Name: _________________

Project TED: Making Our Own Conference of Experts

Objective: I can write and present a formal presentation tailored to a specific audience and purpose.

Have you ever watched a TED talk, or any similar presentation? (If not, you will shortly.) Theyve become
famous for a few things:

Innovative content, such as new research findings, inventions, or ways of thinking

Excellent speakers, in terms of physical/vocal qualities, memorization, and visual aids.
Benefits for the listener, since the audience will walk away with new, usable information.

Thats what is so special about TED: the transaction of knowledge, the exchange of ideas between
speaker and listener, and even the emotions that go along with that process. When we listen to a TED
talk, we walk away feeling inspired, stretched, motivated, or creative. (In fact, when you go to their
website, you can search for videos based on what emotion you want to feel afterward. Feeling
something is so expected that its a search criterion. Pretty cool, right?)

Technically, ALL speeches should be this way a speaker with something to offer who tailors a well-designed
message and delivery to the audience in order for them to get the maximum impact.

So today, we are going to do exactly that. At a real TED conference

A group of experts in their respective fields sign up to give a talk that ranges from 5-20 min.
Audiences attend presentations that they wish to hear.
The talks are video recorded to further share it with others.

We will be using a similar process!

Step 1: Brainstorm & Draft a Speech

We are going to learn more about TED talks, watch some, learn some ways to brainstorm and structure
our own speeches, and then write drafts.

Step 2: Practice & Set Up Logistics

You will be encouraged to practice reading this speech out loud REPEATEDLY, both as an editing/revision
strategy and to get it (somewhat) close to memorized. In addition, you will design a PowerPoint visual
aid, one thats a little different from your standard PPT (less text, more pictures).

Step 3: Present (and Listen!) on TED day

You will be presenting your TED talk to a group of students throughout the school (ranging from 7th to
9th grade). All talks will be video recorded for my grading purposes, but those videos will NOT be posted
online.
 Name: _________________

Disclaimer Page
By reading this disclaimer and participating in the unit, you understand that:

This is NOT technically a real TED conference; it is an in-class only project.

Your videos will not be posted by the teacher or school publicly onto the internet. They are
primarily for my grading purposes, so that I can fairly watch and assess all students. At the end
of the year, I will delete the videos that I do not have permission to keep.
Your videos will only be shared with students in future years (as an example) if you give written
permission for me to keep and show it.
Not all of the TED talks on their official website are school-appropriate.
o You will not be specifically assigned an inappropriate video by the teacher.
o The ones assigned to you have been pre-screened by a teacher and were chosen for a
specific benefit related to public speaking skills.
o If you watch one that you encounter through browsing, that is YOUR choice, and the
school, the teacher, and the district are not responsible.
o Your parents have the final say in which videos you may (or may not) watch.
o These TED talks were originally written for ADULTS, which means that you may
occasionally encounter swear words, adult content, or concepts that dont always jive
with your personal, political, or religious beliefs. You do NOT have to continue watching
a video that you dont morally agree with.

Student Signature: ___________________________________________ Date: _________________

Other Q&A

1. Im not an expert/researcher/scientist. How will I talk about something for that long?
a. You have infinite possibilities for topics. Its too soon to stress.
2. Will I have to do research and cite facts?
a. Somewhat. Your writing will be a combination of narrative (personal
experience/storytelling), argumentative (opinion), and informative (facts), and every speech
will have to cite SOMETHING, but this isnt PRIMARILY a research speech.
3. Do I have to memorize this?
a. Mostly, yes. You are only allowed to use note cards, and youll be graded on things like eye
contact, so its highly recommended (but not 100% required) to memorize. More on this later.
4. What if public speaking makes me nervous?
a. Thats normal. Theres an activity coming on this topic that will help. Part of the experience
of this is to overcome those nerves and do it anyway.
5. No really, I have legitimate anxiety here.
a. If you have a diagnosed anxiety concern OR a personal problem, YOU MUST talk to me
about it. Some parts of this project are negotiable, and some parts arent.
6. My mom/dad/cool cousin/hamster wants to see my video.
a. Cool then have them sign up to get a copy of it (on the permission slip).
7. What about the people NOT in my class? Do I get to watch their videos and/or speeches?
a. It depends on if your classmates (and parents) give permission for the videos to be shared.
We will also practice in class multiple times, so you may be able to see their speech then.
 Name: _________________

Student Checklist: Do you have it all?

Unit Items (in order of completion) Due Date

Pre-Assessment

Disclaimer page signed

Brainstorming graphic organizer (WITH signatures)

Activity: Listening to TED Talks

Activity: How to Structure Your TED Talk

Activity: Structure Checklist

Activity: Preparing for Your Talk

Activity: Preparing Visual Aids

Activity: Storyboarding Graphic Organizer

Rough draft of speech due

Rough draft of visual aid due

Homework: Practice Log

Homework: Practice Session Report

RUBRIC: Final draft & presentation

Presentation Day: Active Listening page

Post-Assessment

Unit Reminders:
Your assigned presentation day is: _________________________
On presentation day, you will need to have with you:
o Rubric
o Final draft (typed and printed) of speech (to be turned in at the beginning of class)
o Note cards (optional)
o Visual Aid (emailed to the correct teacher)