Select ideas and speakers

What is the difference between a theme, a topic and an idea?

• → A theme is the title or tagline of your event.

  → A topic is the subject area that a specific talk addresses. Each talk will address a different topic.

  → An idea is the original concept or notion that a speaker will bring to the stage.

What makes a good theme

• Your theme should be abstract, and open to interpretation. It’s not a topic or single subject, like “sustainability,” “medicine,” or “happiness,” but something broad and overarching. Here are some examples of themes from other TED and TEDx events:
• Bigger Than Us
• The Substance of Things Not Seen
• Icons, Geniuses, Mavericks
• Two Steps Forward
• Humanity Reimagined
• Ideas Empowered
• Breakthrough!
• Revolutionary Ideas
• The Essence of a Changing World

A theme should be up to interpretation and be able to encompass ideas from a diverse range of speakers. For example, the theme “The Substance of Things Not Seen” included the following speakers and topics:


• An artist who creates microscopic sculptures
• A politician talking about the un-seen poor
• An astrophysicist explaining the existence of black holes, even though we cannot see them.

Why a diversity of topics?

When people are presented with a series of ideas, they instinctively form connections. When the connections are obvious, your audience will all walk away with the same set of connections. But when the ideas are varied, each member of the audience will invent their own set of connections.


A diversity of topics will encourage a lively discussion, generate an array of questions and create a much more engaging experience. Read on for more on choosing topics.

Don’t worry if some of these seem too vague or specific, but remember: your topics should be wide-ranging and not fall under a single subject. You can ensure this by using big categories like technology, entertainment, design, business and science as a guide, then thinking of topics under each category. 

As you make your list of topics, be sure to:

What is a great, well-formed idea?

• A great TEDx idea can be one of two things:

• Something that’s new and surprising; an idea, development, or invention that your audience has never heard about.
• A seemingly basic idea (that your audience has maybe already heard), shared with a compelling new argument that challenges beliefs and perspectives

In other words, an idea isn’t just a story or a list of facts. A good idea takes certain evidence or observations and draws a larger conclusion.

How long should a TEDx Talk be?

The length of a talk will depend on its format. While 18 minutes is the traditional length for TED and TEDx talks, many talks are shorter and some are longer.

Some of the most impactful TED talks have been just 5 minutes long, and 5-8 minutes is common for concise, focused ideas. On the longer end, a dynamic interview or dialogue between two speakers may naturally take more time, up to 30 minutes.

A few notes on our guidelines

• If a talk does not follow the Content Guidelines or Copyright Guidelines, organizers have the discretion to withhold the talk. They must inform both TED staff and the speaker(s) that they have made this decision, along with their reasoning.
• If a talk does not follow the Content Guidelines or Copyright Guidelines and the organizer chooses to upload the talk, TEDx reserves the right to add an editorial flag describing how the talk falls outside the guidelines or to decline its publication.
• In addition to the TEDx Content Guidelines and Copyright Guidelines, talks must adhere both to TED’s Content Guidelines and YouTube’s policies, including those on medical misinformation and suicide and self-harm.
• The TEDx stage is not a platform for repeat, circuit, or commercial speakers. If you curate a speaker who has given multiple TEDx Talks that are already published on the TEDx YouTube channel, TED may decline its publication.

Why a committee?

Having a group of people choose speakers and performers will mean a more diverse and interesting group of speakers. Gather a group of collaborators you admire and trust.

Choose your committee

Your selection committee might be your core team leaders, or a different set of smart people you know; the decision is up to you.


The size of your group is also important. Too small, and your thinking may be too narrow – too large, and you may end up always choosing the most agreeable options, not the most interesting.

The most important consideration is sourcing experts from different backgrounds with diverse interests. Think of your committee as a hive mind or brain trust. A group of architects might source strong ideas about design, but a committee that includes investors, scientists, artists, writers, and architects will be able to source a variety of novel ideas.

Because this group will impact your event’s curation, sponsors cannot be part of the speaker selection committee and vice versa.

Create a decision-making process

Develop clear guidelines for how you will choose your theme and speakers. Here are a few possibilities:

Full democracy
Every speaker requires a reasonable consensus. This can be tricky for large groups.

Divided territory

Sections of the team are given full responsibility for different sessions or portions of the event. This can work well if you have a large group of people with a variety of different interests and specialties. This approach requires great coordination, to ensure a cohesive program without overlap or duplication.

So, what ideas are you looking for?

• Ideas that originate in your community but are widely relatable
• Ideas that need to be defended – not something self-evident, but an interesting argument, perhaps with an antagonist.
• An idea the TED world hasn't heard before – not a copy of a TED talk you like! An idea is only as impactful as its novelty.
• Explore the TED and TEDx libraries so you can find what voices and ideas are missing.
• Ideas that change perceptions. (e.g., a scientific discovery that changes how you think about frogs, a philosophical argument that reshapes your notions of friendship.)
• Ideas that can be tested against the TEDx Content Guidelines and our Fact-Checking Guide – review the Publishing Guidelines for ideas that don't fit on the TEDx stage.

