How To Make The Most Of Your Opportunity On The Red Dot: The Makings A Viral Talk
Photo by Mona Hauglid for TEDxArendal
Description: Discover the journey of Peder Tellefsdal, whose TEDx talk on seeking forgiveness reached over 1 million views. This article breaks down the 15-month process, from refining the core message to delivering a flawless presentation on the Red Dot stage. Explore the phases of idea development, selling the concept, writing and rehearsing, as well as promoting the talk in a saturated digital landscape. Gain valuable insights and learn how dedication and commitment can help you make your own impact in the world of public speaking.
In 2015 my talk at TEDxManchesterHighSchool entitled "How to Magically Connect with Anyone" caught the algorithmic bolt of lighting and went viral, garnering 1 million views in 6 months, 2 million views in a year, and 3.5 million since then.
It transformed my career from successful but unknown professional magician to international keynote speaker on human connection overnight. I didn't do anything on purpose to go viral, it just happened.
Unfortunately, it's not 2015 anymore. The competition for an online audiences' attention is fierce, and our attention spans have dramatically dwindled.
That means speakers aspiring to deliver a talk on the Red Dot today face an uphill battle. Not just to get their idea accepted by a conference, but to find an audience who watches and spreads it once the video hits YouTube.
That's the journey our client, Peder Tellefsdal, embarked upon when he set his sights on the TEDxArendal stage. His talk, "How to seek forgiveness when relationships are on the line," just crossed 1 million views.
This article will break down Peder's 15 month journey with us, exploring the phases he followed to achieve his dream of spreading his big idea the world-over.
The Birth of an Idea
Before the applause, the media attention, and the million views, Peder spent a full year in intensive, weekly, one-on-one coaching sessions.
His journey began with us combing through his previous application that had been rejected the prior year. We sifted through that application, removed what didn’t work, and built a new and compelling idea. This is a critical part of the process, as the strength of the idea underpins the entire talk.
If you're in this phase, the very first thing you should do is answer these questions:
What is your idea?
Who is it for?
Why does it matter?
Then, see if you can boil it down to a single, perfectly-crafted sentence. We recommend this structure:
To ACTION so that IMPACT.
We spent 3 sessions with Peder just working on his one sentence, which was:
"To practice the skill of asking for forgiveness on a regular basis, so that we can truly own our screw-ups when relationships are on the line."
The trick is to develop a core message for your idea that acts as a filter for the rest of your journey. It needs to be at once super specific and incredibly universal.
Selling the Idea
With the core message of his idea in place, the next challenge was securing a spot at his dream conference. This phase involved coaching Peder on the art of influential communication. The ability to sell a powerful idea in person, in real time, is a completely different skill from building the idea itself.
Peder's preparation paid off when he successfully secured his slot during an informal audition, on the first try.
When preparing speakers for their audition or application, there are two more components we add to their core message. Those are: The Story Hook and The Argument.
The Story Hook is the one story that you're going to hang the idea off of, in order to grab the audience emotionally. It's usually the story of how you became the person qualified to present the idea you're proposing.
There are lots of complex and nuanced story structures that we use with different clients for different kinds of ideas, but if you're just starting out and don't have any support on this journey, you can always rely on the faithful 3 act structure: Before, Transformation, After.
Before: What was going on in your life before you discovered this idea?
Transformation: What happened that made you discover this idea?
After: How is your life better as a result of discovering this idea?
The Argument is a rational case for why an audience should care about, adopt, and implement your idea. In this stage you're thinking and communicating like a lawyer might. If you’ve never done this before, try this:
Premise: What your ideal audience wants most.
Status quo: What they might typically try to get what they want.
Failure: Why it doesn’t work.
Paradigm shift: The novel insight or solution you’re offering instead.
Proof: Why your idea works where the status quo doesn’t.
Success: What your ideal audience’s life might look or feel like if they adopt your idea.
Making a rational, step-by-step argument for why someone should listen to your idea and implement on it is the most overlooked and underutilized aspect of selling an idea.
