269: The Difference Between a TED Talk, Signature Talk, & Keynote

Is a signature talk the same thing as a keynote? And where does a TED Talk fit in? Isn't it all the same thing? Uh, sort of. Okay, I will explain. See you in the show. Hey movers, it's Sally Z with Be Moved. Let's go create some talks that will move this world. We're going to talk with amazing speakers, share tips, tricks, resources, And we are going to be moved so that our audience can be moved. This moved me. What is moving you? Hey everybody, welcome back to This Moved Me. My name is Sally Koering Zimney. I'm your virtual speaker coach and I empower purpose-driven entrepreneurs, coaches, and changemakers like you to leverage the power of speaking on behalf of your business or your idea so that you can finally have the impact that you have always dreamed of. We're gonna let go of the self-doubt that holds you back and unleash your authentic voice. That sounds pretty good. Let's do it. Now, this is short and sweet explainer video, my friends. We're gonna talk about the difference between some terms that we've been throwing around so we know what they are, what they aren't, and how it all fits into how you can be leveraging these ideas in your business. Now, before we dive in, I want to make sure that you have grabbed this jumpstart— there it is— this jumpstart kit, okay? The Signature Talk Jumpstart Kit. In it, it walks you through all the really important pre-work that you have got to do before you create your signature talk. Okay, we're going to talk about what a signature talk is, in this episode, and you're gonna see how truly essential it is for you and your business. But before you dive in and do it, don't do what a lot of people I know, and some of my speakers, they like skipped the pre-work and just went right into creating and then found themselves confused and having to go back and start again. Nope, nope, nope, we're not gonna do that. We are gonna get clear on some things first, and it will help you so much once you sit down to create. So go to bemoove.com/jumpstart, grab your kit, and then I will see you over in the Move Your Audience Facebook group where all this training comes to life. And we'll be doing a challenge in March as well. So good stuff happening there. So terms explaining, no more confusion. Let's get it straight. Okay. And I don't, I don't blame you for confusion because a lot of the times people use these terms interchangeably. And in fact, there have been times in my career where I have used them interchangeably just to shortcut some things with people, but I think it's helpful to get some clarity here. So let's start with the keynote. Now a keynote is really specific to a moment. It's about a specific topic. To a specific audience in a specific moment. So you get booked for that keynote or your keynote's at 2:00 PM, or you're doing a keynote for this group or that conference. Okay. So it really is about a specific moment. Now, typically a keynote is mostly one way. In other words, it's less interactive. It's more like that sort of stage speech that you're thinking of, right, where, where you are the one truly providing most of the content. No, it doesn't mean there isn't some interaction, and some speakers like to do more interaction than others. Hi. But typically you're not doing breakout sessions and you're not having them get into small groups quite as much, that kind of thing, right? So think of the auditorium conference type setting you're up on the stage. I'm sorry, I just had to take a moment and imagine that again because it hasn't happened in so long. We'll get back there, we'll get back there. Now in terms of length, it's typically somewhere between 20 and 60 minutes, uh, but that time can vary. And I'm hearing all kinds of different requests: 10 minutes, 7 minutes, 90 minutes, who knows, right? But I think we kind of get this. It's a pretty standard keynote big speech experience. And we want keynotes. Keynotes are awesome. Keynotes often mean credibility. That means main stage. It means like you've made it. It's like expert moment, right? Keynotes. Good. Let's put that on the list. Absolutely. Now, a TED Talk is a thought leadership talk. Okay, so I kind of think it's a particular flavor of keynote, but we know it does have a particular flavor. Your keynote, you might be able to do some more selling from the stage depending on the context and the expectations around it. Although, whew, I think, feel like we should do like a whole big thing on that 'cause I have strong feelings about it. But we are selling from the stage, even when we're not selling from the stage. So I acknowledge that, right? It's a powerful platform for us in terms of growing our audience, for inviting people in to take the next step with us. It's an awesome top of funnel experience. Well, the TED Talk, there's so much stringency and expectations around it not being a part of your sales funnel. But let's be real. It is, right? It is. It is absolutely a credibility builder. It's potentially a ton of visibility. It puts you on the map. I mean, it's worth doing for sure, right? But the brand around TED is very careful around the salesy side of things, so just know that. I think you guys know that, that's pretty well known. They tend to