The 4-Step Formula TEDx Speakers Use To Hook You

I've spent two weeks analyzing hundreds of TED talks to find out what separates a great speech from an average one why do some of them get millions of views

While others just a few hundreds 28 pages of notes later I realized that the best performing TED Talks follow the same four steps today you'll uncover

what those four steps are so that you can apply them to crush your next presentation step one hook I realize that 90% of the most view TED Talks use

one of three hooks just watch how they open their speech here in the next 18 minutes when I do our chat four Americans that are alive

will be dead through the food that they eat I have a confession to make but first I want you to make a

little confession to me they share a surprising statement they share this unexpected statistic fact or statement right at the start of the speech to hook

Their audience now that breaks the pattern of what is expected that takes Their audience out of autopilot and brings them into the moment now that's one hook but a lot of the best speakers

also use that second hook to open their speech what's the scariest thing you've ever done how do you explain when things

don't go as we assume or better how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions they ask a question we

as humans we're natural problem solvers we love solving Mysteries anytime that you put a question out there your audience's brain will start working immediately trying to get that answer

Ted speakers know that but hey there's one last hook that they use and that is by far the most effective so I'll start with this a couple years ago an event planner called

me cuz I was going to do a speaking event and she called and she said I'm really struggling with how to write about you on the little flyer and I thought well what's the struggle and she

said well I saw you speak and I I I I'm going to call you a researcher I think but I'm afraid if I call you a researcher no one will come because they'll think you're boring and irrelevant they share a story they skip

the usual formalities they're not like oh thank you so much for having me it's such an honor to be here no in instead they dive right into that personal story the moment that Their audience hears

that story they know ooh this is going to be a good one this is not going to be the standard speech this is going to be something worth listening to but once they've hooked Their audience they do

one more thing to assure the audience that this will be worth their time step two big promise they tell Their audience what is in it for them what will they

gain from listening to the speech Just see how Amy shares her big promise so I want you to pay attention to what you're doing right now we're going to come back to that in a few minutes and I'm hoping

that if you sort of learn to tweak this a little bit it could significantly change the way your life unfolds she shares what the audience will gain from listening to her talk but notice that

she doesn't frame the big promise from her perspective she frames it from the audience's perspective the best speakers don't say I such as I will show you the

five steps in instead they say you today you will uncover the formula to finally stick to your habits and once they've Shar that big promise they then move

into the main part of the speech step three body in that part Ted speakers share their two to three main points now the two to three main points the

audience needs to know to really get to that same big idea but they don't just share that point they also share why that point matters and also how they arrived at that main point they share

the evidence that backs up that point now that evidence usually comes in three ways either a statistic a story or an interactive activity here for example Amy Ki shares some statistic on how the

blood changes when you assume power poses or here Sean akre shares a story of his brother-in-law and that shows really how we view the world shapes our

reality well here Graham Shaw walks his audience through the process of drawing a cartoon he not only demonstrates it but he also asks his audience to join

along and see for thems how easy it is this guy even goes so far and makes the entire audience get up and join him in this rather awkward activity anytime

you're going to talk to anybody important do these first arms up deep breath in and and sigh out like that one more

time but once they've made their main points the speakers then move into the close losing of their speech step four closing in the closing statement

speakers usually recap the two to three main points that they want their audience to take away but just be mindful they don't say ah here are my 10 takeaways because that would overwhelm

Their audience they focus on one to three takeaways that's it but once they've recapped their main points they then usually end on this inspiring closing statement this closing statement

often leaves Their audience with this positive feeling and invites them to take action just watch how this speaker closes gentlemen I hope that you've had

fun that you have learned but more than anything I hope that you feel inspired to become a greater public speaker

because anybody can become good anybody can become great and everybody can become outstanding because it all comes down to one single

thing isn't that a wonderful closing now that's it that's the four-step formula that the best Ted speakers use to hook Their audience now once you've watched a few of the TED Talks you realize that

there's actually one reason why they have become so popular storytelling but I know storytelling especially when you're starting off can be a little bit overwhelming if that's you in any way you may want to check out this next

video in which I share my favorite storytelling techniques enjoy [Music]