Don't Ask Viewers To Save Whales
6 TED Talk tips for winning CTA(s)
By Devin D. Marks | Published Jul. 26, 2022
I regularly tell my clients, “Don’t ask viewers to save the whales in your TED Talk."
By that, I mean even if you care about endangered sharks, plastics-filled oceans, or polluted waters — asking too much of your audience is a mistake.
Yes, you can point to a big problem to solve. But it is unrealistic to think you can make a call-to-action that boils the ocean.
Your viewers can’t sprint with you into the crashing waves (metaphorically speaking). They won’t turn their lives (finances, jobs, free time) upside down tomorrow. Moreover, they (likely) don’t want to.
But they do want to contribute, in one form or another. They’ll willingly take baby steps in the direction of the surf — IF the direction is clear and the initial ask isn’t weighty.
Think about it this way, the best Sunday preachers know that “life-changing” sermons are best echoed with next steps that can be implemented on Monday (and Tuesdays and Wednesday and...).
A marriage isn’t saved in a dramatic action; marriages are saved by exchanging old habits for new ones. New habits that can be adopted tonight or tomorrow. The same applies to alcohol abuse, estrangement, gambling, and more.
Small, incremental, repeatable, shareable changes add up to changed lives.
Back to the ocean. In your CTA, work to suggest doable steps in the direction of a larger “save the whales” issue.
In other words, small, repeatable, shareable actions that become new, healthier habits will collectively add up to a win. And that will help save the whales, clear the plastic, clean our waters. Baby steps add up.
(What’s more, in a perfect TED world, they can spread and inspire others.)
Before you know it, you’ve created a movement that cares about those whales, but collectively can make the big difference you hope for!
So don’t ask your audience to save the whales or boil the ocean.
- Encourage ‘em to tip their toes in the ocean.
- Give them small suggestions in a big direction.
- Support doable, repeatable actions that can add up to change tomorrow.
In the last moments of his breakaway TEDx Talk, Dr. Robert Waldinger makes actionable, real-life next steps clear for viewers. His big idea is that "The good life is built with good relationships."
Yet he doesn't suggest a new marriage or a dramatic midlife change.
Instead, he drills the macro into some doable, simple new habits:
- Take a walk.
- Plan date nights.
- Do something new together.
- Replace screen time with people time.
- Make peace with that difficult family member.
Like Dr. Waldinger in his TOP TEN TED TALK, your call-to-action can include the following 6 elements:
1. WINNABLE WINS.
Suggest actions that are easy steps.
2. IMMEDIATE WINS.
Suggest actions that you can do tonight.
3. CLEAR WINS.
Suggest actions that are check-box obvious.
4. REPEATABLE WINS.
Suggest actions that you replicate.
5. SHAREABLE WINS.
Suggest actions that others can adopt for themselves.
6. HABITUAL WINS.
Suggest actions that you can make positive habits.
Do that in your CTAs and you can be certain your viewers will make (incremental) progress in the direction of saving the whales... beginning tonight!
DEVIN D. MARKS is known as The TED Talk Whisperer. His firm, CONNECT to COMPEL, has served 100s of TED, TEDx, and short-talk speakers — including Harvard’s Dr. Robert Waldinger for his all-time Top 10 TEDx Talk. The result: 100s of millions of views for clients. He helps niche experts, authors, and leaders spread world-changing ideas.
You can reach Devin at 617.804.6020, or DM him here. His newsletters are here.
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