My Secret to Becoming a TEDx Speaker: The Event Theme

Picture Credit: Tammy McConaty

Check out my TEDx talk by clicking here.

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In August 2024 I became an official TEDx speaker!

But rewind 6 months to the beginning of my TEDx journey, and you’ll find a very different person:

• A budding, frustrated entrepreneur, trying to figure out how to run a business
• Who had 0 knowledge of how to be successful
• And took on way too much work

I was doing public speaking coaching, data communication trainings, writing social media content, recording videos for my YouTube channel…

I was doing so many things but simultaneously failing to move the needle because I had no business vision. 

The only thing I had on my vision board month to month was: “Would love to do a TEDx Talk” 

In this blog series, I’d like to break down all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into becoming a TEDx speaker, and how you too can embark on this journey if you share the same dream. 

This is Episode 1. 

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I’m a techie, a geek, a nerd – whatever you want to call it.

To do anything new, I need to have a system of executable steps.

So like all tech professionals worth their salt, I immediately went to Google and ChatGPT 😉

After much research, I found this goldmine of a video with one tip I began to implement: 

• Every month, I manually went to the TEDx Event Website and looked for upcoming TEDx events.

The reason: if a new TEDx event popped up, they might have a call for speakers! I prioritized looking for TEDx events near where I lived (Washington, DC) to minimize the travel required, but was open to absolutely anything. 

There were several TEDx events announced each month!

But … drum roll please … I never applied to any of them. 

Because besides being a techie, I’m super risk-averse and prone to imposter syndrome. 

For the “big” TEDx events:

(With the name of the city itself in the title like TEDx Seattle or TEDx Pittsburgh) – I thought, “Look at how established these events are. There’s no way they’d find my application in the thousands they probably receive”.

So I never tried.

For the “smaller” TEDx events:

(With the name of a local area in the title like TEDx Harlem or TEDx Pearl Street), I thought, “Yeah, maybe I might have more of a chance…” But why would they choose my story over people vastly more qualified?

So I never tried.

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That cycle of self-rejection finally stopped when I saw the announcement for TEDx Logan Circle.

The theme of the inaugural event was “Rethink Innovation”. They were looking for people who found unique connections between two or more industries.

I thought, “This is my story”

As a naturally introverted tech guy, I found two industries where I (mostly) got away not talking to people: composing music and analyzing data.

When I started my company The Hidden Speaker, I sought to bring those industries together:

• By teaching technical teams how to communicate data more musically – more like story – I could help them increase their impact and drive better decisions. 
• But above all, I could show them that being introverted is not a problem. It can be a superpower for effective technical communication. 

I finally decided to submit my TEDx application.  

To make sure I was as successful as possible, I made sure of 3 things:

1. Every TEDx talk is centered around 1 “idea worth spreading”

I cut and cut and refined and cut my one idea down to make sure it was maximally clear. It was this: By communicating data in a more emotionally engaging and musical way, we can turn dry numbers to compelling, human story. 

2. I needed to show I was the right person to give this talk

There are tons of thought leaders, authors, and keynote speakers who are experts on data communication. What was something only I could bring to the table? I doubled down on emphasizing my difference: my musical background and how that informs my unique perspective. 

3. I wanted to highlight the event theme

The reason I decided to apply in the first place was this theme: the creative intersection of industries. Rather than my application being a generic one I could submit to 10 more TEDx events afterwards, I wanted my answers to be specific only to this one.

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I pressed the “Submit” button on my application and with bated breath … waited. 

Coming up next in the series is Episode 2: “How I Became a TEDx Speaker: Getting the Acceptance Letter”...

Before getting to the end of the series, you can also check out the TEDx talk below!