Owning TED

20 Oct Owning TED

Julie Cordua is the CEO of THORN, an organization devoted to eliminating child sexual abuse from the internet. Her TED talk is riveting. (Disclaimer: We have trained many of the THORN staff, including Julie, but we did not coach her for this talk.)

Julie’s delivery was raw and unaffected, yet filled with commitment and passion. She didn’t hold back emotion, which gave her talk weight and drew in the audience. Julie controlled her pacing, allowing listeners time to absorb the meaning and impact of her words. 

Julie revealed the enormity of child sexual abuse around the world, yet made it appear solvable. She described the software THORN uses but didn’t dwell on the nuts and bolts, only the outcome. And Julie didn’t suit up as a CEO, but dressed casually, making her approachable. Overall, she moved the bar higher for all TED speakers.

When you prep for a talk, especially an important one, follow Julie’s lead. Use only a few pertinent slides. Show commitment and emotion, but make your message paramount. And control your pacing so listeners hang on every word. Rule your TED talk.

Watch Julie’s TED talk at https://tinyurl.com/y3s5y7be