Simon Willison's Weblog: ted

Why does TED refer to its speeches as "talks"?

2013-12-08T09:44:00+00:00

My answer to Why does TED refer to its speeches as "talks"? on Quora

I think this reflects a more general trend in the tech conference world which TED emerged from.

Content at tech conferences is usually referred to as "talks", "presentations" or sometimes "keynotes". The term "speach" I think has somewhat negative connotations - it implies reading a pre-prepared script with little-to-no audience interaction, and more of an emphasis on rhetoric than education. Politicians give speeches.

I've spoken at over 100 tech conferences, including a couple of keynotes, and I've never thought of one of my presentations as being a "speach".

Or maybe it's just the "TED talk" sounds better than "TED speach".

Tags: speaking, quora, ted

Are there more annual TED and TED-related conferences than there are days in the year?

2013-10-29T12:33:00+00:00

My answer to Are there more annual TED and TED-related conferences than there are days in the year? on Quora

According to http://www.ted.com/TEDx there were 245 community-run TEDx events in 61 countries in just the last month, so yes it's safe to say there are considerably more annually than there are days in the year.

Tags: conferences, quora, ted

Hackers: Who is a good speaker or author on hacktivism and/or the recent events of leaking confidential information?

2013-07-25T09:33:00+00:00

My answer to Hackers: Who is a good speaker or author on hacktivism and/or the recent events of leaking confidential information? on Quora

Danny O'Brien comes to mind. He's worked for the EFF and the Committee to Protect Journalists, is fully immersed in hacker culture and is a fantastic speaker: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan...

Tags: hacking, speaking, wikileaks, quora, ted

How do some public speakers memorize so many statistics when speaking on stage?

2013-06-11T12:12:00+00:00

My answer to How do some public speakers memorize so many statistics when speaking on stage? on Quora

It's really not hard. If you're memorising a complete speech, remembering a few statistics is easy in comparison. Also, the stats you use in a speech should be meaningful (otherwise thy include them at all?) which means the have a built in mnemonic.

Tags: speaking, quora, ted, tedx

Why are TED talks 18 minutes long (or less)?

2011-12-31T09:47:00+00:00

My answer to Why are TED talks 18 minutes long (or less)? on Quora

I imagine it's because enforcing a shorter talk time results in consistently higher quality presentations, by forcing speakers to carefully structure their talk and strip out any unnecessary details.

A similar logic holds for five minute "lightning talks", which are extremely popular at technical conferences. Only having 5 minutes forces people to get straight to the point and stay there.

Tags: speaking, quora, ted

What are some other conferences that showcase cool ideas, like TED or the Renaissance Weekend?

2010-12-27T15:57:00+00:00

My answer to What are some other conferences that showcase cool ideas, like TED or the Renaissance Weekend? on Quora

http://www.poptech.org/ is quite TED-like - especially good for science topics.

Tags: conferences, quora, india, ted

What are the underlying, unspoken values of TED?

2010-12-07T16:50:00+00:00

My answer to What are the underlying, unspoken values of TED? on Quora

Not unspoken, but the ten commandments they send out to their speakers are pretty interesting: http://www.ted.com/pages/360

Tags: design, ideas, technology, quora, ted