters (or 30 feet ) away, and then I gave my talk to that tree (aka my audience).
Did people come by and looked at my confused?
Absolutely.
But that’s also great. Because then you learn how to deal with judgement when giving your presentation. So it’s actually an even better exercise if there are people around.
Maybe you’re wondering: “Philipp, Can I also pick an object from my living room?”
No you can’t. Why? Because the acoustic in your room is likely very different from the event location. Everything will sound louder in room.
So, I’d recommend going outside, pick a tree as your audience and then deliver your speech to that tree.
An incredibly effective technique to feel comfortable on stage is constructive embarrassment.
Constructive embarrassment is a practice where you put yourself in an embarrassing situation — on purpose. That can be anything that embarrasses you, such as “asking a stranger for a hug” or “singing in the street”.
Doing one embarrassing exercise right before your presentation or speech will help you become much comfortable on stage.
Check out my article on How To Build Lasting Confidence Through Constructive Embarrassment to know exactly how to get started with these powerful exercises.
These are the 4 strategies that I used to prepare for my TED talk in only 6 days.
Go ahead and try them out. I know they’re a little weird, but hey they are incredibly effective.
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