If we want to create anything meaningful in this world, we have to understand the “rules of engagement” and set some boundaries around what we’re willing to do and what we will say “no” to. To have a strategy (or a creative direction) means understanding where those lines are and being willing to live within them.
I was reminded of this today when my good friend Scott Hull forwarded me these rules of speaking at the TED conference. I think they are brilliant on several fronts (they fit the TED vibe, they are firm yet playful, they inspire the best) but the thing that I enjoyed the most about them is that PEOPLE FOLLOW THEM. I have yet to see a TED talk where one of these rules has been violated. That’s because they’ve created a very cool playground on which to participate means to follow the rules.#172#8224
The TED Commandments – rules every speaker needs to know
1. Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick.
2. Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Hast Never Shared Before.
3. Thou Shalt Reveal thy Curiosity and Thy Passion.
4. Thou Shalt Tell a Story.
5. Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the Sake of Blessed Connection and Exquisite Controversy.
6. Thou Shalt Not Flaunt thine Ego. Be Thou Vulnerable. Speak of thy Failure as well as thy Success.
7. Thou Shalt Not Sell from the Stage: Neither thy Company, thy Goods, thy Writings, nor thy Desperate need for Funding; Lest Thou be Cast Aside into Outer Darkness.
8. Thou Shalt Remember all the while: Laughter is Good.
9. Thou Shalt Not Read thy Speech.
10. Thou Shalt Not Steal the Time of Them that Follow Thee.
(Via Scott Hull+ Via Tim Longhurst)
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