application

Is your topic good enough for a TED Talk?

October 26, 2017 by Ryan Hildebrandt Leave a Comment

I get a lot of requests for feedback on a topic for a TED Talk. They often look like this:

If you’re wondering if your topic is good enough for a TED Talk, this article is for you.

Speak at TEDxWomen: The Complete Guide (2018 update)

October 18, 2017 by Ryan Hildebrandt 1 Comment

Here’s a surprising thing that most women don’t know — there are 180 TEDxWomen events every year that coincide with the TEDWomen conference, and many of them have open speaker application forms. This means it’s possible for anyone to apply to speak at TEDxWomen!

If you’re a woman that wants to do a TEDx Talk, this is a HUGE DEAL. If you know a woman that wants to do a TEDx Talk (or should do one), they need to see this article.

The TEDx Speaker Application Guide (2019 update)

July 26, 2016 by Ryan Hildebrandt 11 Comments

Want to know all about the TEDx speaker application process? This post walks you through the entire process from start to finish:

how to find local events (and predict “secret” unannounced events long before they happen)
how to use LinkedIn to find TEDx organizers and speakers in your network
when to apply (not too early, not too late)
what to include in the application (whether you’re able to find an application form or not)
how the selection process works
what happens after you submit the application form

Note: this is a very tactical to-do-oriented post. For a strategic look on how to become a TEDx speaker (including selecting a topic that YOU are proud of, that audiences love, and make sure you get results from your talk, I recommend my free masterclass, which you can register for here)

For more background, check out my massively long post — Get a TED Talk This Year – The Ultimate Guide.

TEDx application deadlines are often 6+ months before the event (and any given event happens once a year), so you’ll select and develop your talk then and plan out which events to apply to before the deadline. You won’t be working full-time for a year on your TEDx Talk, you’ll just need to spread out some tasks.