What's Your TED Talk Target?
7 definitions of ted speaker success
By Devin D. Marks | Published Feb 14, 2025
Prospective clients approach me all the time with varying interpretations of success:
[ ] I want to go viral.
[ ] I want to sell my consulting services.
[ ] I want... I want... I want... I want... I want...
First and foremost, your talk should be a present — but not to yourself!
Whether a TEDx or TED-Style message, your "idea worth spreading" is a gift (a "present-ation") to your audience. I've addressed this topic before here.
Once THAT priority is established — and not just given lip service, — then some secondary drivers can be explored.
My team regularly screens out potential clients whose primary considerations are self-referenced. Whenever considering whether I'll work with a hopeful TEDster, I need to suss out their true motivations.
Frankly, that's why we employ a formal screening and interviewing process. I don't want my team's reputation tarnished a "taker." In the open-hands, open-source TED community, that posture is toxic.
For example, in recent memory, a high profile, multi-bestselling author wanted my me to play an "agent" role. He wanted to be "placed on the Big TED stage." He was a brand name and "already had the talk" — only needed the introduction.
My antenna pulsed. My Rolodex closed. I politely passed.
All that said, when it comes to secondary drivers and definitions of success for TED and TED-Style speakers, the following 7 buckets apply:
1) THE WILDLY-VIEWED TALK. A dad wanted to shift the parenting paradigm in America — on race relations, on Disney's pre-packaged female roles, and more. Now a 3X TEDx-er, his talks views are ticking along in the mid 7-figures. And his message in equity circles seems prescient, given Black Lives Matter and MeToo.
SUCCESS!
2) THE SEAT-AT-THE-TABLE TALK. An Army Veteran didn't want 1M views (that was his famous family's domain). He wanted a seat at the public policy table. The Aspen Insitute featured his idea worth spreading; the Hillary Clinton campaign asked for his input; and Gen. Stanley McChrystal asked him to join his National Service board.
SUCCESS!
3) THE FULL-TIME KEYNOTER TALK. A 15-minutes-of-fame national personality had never delivered a for-fee speech before. Yet, in her first TED-Style delivery, a veteran conference organizer described her short talk as "the most impactful in the history of the organization." Naturally, from there, demand for her voice erupted and she continues to drive her center stage influence.
SUCCESS!
4) THE JOB SHIFT STRATEGY TALK. A professor wanted to share his invention at an engineering education conference. His jaw-dropping, story-centered 10-minute message became the standout keynote of the gathering. The very next year he interviewed to head a top-tier New England university engineering program. His short-talk was part of the application package. He got the job.
SUCCESS!
5) THE MESSAGE TO THE FUTURE TALK. An engineering college dean, of a certain age, wanted to introduce the importance of the "soft skill" of storytelling. He saw it as his legacy cause on the campus and in undergraduate STEM education. He still considers the talk one of his proudest career moments.
SUCCESS!
6) THE BOOK TOUR PROMOTION TALK. A soon-to-publish leadership coach wanted to jazz up his book-signing tour and plant seeds for future keynote invitations. He embraced The Marks Messaging Method™ in his TED-Style short-talk in bookstores around the nation. He's now an in-demand conference speaker.
SUCCESS!
7) THE DIGITAL CALLING CARD TALK. A consultant in the life sciences space wanted a TEDx Talk to use as a digital introduction to email prospects before meetings. She describes her 9-minute talk — credible, clear, and on-brand — as a "game-changer for establishing credibility and "setting the table" for introductory conversations.
SUCCESS!
And guess what? Each of those 7 can be a valid motivator when combined with (and defined by) "present-ing" a gift to an audience.
My breakaway "alumni" client — Dr. Robert Waldinger — just wanted his little-known research study to spread beyond academia. He knew his findings could change lives, for the better. (That. Was. His. Goal. He never imagined 100K views, much less 40+ million!)
Goal accomplished.
- His talk rocketed to TED TOP TEN status.
- His speaking fees regularly run from $20-40K.
- His interviews are coveted by top-tier media outlets.
- His latest book (The Good Life) is an international best-seller.
And yes, many viral views later... The good doctor's research findings are part of dinner table conversations. Worldwide.
What's your TED Talk target? How do you define SUCCESS?
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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