Why are @Tedtalks so effective at engaging people?
Recently, I attended the first Tedx Annapolis Valley at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. This event, while small, was inspirational and could be start of great initiatives to come. While some of the speakers may have lacked the charisma typically experienced by watching the official Ted Talks on www.ted.com, the topics were quite interesting and good ideas were spread. As an event enthusiast and planner, I observed the nature, overall structure, and atmosphere of the event. By nature, the event was stimulating and interesting. Unlike other lectures or talks attended the talks don’t last hours and hours- they are short and sweet. However, there are many other reasons Ted.com is so effective.
Reasons I believe Ted.com, in general, is effective:
The Length
As alluded to briefly, the length of the talks are very short- most are under 20 minutes. With the short attention spans of our population today and the general time that people can stay focused (research suggests 20 minutes or less), the length is perfect. Thus, even if the set topic isn’t your specific interest, you’ll watch it just to see the overall point or idea of the lecturer.
Passionate People
Ted.com is essentially people talking about idea they have or an idea that sprouted into something that they are now doing and love. Furthermore, the talks are designed so that the individual is essentially telling a story. Who doesn’t love a good story?
Accessibility
The reason I found out about Ted.com was because someone shared a video to my Facebook wall. Then a good buddy of mine said, “You need to watch this video on why we should raise our kids to be entrepreneurs.” He went on to explain what Ted.com was and how you could watch all of the videos online for free. I was hooked.
Good Branding and Positive Message
“Ideas worth spreading.” This message is great, it appeals to everyone. Additionally the simplicity of the brand is appealing and easy to remember. Every video is extremely informative and it’s always upbeat. The brand is cool and there are very distinguished, exciting, young high profile speakers.
That pretty much sums up why I believe Ted.com is so effective at engaging people. While for the most part Tedx is effective for the same reasons, it’s is even more effective because it empowers people in communities who want to talk about their ideas to get together and make it happen. Other local people in the same communities appreciate the Tedx even more than regular Ted.com events because they can attend them and be a part of the movement. While this may be a bit of a jump, essentially Tedx in many ways replace local community Townhalls (something that doesn’t exist)as it is a place to meet, share, and spread ideas.
Links:
Tedx Annapolis Valley http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/2275
