Learning From the Best: TED Presentations for Inspiration

Making effective presentations that really engage audiences and classrooms is an ongoing challenge. As people have more access to great presentations both in person and online, the bar keeps getting set higher. Garr Reynolds has an excellent post on his Presentation Zen blog, Making presentations in the TED style, about learning from the best presentations at the famed TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference. It includes tips and links to video presentations from the likes of Al Gore, Seth Godin, Isabel Allende and others. Reynolds notes that TED has strict rules of eighteen minute time limits, with some presentations limited to three or six minute slots. You can also find many other videos of presentations at TED on their site, as well as more information about their worldwide conferences. I also enjoyed Reynolds’ 2008 book presentationzen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery, which has a foreword by Guy Kawasaki.