Jonesing for TED Talks

I only wish I had the time to listen or watch all of the podcasts that pile up when my iTunes subscriptions refresh. So it was reassuring to read today's New York Times Magazine's confession of a TED Talks addict.



Writer Virginia Heffernan comes clean on her own TED "problem", while also highlighting one dimension of what makes the offering so compelling. Sure, there are the obscure and varied multidisciplinary subjects that are covered, but the delivery is also key.

TED supplies its speakers with strict guidelines. “Start strong” is the most obvious one, and there is virtually no throat clearing or contrived thanking. Instead, speakers blaze onto the stage like stand-up comics, hellbent on room domination. Some consult notes and stay close by their audiovisual equipment — PowerPoint is used for emphasis, but it never directs the talks — while others pace, spread their arms wide and take up space. No one apologizes for himself. No one fails to make jokes. The appreciative room roars at humor, when they’re not literally oohing and aahing at insight.