How do TEDx teams evaluate applications?
As a former TEDx Producer, and current Artistic Director of one of the biggest TEDx events in the country, I get this question all the time: How do you pick your speakers?
Here’s the short answer: Their idea makes us think, “Huh. Tell me more …”
No two talks look alike, but they all have one thing in common: a solution-oriented, big-takeaway idea.
You can be the most polished speaker in the world, but without a compelling idea, the TEDx stage isn’t for you. On the flip side, you might have zero stage experience and no clue how to write a short-format talk, but if your idea is strong, we can teach you everything else. In fact, sometimes we prefer first-timers because they come in as blank slates—no habits to unlearn, like overusing slides or forcing audience participation.
We want fresh thinking
Great TED Talks don’t have to be brand-new discoveries, but they do need to add something new to an existing conversation: a fresh lens, a surprising connection, a new way of explaining an old truth.
Take Simon Sinek’s How Great Leaders Inspire Action. He answered a timeless question—how do you lead effectively?—with a simple but powerful framework that changed how millions think about leadership.
So! If your idea already exists in the world, ask yourself:
What’s unique about my take?
What’s the talk only I can give, based on my experiences, education, and perspective?
Why should people care? What shift in thinking might it create?
To keep you thinking, here are a few more insider tips for applying:
Focus. Describe your idea in 15 words or fewer. If you can’t, keep refining.
Tell us why it matters. Does it inspire action, shift perspective, or offer hope?
Back it up. Use research, credible sources, or personal stories that illustrate your point.
Stay conversational. Avoid jargon: Explain it like you would to a smart friend over coffee.
Don’t pitch. TEDx isn’t a platform to promote a brand, product, or coaching method.
Make it bigger than you. Even if it’s personal, highlight the universal takeaway.
Be yourself. No “TED-style robots.” The best talks sound like real people sharing real insight.
What to avoid
Talks that focus only on personal transformation—“how I found my voice,” “how I conquered fear,” “my journey through illness”—rarely make the cut. The same goes for anything overtly partisan, promotional, or drenched in self-help clichés. (We jokingly refer to those as our “successory” applications…”
Final thoughts
TEDx curators aren’t looking for perfect speakers. We’re looking for people with something important to say—and the courage to say it in a way the world hasn’t heard before.
