23 Storytelling Techniques from the Best TED Talks

Really powerful bunch of ideas for making speeches stand out! Really easy to understand and clearly written, just the right amount of information with the option to dig deeper into the specific talks if one is interested. I will have my first seminar ever next week and I am super stoked I read this before, will definately implement more than a few of the tips.

Everyone has heard of TED Talks. In short but compelling presentations speaker after speaker holds our interest and shares a lesson that changes lives and minds. Karia utilizes the actual videos and shares insightful analysis that isolates and conveys practical applications from the talks that can be utilized by anyone to hone their presentation skills. Thoroughly​ enjoyed this book and gained useful tips (and I have done hundreds and hundreds of presentations). Highly recommended.

I like the distilled nature of the advice and the summary bullet point list at the end. The advice is solid presentation advice and most of it I have learned elsewhere. It's a quick read, but that's because there isn't much to it; I didn't find it compelling or feel like I was learning some grand new secrets to improve my presentation style. I know it's not a TED sponsored book, only observations distilled from watching TED talks, but I was expecting more insightful or surprising revelations instead of mostly common presentation advice.

Akash Maria really takes apart one of the essential elements of the best TED talks -- storytelling. Having watched a great many of these over the years I was delighted with his selections of talks to illustrate his points. I usually have reservations about books of a certain number of tips, but Akash does it quite well and really fits the analysis to the talk.

Excellent book. Straight to the point with no fluff. The book does a good job showing how each technique is applied in a specific talk. Although I don't do much speaking, I find these techniques to be just as effective with writing sales copy.

This is delightfully short and it does just what it says it does, it tells you HOW to create a story with your information and gives lots of examples from TED, including brief videos in the Kindle book as well as links so you can watch the entire show.

Well worth it.

This is delightfully short and it does just what it says it does, it tells you HOW to create a story with your information and gives lots of examples from TED, including brief videos in the Kindle book as well as links so you can watch the entire show.

Well worth it.

What makes authors believe they are narrators. Professional narration would help but the constant PT Barnum selling of the author's website is very off-putting to the point that I felt I was listening to an infomercial. If I grit my teeth and press ahead, from time to time I hear something worthwhile which he is quoting from someone else. The book from Chris Anderson is a better choice.

The author writes clearly and compellingly. I liked the style and the content. There is nothing surprising here, but putting all these good ideas into one place is helpful. If you have not yet learned that storytelling is essential, this will help. Read it then read Made To Stick by the Heath brothers.

The premise of this book is that “the best speakers on the TED stage were the ones who had mastered the art of storytelling.”

The first 30 seconds are critical. “Opening with a story is a tested and proven method for grabbing audience attention and keeping your audience mentally engaged.”

As a rule, TED Talks are limited to 18 minutes. This gives the speaker only enough time to share one main idea. “If my audience was to forget everything else I said, what one single idea or lesson would I want them to remember?”

Karia says that the secret to an “irresistible” story is conflict. “As long as there are two strong, opposing forces that make the outcome of the story uncertain, a story will be gripping. It keeps us engaged. It keeps us curious.”

The author writes about creating a “mental motion picture” for your audience. “Engaging an audience is more than just giving important information… Patricia Fripp, an executive speech coach, says, ‘People don’t remember what you say as much as they remember what they see when you say it.’ Providing descriptions of the five senses “can help your audience to create a mental motion picture of your characters and stories.” How does it look, sound, smell, feel, or taste?

Being specific adds credibility. “Non-specific statements such as ‘the man was tall’ don’t help your audience members picture the characters and the scene in their mind. Saying, ‘He was about 6 foot 5, with ripped muscles’ provides enough detail for your audience to be able to see the characters and the scene.”

Personal stories add authenticity. “When you talk about events that have taken place in your life, you will naturally feel some of the emotions that you felt when those events took place.”

“Positive-message stories are inspiring… “Positive-message stories are stories where the main character managers to overcome the conflict. The character changes for the better as a result of having overcome the conflict. This type of story shows the audience what they should do and leaves them in high spirits.” In contrast, “a negative-message story… teaches the audience what not to do. While the story may be instructive, it is not inspiring. It leaves audiences on an emotional low, which is generally not how you want to end your presentation.”

What do you want your audience to learn from your story? “Between the conflict and the final victory of the character, we have what I refer to as the ‘spark.’ The spark refers to the process, idea or wisdom that allows the character to overcome the conflict. The spark is one of the most valuable parts of the story. It’s the process or the wisdom that audience members can take home with them and use to overcome similar conflicts in the own lives.”

In the wrap-up chapter, the author summarizes 23 tips for a successful presentation. This is a short book. I read it in about an hour.

A powerful story can hit us like a sledgehammer, bring powerful emotions to the surface, move us to another space, and make a lasting impression. But how exactly does that happen? What makes a great story work?
Figuring out the exact mechanics behind that experience isn't easy, but Akash Karia has done it, and he shares his insights in this compact, accessible, step-by-step guide.
We can all use his straightforward tips and strategies to become more masterful storytellers.

Tips for creating powerful presentations via the timeless tool of stories are in this short book. Whether you are new to presenting or have decades of experience, this book provides points to ponder and practical techniques.

This book provides great insight and tips for both the novice and experienced storyteller. It is a quick read with great bullet points and a summary outline at the end. Whether you’re doing public speaking, pitching an idea or just writing a novel or screenplay, these points are good to come back to over and over again. As someone who does all of the above, I plan to revisit these techniques anytime I’m working on something new.

Got this thinking it was going to be about writing (I think it was a deal of the day or something, and I saw only the cover, not the blurb. That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it.). Nope! It's about public speaking and integrating stories into speeches to make them more engaging to your audience. Granted, this does have some similar roots to writing-type story telling, but most of these things are things writers already know. I don't remember seeing anything new in here (though it's been a while since I read it). Perhaps someone who is a public speaker but not a writer may not have encountered these ideas before, and for them, it might be more useful. But if you're a writer, or want to be -- skip it. There are other, much more useful books out there which will be much more geared to things literary.

Too basic. You can find these ideas already in other books. Nothing new. And I don't agree with the author stating that the best speakers are from TED TALKS. There are better speakers from Toastmasters mind you.

The points in this book provide a short helpful checklist anyone can use when preparing a presentation. I just used it to improve on a story I use in my talks. Plus I like the point about making sure your MC introduces you so you don't have to. Then you can focus on pure value and connecting emotionally from the start rather than trying to sound natural outlining your qualifications. It's very short so use it more as a checklist than for a how to.

It is all good points and advice but the chapters on a subject may only be two full pages. I wish it would have gone into more detail and really flashed it out. Worth the cheap price, but may leave you looking for another book to dig deeper.