care less about your experience as a speaker and more focused on your idea and your message. I love that. There's some purity there that I really, really like. And it invites a lot of people onto the stage who might never see themselves as a speaker. They might never say, I want a keynote, but they might say, I want to TED Talk. Isn't that interesting? None of this might be news to any of you, but I do think it's important for us to look at these nuances and to see how they are connected to each other. And I'm curious for yourself, I think it's interesting to say, well, I could see myself doing this, but I wouldn't see myself doing that, and why that is. And I really want to know if you are having some of those internal thoughts. Please let me know, reach out to me, DM me. Send me a message, 'cause I'd be really curious about it. And let me just say, doing a TEDx Talk is awesome. It is, it's a big moment. It's harrowing. It's way more time investment than I've ever put into a keynote. Sorry to my keynote clients. Because it holds so much weight out in the world, and it has this potential to go viral. That'll mess with your head. More on this later. In fact, if you wanna check out my reflections on my own TEDx experience, or you want to see my TEDx recommended watch list, head over to bemooved.com. In this episode, we'll put it in the notes so that you can check it out. Now let's get to this signature talk. Okay, now I think the signature talk is a foundational speech that shares not just what you want to be known for, but shares who you are. What's cool about a signature talk is that it can become a TED Talk, or it can become a keynote, and it can become the source for your podcast conversation. It can become content driver for your live video. It can become inspiration for your weekly content. In fact, it's important that all of those things connect. Your signature talk is your messaging foundational piece. It's like all your content builds from it. One of my clients once, as we built his signature talk, he also built his book. What I think is so cool about the signature talk is that it's not just about what you know, it's not just thought leadership. It is truly a chance for you to put yourself into something, for it to reflect you. And when you build your signature talk, you're not building something based on what other people have requested of you. You're not building what fits their agenda, though we don't want to dismiss what people are often asking you for or where the audience interest is. I think that's really, really important to keep in mind, but it's also your ideal audience, your ideal situation. You can develop your content for that moment. And if you think about that, how would what you say be different if you did that? If it was not about your business even, but what if it was about something bigger, something deeper? If you could develop a talk that you have always wanted to build your content and your dream and your life around? What would that be? Once you develop your ideal content, what I have to tell you is it's much easier for you to pitch that to your ideal audience. It's really hard to pitch content to an audience when you haven't developed that content. So it's kind of step one of starting to speak to those folks or become an authority with those folks and get in their world so that you become a go-to person. So when you hear me talking about a TED Talk, it's really a signature talk in the context of a TED event. And when you hear me talking about a keynote or a workshop or a podcast or a live video or all of the other ways where we show up, it's really your signature talk being put to work in that moment with that context, that audience, those needs in mind. So what's awesome about this is that we don't have to start from scratch every time. Now it does not mean— it does not mean that we rinse and repeat. Hey, please don't do that because every context is different, every audience is different, every timing is different, the needs of that particular group and the now of today is different. So please don't rinse and repeat. People can see that coming and they're like checked out. It's insulting and stinks, really. Please don't do that. But what it does mean is that instead of starting from scratch, you can start from about 75% done, which is much better, I would say, right? Than starting from scratch. 75% done. And then the rest of your job is to curate and craft that talk for that audience in that moment. You get to go love 'em up. So these pieces are both very closely aligned and totally different all at the same time. Your keynote, your signature talk, that TEDx talk that maybe you've done or you have the dream to do. But what at the heart of that is the signature talk, which is why I want you to come and join me in the Jumpstart Kit. Okay. Join us over in the Move Your Audience Facebook group. We are talking a lot about signature talks, how to use them in your business, how to really bring them to life. And in March, I open the doors for the Signature Talk Studio. So know that that is coming and I would love to have you join us in there. All right, my friends, that's it for me. What's moving you? Okay, this moved me this week. I'm all about it. Okay, gotta go, bye. See y'all next week.