How to Write a Talk That Actually Inspires Action
I never thought a 4-minute video on how to dry my hands using only one paper towel would be the best video I watched all day...
And I DEFINITELY didn't expect it to be one of the best TEDx talks I've ever seen.
Most importantly, the talk actually changed my behavior forever. I literally changed the way I dry my hands with paper towels immediately, and have never gone back.
When is the last time a TEDx talk - or any idea - immediately inspired lasting behavioral change? And imagine the impact you could have if your own ideas had that kind of transformation on your audience!
Joe Smith's "How to Use a Paper Towel"
In 2012 Joe Smith delivered a crazy short talk at TEDxConcordiaUPortland entitled, "How to use a paper towel."
The description is comically to-the-point: "You use paper towels to dry your hands every day, but chances are, you're doing it wrong. In this enlightening and funny short talk, Joe Smith reveals the trick to perfect paper towel technique."
It has since been viewed nearly 4 million times. That's bananas.
In this article I'm going to analyze why this talk on such a seemingly simple, silly topic was so effective, and the lessons we can apply to our own presentations, on the Red Dot and beyond.
Watch the talk, then keep reading:
Wow, right?!
What is Core Messaging?
It's hard to imagine a talk being clearer or more efficient than "How to use a paper towel."
At Clarity Up we work with experts and leaders to clarify their communication and make a dent in the universe by developing their core messaging.
Every change-maker wants to get buy-in for their products, services, or ideas. But buy-in requires belief.
In business we tend to get wrapped up in graphic design, brand colors, logos, and fancy slide transitions. As speakers we obsess over how to hold our hands, where to stand, and what we're wearing.
And yet, meaning drives motivation.
Moving people to action requires that our audience is actually motivated to change. And the strongest connections are based on shared beliefs.
Which means that in order to get buy-in, we need to articulate the fundamental principles that connect how we do what we do with what our audience truly cares about.
So, how do we do that?
3 Steps to Develop Your Core Messaging
Through years of coaching dozens of speakers to deliver the talk of their lives on the world's most prestigious stages, like the famous Red Dot, I developed a framework that I now call the Core Message Triad™.
There are 3 components: The Filter, The Story Hook, and The Argument.
And nearly every truly impactful TED-style talk can be broken down into these components.
Analyzing Joe's Talk with The Core Message Triad
The Filter: Simplify Your Big Idea
Your filter is one sentence (yes, just one) in which you can explain what your big idea is, who it's for, and why it matters. Once you have this sentence, two important things happen:
You can easily decide what should be in your talk, and what to cut out. Cut out anything that doesn't immediately and obviously support your Filter statement.
The audience will be able to tell anyone they meet about your talk, succinctly and effectively, which means you gain retellability - and that's how ideas spread.
In Joe's talk on paper towels, his Filter statement might be something like:
If each of us uses just one paper towel to dry our hands, we can reduce waste by half a billion pounds of paper each year and save the planet.
I instantly know what Joe's idea is (use one paper towel to dry my hands), who it's for (everyone), and why it matters (save the planet by reducing paper waste).
The Story Hook: Engage the Heart
We know that story is the best way to engage the human brain, but many speakers take it too far, getting excited and running off on tangents with lots of unnecessary details.
The only critical story you MUST tell, whether it's in a talk or on your marketing collateral (website, one-sheet, social bios), is the story of why you understand the audience's problem and are qualified to solve it.
In Joe's case, it was probably the most efficient use of story you could imagine. He didn't tell any stories in the classic sense. And yet, he used the most classic story structure for the talk:
Before - The context that led to the change
Transformation - The change
After - The result of the change
Let's look at how it worked for Joe's talk.
Joe's Paper Towel Story
Before - Like so many, I used to waste paper towels by using two or three each time in order to get my hands fully dry.
Transformation - Then I discovered a method to use just a single paper towel to get my hands completely dry every time.
After - I've reduced my personal waste by 3x.
Very simple, very effective. No additional details or long-winded storytelling required.
The Argument: Build a Rational Case
Why should the audience buy your product or adopt your idea? Experts and leaders tend to take this question for granted.
We know how great our thing is, so obviously everyone else will buy-in once I show them my solution.
Except, that's not how it works. And if you've ever tried to convince your boss to try a cool new approach, or started a business selling anything, you know how hard it is to move people to action.
The reason it's so hard is we are so excited about our own idea that we forget to make a logical, rational case for why they should abandon what they're already doing (or not doing) and do our thing instead.
It was the No. 1 thing that I identified was missing from otherwise great TED-style talks in my work at Conquer the Red Dot®.
So, I built a framework:
Premise - The belief, goal, or want that the audience already has (remember: buy-in requires belief).
Status Quo - How people typically try to solve this problem or get the thing they want.
Failure - Why it doesn't work.
Paradigm Shift - Your unique or novel solution.
Proof - Why your solution works where the status quo fails.
Success - What's possible for the audience after they adopt your solution.
I could talk for hours on why this system works (and I do in our self-paced course Idea to Opportunity that teaches this entire system in great detail)
Joe's Paper Towel Argument
Premise: We all want to use resources efficiently and reduce waste.
Status Quo: Current dispensers and habits encourage the use of multiple paper towels.
Failure: This excess use leads to enormous waste.
Paradigm Shift: The "shake and fold" technique allows you to fully dry your hands with a single towel, every time.
Proof: Joe demonstrates it in real-time with a variety of different kinds of paper towels and dispensers.
Success: If everyone did this, we could reduce paper towel waste by half a billion pounds per year and become a habit that extends to other areas of resource consumption.
Boom shakalaka.
Using the Core Message Triad for Speaking and Business
Obviously, building out your core messaging isn't the WHOLE game. There's positioning, marketing, sales, advertising, and many more elements to business.
Click image to view.
Core messaging is the first step - but it's also the foundation.
If you skip this step when developing a presentation, designing your website, or scripting a sales conversation, you will find many unwanted problems creeping up and have no idea why you're struggling to gain buy-in.
You wouldn't build a house on a weak foundation, or without one. Don't build your speech or businesses without core messaging.
A Blueprint for Effective Communication: Lessons from a Paper Towel
In the world of TED-style talks, the seemingly mundane can become an extraordinary lesson in effective communication.
Joe Smith's talk, "How to Use a Paper Towel," offers a masterclass in the art of impactful messaging.
With the analysis of his talk, we've explored the Core Message Triad™: The Filter, The Story Hook, and The Argument. Each component serves a unique and essential role:
The Filter: Distilling your idea into a single sentence for clarity and retellability.
The Story Hook: Crafting a relatable story that shows you understand your audience's problem and can solve it.
The Argument: Constructing a logical case that leads your audience from their existing beliefs to your unique solution.
These principles are not just applicable to TED-style talks but are foundational to any form of persuasive communication.
By embracing the Core Message Triad™, you can create messages that resonate deeply, drive action, and truly make a dent in the universe. Whether you're building a business, delivering a speech, or just seeking to influence others, these principles can be your guide.
Working Together on Your Speech or Business
Bookmark this article and refer back to it anytime you need to build out the core messaging for your next idea, product, or service offering.
Of course, you can also work with us at Clarity Up or Conquer the Red Dot® as a private client, where we'll walk you through it every step of the way.
In fact, it was our latest Conquer the Red Dot® certified coach, storytelling expert Francisco Mahfuz who turned me on to this talk in the first place!
And hey, if you're a speaker dreaming of giving a TED-style talk, enroll in our on-demand video course Idea to Opportunity today and finally make your dent in the universe:
