In this article from Lioness magazine, our producer and licensee Anna Goldsmith shares her tips on what to avoid doing on your TEDx application.
It’s the first and most important question on our TEDxPortsmouth application, “What’s your Big Idea?” You’d think that someone who is applying to speak at a TEDx event would know how to articulate their Big Idea, but most don’t.
Here are some common “Big Idea” mistakes we see with our applicants—these examples will not only help YOU avoid these mistakes but also clarify what we mean when we are asking for your Big Idea.
1. Applicants confuse BIG with BROAD.
This is probably the most common mistake we see. Speakers share a Big Idea that feels like something you’d see on a poster of a hiker on top of a mountain, like “Follow your own path” or “Adversity is life’s greatest teacher.”Yes, these are true, but what is your new take on this idea? What have we not already heard?