TEDx Speaker Checklist

Is this speaker...

• A local voice that few people have heard before?
• Someone who can present their field in a new light?
• Someone with a perspective to which the global TED community may not have access?
• Diverse by demographic, ethnicity, background, and/or topic from your other speakers?

What does this look like in the real world?

You're scrolling your social feed one day when you come across a National Geographic article about a cow that can use tools. Intriguing, right? As you read about this discovery, you realize it’s a much bigger story than you thought: cows are intelligent, and that insight has real implications. Even better, the cow and the lead researcher happen to live in your area! This is one way a talk idea can take shape. Follow enough interesting publications, writers, researchers, and hobbyists and eventually one that's within reach will appear.

• Research university websites, reputable news sources that prioritize transparent fact-checking and unbiased reporting, and databases of papers published in respected journals to verify a potential speaker’s credentials. If you have access to a local university library, a research librarian can help you source relevant journal articles.
• Ask your local university’s PR office to connect you to a professor in a relevant field who isn’t connected with the speaker, and ask them a few questions about the speaker and their idea.
• Ask a friendly journalist (or PR person, if you’re working with one) to fact-check the speaker’s work to journalistic standards.
• If your speaker is making science or health claims, investigate any major criticisms or controversies from other experts working in the field. Review the topics to avoid and approach with caution outlined in our fact-checking guide. 
• Verify that this speaker isn’t a repeat, circuit, or commercial speaker. Individuals who have delivered multiple TEDx talks, or speakers who are seeking to participate in multiple TEDx events within a short time frame, are not aligned with the spirit of the TEDx program.

If you’re still not sure about the speaker or idea’s credibility, you can always reach out to our team at tedx@ted.com before your event. While we can’t pre-approve ideas, speakers, or their talks, we can share insight in vetting them.

If you do produce a talk that you suspect doesn’t meet our guidelines, let us know. We will help review the material and determine whether or not it should be uploaded to the TEDx YouTube channel.

Past TEDx performers have included:

• Singers and musicians
• Dancers
• Spoken word poets
• Comedians
• Actors
• Acrobats and magicians

TEDx events usually feature one performer for each session, so around 3-4 performers for a full-day event. 

Once you’ve gathered a list of potential speakers and performers, group the speakers by topic, then indicate your first, second and third speaker choices for each topic. For this first draft, simply choose what matters most to your committee.

You’ll use this list to create the sessions in your event program. For a full day event, plan on 3 or (at most) 4 sessions of up to 1.5 hours each, or about 20 speakers total.

Generally, a host is:

• Experienced in public speaking or hosting events.
• From the local community, so they can easily connect with the audience.
• Someone who understands the TED and TEDx spirit well, so they can communicate the brand clearly.

Learn more about the host’s responsibilities.

Key elements

• The name, date, and venue of the event
• The theme or focus
• Why you think they would be a great speaker at your event
• Why joining would benefit them
• How they can contact your team

Below is a simple invitation template you can reference. Unless you suspect your speaker or performer may not have internet access, email is generally the best way to send an invitation.


[Your event logo can be placed as the header, if you have it]
[Date]

Dear [hopeful speaker],

I hope this message finds you well. I'm honored to invite you to speak at TEDx[eventname], an independently organized TED event happening in [month and year]. I am a huge fan of [your work] – and the way you [are so impressive at that thing you do] – and would be so excited if you would join us.

TEDx[eventname] is a full-day event being curated by [curators’ names with titles/affiliations], with an audience of about [#] in [place]. Our goal is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoke conversations that matter.

Your talk would be filmed and an edited video will be published on the TEDx YouTube channel. We would work together ahead of time to craft the talk. Your talk could be up to [#] minutes; we're especially excited about [the specific idea/angle from their work], though we're also happy to talk through what feels most compelling to you.

TEDx[eventname] is tentatively scheduled for [date]. We believe your voice would be a critical addition to the TEDx[eventname] stage. Please let us know by [date] whether or not you’d be interested in speaking. Thank you for reading, and we very much look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

[Name]


TEDx[eventname] Curator

[website] [social links]

Send invitations in phases

Use a 4-step process:

1. Send out a first batch. This first round of invites should go to your top choices of speakers – not any speakers you’re on the fence about.
2. Wait for replies. Give yourself a designated amount of time for replies. If you need to follow up with anyone, send them a gentle nudge that you’d love to hear from them.
3. Assess next steps. Once you’ve received responses from your first batch of potential speakers, look at your list and replace speakers who have declined with the next choices.
4. Send another batch and repeat!

When a speaker says no

If a speaker/performer says they are not available or are not interested in speaking at your event, don’t fret. Be graceful and thank them for considering the opportunity. If it feels appropriate, you could also ask them if they have any recommendations for other speakers.