⏰ The 3-minute TED talk with 10 million views...

It takes a lot of guts to stand on a TED stage and speak for less than three minutes. But that’s exactly what Derek Shivers did and it landed him a standing ovation 👏.

I share this because while we all buy into the idea that less is more, it’s very rare to see thought leaders deliver on it.

When I was curating TEDxClapham, I’d ask speakers how long they needed to communicate their idea.

Nearly all of them said ~15 minutes.

On the occasion, a speaker would say 5 minutes (rather sheepishly, as if that wasn’t enough), they’d immediately get bumped up the list ✅.

There is a place at conferences and ideas festivals for short talks.

Pitching a 3-minute talk would be a tremendously smart way to increase your chances of landing an important speaking engagement this year 🧠.

Derek's talk, How to Start a Movement lasted just 2 minutes and 36 seconds (it is also a masterclass in how to accept a standing ovation… 🤭). Enjoy… 🍿

Three things to take away from Derek’s talk…

1. You don’t need to be serious to be impactful 🤗
   Fun is a trojan horse. This year, why not set an intention to be the speaker that cheers everyone up?

2. Assume authority, don’t ask for it 🎖️ 
   In a 3-minute talk, there’s no time to talk about why your audience should listen to you, so practice the art of just getting straight into it. Learning this skill will pay dividends for your longer talks too.

3. Always share the biggest lesson last 🏁
   Derek shared two lessons at the end of his talk. Notice how he builds up to the last one by suggesting that the audience might have missed it. Such a simple way to give it more credibility.

Some food for thought: You’ve just landed a 3-minute talk slot in front of your perfect audience… what would you talk about?

I ask this because MicDrop will be opening its doors to 8 new members in February 🙌. In their first month, I’ll be working with them directly to narrow down their message and get conference-application ready for 2024.

2 slots have already gone and we won’t be opening our doors again until later in the year 🚪.

If you’re an aspiring thought leader looking to take your speaking from good to great this year, click here to apply.

Happy New Year everyone!

Alex