Slides & A/V
From PowerPoints and videos to live music and art: express your talk and get creative!
Last updated
From PowerPoints and videos to live music and art: express your talk and get creative!
Last updated
Slides, videos, performances, live music, tech demos... the list goes on! These are wonderful complements to your talk if you want to illustrate a point. However, these complements should never become supplements for your talk. There have been hundreds of TED Talks done without any slide deck. Consider whether the audience gains anything from having one... or if it just distracts from your idea.
Slides, videos, etc. are never to help you. You should be able to present without these aids. It's to help the audience. Keep this in mind as you make your talk.
Follow our Design Brilliant Slides guidelines.
Use PowerPoint or Keynote.
DO NOT use online services such as Google Slides, Canva, or Prezi.
If you use Linux, you may save LibreOffice files in .pptx format or use or .
Use a black slide background whenever possible.
Again, slides are entirely optional! Lots of TED Talks happen without them. If you do decide to build slides, it's important to remember that: your talk and idea are centre stage. While building the slides, continually ask yourself:
Will this help the audience? If not, don't include it.
Will this be distracting? Will it detract from your speaking?
What actually do I want to emphasise here? Does my slide support that?
If something isn't necessary, don't include it. A blank slide is as powerful as a slide with content. Think about how you'll click through your slides as you talk.
Video content can be amazingly captivating! If you're interested in including a video in your TEDx talk, let us know. If you have a slide deck, feel free to embed it there. Either way, be sure to send us the video file as a backup.
Note that video should be used to support and demonstrate what you're speaking about, rather than replacing you as a speaker. If the video is explaining a concept instead of you, it's likely not a good fit for your talk. However, a short video to illustrate an example can really help the audience visualise your point.
Audience members love when performers include a live experience on stage! Whether that be a musical performance, dance number, or a live painting session, we'd love to support whatever creative juices you have flowing.
Please let us know at least 1 month before the conference that you'd like to include this in your talk. This way, our Technical Production team has time to have everything ready for you!