Speak

A TEDx Talk is a showcase for speakers presenting great, well-formed ideas in under 18 minutes.

Why under 18 minutes?

This short talk model works, since it only demands the audience’s attention for a short period of time, decreasing the chance of minds wandering or daydreaming about lunch. In fact, some of our greatest TED Talks have been as short as 5 minutes long!

What is a great, well-formed idea?

It can actually be one of two things:

• Something that’s new and surprising; an idea or invention that your audience has never heard about.

• A great basic idea (that your audience has maybe already heard) with a compelling new argument behind it 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.

• TEDx talks are not motivational speeches.

• TEDx talks are not just storytelling about a personal journey. If you are including your personal story, it must lead to a new surprising idea or concept to qualify for consideration.

• TEDx talks are not a promotional opportunity to showcase your company or brand.

• TEDx talks are not religious or political.

Here’s just a few of the ‘concepts’ we’re looking for:

The big idea

A talk that make one or two very strong points, and it’s important. 

The tech demo

An onstage look at some clever new invention that the speaker was a part of creating. 

The performance

Music, dance, magic, puppetry, or some other performance to captivate the audience. 

The artist’s statement

In these talks, artists showcase their art and explain the meaning and process behind what they create.

The “dazzle with wonder”

These talks are mainly about the amazement of science and discovery. 

The small idea

These talks are not about one big, world-changing idea, but instead a very engaging take on an interesting topic. 

The “issue” talk

These talks expose your audience to an issue that they may not otherwise know much about. 

TED offers speakers a platform to provide information directly to millions of people around the world. It’s a responsibility we take seriously. First and foremost, that information has to be accurate at the time of publication.

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.

All TED and TEDx talk must follow:

1. No commercial agenda

2. No political agendas or inflammatory rhetoric

3. No religious agenda

4. No bad science

Read more details here.

What is fact-checking, and why does it matter?
Fact-checking means going through a script’s empirical claims — basically, anything that can be verified in the real world — and making sure that they are as accurate as possible. There are real consequences to the talks you produce, since people will often change their behavior based on a talk that they watch. So, you want to be sure you are not accidentally sharing misinformation or disinformation on your TEDx stage. It protects the reputations of you, the speaker, the event, and TED at-large.

See more details here.

Speaker fees and ineligible speakers:

• TEDx events may neither pay nor charge speakers.

• Sponsors of the TEDx event cannot be speakers and can never present from the stage.

• Organizers cannot be speakers at TEDx events to which they contribute.

No commercial agenda:

• Speakers cannot promote their own products, books, or businesses, or those of a company which employs them. Talks can only feature technology, product demos, or books that inform an idea presented in a talk.

Copyright:

• Every talk’s content must be in compliance with copyright law.

• Speakers must inform us beforehand of any third-party material that will be used in their presentations and seek written permissions to copyrighted materials when applicable.

• TED cannot assist with this process nor act as a consultant on individual cases. Read these Copyright Guidelines to ensure as speaker you clear everything with permission before we record your TEDx talk.

Talks are thoughtful, not divisive:

• No talks with an inflammatory political or religious agenda, nor polarizing “us vs them” language.

• TED and TEDx seek to build consensus and provide outside-the-box thinking, not to revisit familiar, unresolvable disputes on these topics.

Speaker content guidelines:

• All talks should comply with TEDx Content Guidelines and Copyright Guidelines.

• If a talk does not follow the Content Guidelines or Copyright Guidelines, organizers have the discretion to withhold the talk. TEDx organizers 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, TED reserves the right to add an editorial flag describing how the talk falls outside the guidelines or to decline its publication.

Our Speakers will be expected to:

• Live within a 4 hour drive to Asheville

• Deliver the talk in-person in Asheville NC in front of a live audience.

• Be collaborative, open to feedback, authentic, and reflective in the journey to preparing the talk.

• Take part in our speaker training to prepare the best talk you can provide.

• Commit and respect to TED Talk guidelines and TEDx Asheville speaker expectations.

• Commit to prioritizing a high quality talk delivery and preparation.

Other key requirements include:

• Why am I the best person to share this idea and this talk into a TEDx talk? 

• Why is sharing this idea now important?

• How is my TEDx talk backed in science, data, and a good idea worth sharing?

• How does my TEDx talk tie to this year’s theme?

TEDxAsheville aims to bridge the gap in audiences and voices who haven’t had a chance to amplify their innovative ideas. We look for passionate, dedicated, engaging, and open-minded speakers who have an inspiring idea to share with the world but also willing to work with us to hone their storytelling craft for the stage.

Before submitting your application:

• Please be familiar with and prepared to honor all TED, TEDx, and TEDxAsheville rules.

• Please take the time to learn about our event theme and how your idea connects to our theme.

• Be able to answer “why me” and “why now”.  You may have an interesting idea but how is this a good TEDx Talk?

We understand how much work and care goes into the talk pitch and preparation and appreciate you taking the time to sharing your idea with us. Please understand that we’ll do our best to get back to you but given the large amount of applications we receive each year (almost 300) it may take us a while.

Lastly, a reminder that all TEDx organizations and operations are 100% volunteer-led. Please understand we are also doing this out of the love of our community. We wish you all the best and continued success!