We have frameworks for creating each of these components that we teach to our private clients and in our on-demand video course From Idea to Opportunity.
Writing and Rehearsing
Over the next few months, we moved on to crafting the speech itself, word for word. If you've never done this before, here's a great simple speech framework to get started:
Introduction
Hook
Core message
Intriguing question
Story
Demonstrate understanding
Establish authority
Body
Main Point 1
Example 1
Lesson 1
Main Point 2
Example 2
Lesson 2
Main Point 3
Example 3
Lesson 3
Overcome anticipated objections
Conclusion
What's possible
Call to action
Mic-drop final sentence
Peder rehearsed his talk over 200 times, perfecting every sentence, every pause, every gesture. Many aspiring speakers are nervous to memorize their speech word for word.
"Won't that make it sound robotic?" they ask.
Yes, it will - IF all you do is memorize. But memorization is only the first step. That can be done in 20 or 30 practice sessions.
We believe that you must go way past memorization to the point of internalizing, when you know the speech so well that it's simply a part of you. That way when you take the stage you're not recalling the speech word for word, you're just there, present with the audience, sharing a big idea.
The Red Dot Moment
Finally, the day came for Peder to step onto the Red Dot. The delivery of the talk was entirely in Peder's hands, and he executed it flawlessly. This moment was the culmination of months of effort and commitment.
Promoting the Talk
For many speakers, that's where their journey ends. They deliver the talk, maybe even crush it, and then hope for the best when it hits YouTube a few months later.
But not us, and not Peder. The journey doesn't end when you step off the stage. That's like spending a year or two writing and book and then never talking about it once it's published!
What good was all that work if you never share or promote your talk?
In 2023 there are over 100 videos uploaded to the TEDx YouTube Channel every single day. In order to cut through that noise, we designed a communication campaign that Peder executed before and after the talk was uploaded.
He promoted the talk tirelessly and without reservation. If you deeply believe in your idea, you must be the loudest and most prominent champion of it.
If you don't care, why should anyone else?
Is Peder special? Are you?
What sets Peder apart from so many aspiring and former Red Dot speakers is his time, dedication, and selfless commitment to an idea not tied to any kind of profit.
His success is even more commendable considering he managed to achieve it while being a father of two young kids, working a high-pressure full-time job in PR, and completing a master's degree.
Some people tell me, "I want to give a TED-style talk, I just don't have the kind of time you're talking about to commit." To that I say, if Peder can find the time, so can you.
Of course, this journey isn’t for everyone. We ask potential clients, "Are you prepared to spend 9-15 months and 200 hours of your life working on a 10-minute talk that you're going to give once?" Only a select few, like Peder, are willing to make this commitment.
For those dreaming of their own Red Dot moment, the journey can begin today.
Like Peder, you too can overcome the hurdles and deliver a powerful message to the world. We are always looking for dedicated individuals who are ready to follow in Peder's footsteps. We accept only a small percentage of applicants who are ready to embark on this challenging yet rewarding journey.
Learn more about our exclusive Conquer the Red Dot® program and book a discovery call today:
Lessons Learned
What can we learn from Peder's journey to the Red Dot? Here are a few key takeaways:
The idea matters: Spend ample time refining your core message until it's both impactful and unique. This forms the bedrock of your talk.
Presentation is crucial: Having a great idea is not enough; you need to sell it. This requires preparation and practice to ensure your delivery is as compelling as the message itself.
Prepare to work hard: Writing and rehearsing a TEDx talk is a marathon, not a sprint. Peder rehearsed his talk over 200 times, perfecting every detail.
Promotion is key: Even the best talks can get lost in the sea of content online. Having a promotional strategy in place can help your talk get the attention it deserves.
Peder Tellefsdal’s journey was intense, demanding, and ultimately triumphant. His story is a testament to the power of perseverance and belief in one’s ideas. We are proud to have been a part of this journey, and we look forward to helping others follow in his footsteps.
Go make a dent in the universe.
P.S. Peder wrote a lengthy and detailed blog post about his journey from his perspective. Check it out here.
