Interview met Derek Sivers (brute TED talker)

All of a sudden I found out that a guy by the name of Derek Sivers heard about my little stunt with Branson. He had quite some followers so I thought lets digg a lil deeper and without knowing I was already a fan of one the TED talks he had done in the past (+ he is also the founder of CD Baby). I mailed Derek right away to ask him if i could “interview” him, and I got a response back pretty soon…cool dude Here is one of his well known (and one of my fav TED talks from him)

A very visual and easy way to understand leadership and creating an movement. So to mind came the questions on doing a good TED talk. Since allot of the people I know, their dicks get hard when only thinking he or she could be a guest at a TED event let alone to be able to speak. Here are Derek’s answers to the questions, enjoy!

1 How do you become a TED speaker? (what do you need to do before you get asked)

D: I think there’s a suggestion box on the ted.com website, but mostly I get the feeling they just keep their ears open for who’s doing amazing work, but then select people according to the theme of that year’s conference. Another way is that conference attendees can offer to do a short 2-5 minute talk. That’s what I did.

2 What makes a TED talk a good talk? (what are key ingredients in your idea?)

TED feels like school for smart successful adults, so you have to tell them something surprising, interesting, and the opposite of condescending. Knowing that you’re speaking to a room that includes Bill Gates, Peter Gabriel, Al Gore, and other heroes, it really raises the bar. I think the best ones present surprising facts or true amazing stories, not just theories.

3 When is something worthy to be presented on TED? (how do you came up with your ideas?)

You never know until it’s done. Some speakers get up there with something that seems like it’ll be great, but it just falls flat. Others get up there and somehow spark the mind or warm the heart, and get a standing ovation. For every great one you see on ted.com, there are a few that didn’t work out so well at the live conference.

4 What is your main goal for doing a TED talk? (is it personal benefit or do you have a greater good as goal?, or maybe both?)

D: Honestly I’m just such a TED fan, that when I got accepted to do a talk, I just wanted to do something worthy to contribute to a great event. I don’t care about personal gain at all. I have no goals. I was honored to just be part of the tradition of TED speakers.

5 How were you feeling right before you went onstage to do your first TED talk?

D: Completely terrified. Unable to remember my lines. Prepared for complete onstage disaster. I’ve done four TED talks now, and feel like that every time.

6 What was the most beautiful reaction you’ve gotten from one of your TED talks?

D: Peter Gabriel interrupting his conversation to cross the room and tell me how much he loved my talk. That’s one of those moments I’ll brag to grandchildren about.

7 What is your favorite curse word?

D: Kusotare. (“koo-soh tah-ray”). Japanese. When I was there, I asked what’s the nastiest thing you can say to someone. When they said it was kusotare, I asked what it meant. They said, embarrassed, “It means you have shit around your asshole.” I laughed. “So the worst insult in Japan is that you didn’t wipe properly?” No wonder they have such fancy toilets.