Speaker Idea Submission

What Makes a Great TEDx Talk Submission

Our mission is to elevate ideas that change everything from Chicago. An idea that is fit for TEDxChicago is new, unique, and can offer an impactful insight or a new way of thinking to a widely diverse audience. Selected speakers are often those who are doing the work, and are considered experts in the subject, often grounded in their own research.

We are a licensed TEDx of TED, and as such we are grounded in TED’s Curation Guidelines, which espouses these curation values: Curiosity, Reason, Imagination, Inclusion, Generosity, Debate, and Impact.

TEDTalks are highly focused on a topic and an idea. A topic is generally the direction you want to take your topic, for example, “We need to be resilient against climate change.” An idea is a specific thread from that topic, a unique message, solution, or insight that only you can share. For example, “For our cities to be resilient, we must invest in a new form of architecture that we learned from other parts of the world, and I have studied and implemented this architecture for many years with powerful results.”

A few guidelines up front

• Speakers and performers cannot be paid for their talk on the TEDxChicago stage.

• Speakers must have an average of 1-2 hours per week to devote to TEDx between selection and the event date.

• You are required to work with the TEDxChicago Speaker Coach and align to our expert-designed process.

• Only complete and well-developed speaker submissions will be considered.

What makes for a great submission / potential TEDxTalk

• New inventions, scientific or economic theories that will change the way we live, work or play. Keyword: NEW, NOVEL, AND ORIGINAL - our audience must be learning something new and original that they’ve never heard before.

• Universal and unique insights gained through unusual or unexpected personal experiences, and/or extensive experience or research.

• The nominee presenting a crystal-clear, singular idea that will likely fit a final talk duration of 7-15 min.

• A unique perspective on important and timely issues given by subject matter experts. This means that you are uniquely positioned and the best one to give this talk. Speakers must demonstrate expertise, and where relevant, credentials in the field they are speaking about. You will be fact checked and claims reviewed.

• An idea that addresses a topic of acute interest to our audience or a pressing challenge in our community. Remember you are sharing an IDEA not an ISSUE.

• We are looking for ideas that are Of Chicago and for the World. We only work with candidates from Chicago and in some cases broader Illinois.

• The idea was founded in proven data / evidence or experience and have broader application than just to the speaker’s life or situation. Generally, research must be publicly available and peer reviewed.

• One of the most important aspects of creating a great talk is to show a willingness to be vulnerable and be coachable.

• View the TEDx content guidelines.

Conversely, what to avoid:

• “How to be more successful” presentations.

• Motivational talks.

• Personal narratives or those that wish to speak about a very personal experience or a personal philosophy.

• Canned talks that have been given in another conference or event.

• Speakers and performers may not promote themselves, their company, or a product from the TEDx stage.

• Fundraising asks for a cause or company.

• As outlined in the TEDx content guidelines, we avoid political agendas, religion, commercial agendas, and unproven / minimally research-supported science (aka “pseudo science”).