The effort required for a TED talk

So you want to give a TED caliber presentation. Are you willing to put in the effort?

Here’s how TED Curator Chris Anderson describes what it takes to be prepared to go onto the TED stage:

We start helping speakers prepare their talks six months (or more) in advance so that they’ll have plenty of time to practice. We want people’s talks to be in final form at least a month before the event. The more practice they can do in the final weeks, the better off they’ll be. Ideally, they’ll practice the talk on their own and in front of an audience.

Let’s summarize that. TED speakers:

• begin to prepare 6 months in advance,
• have the talk final one month in advance,
• practice a lot in the remaining weeks.

When do you begin to prepare? How often do you practice the talk in its final version?

Really, what looks effortless is often the result of an enormous effort.