Mark Thompson

Ten million people have watched a comedian accidentally destroy the entire TED talk industry. He filmed the talk once at TEDxNewYork in 2014 and openly admitted he had nothing to say. Speaking coaches charge $5,000 to teach the exact tricks he used in 6 minutes to say nothing at all. His name is Will Stephen. He is a comedian from Late Night with Seth Meyers who was invited to give a real TED talk and used it to prove the format is a costume anyone can wear. Every TED speaker opens with a question, tells a personal story, cites a scientist, and shows a chart. Stephen did all four in six minutes with zero content. His entire formula fits on a napkin. Gesture with both hands. Ask the audience a question anyone can answer. Tell a mildly embarrassing story so they say aww. Point to a stranger on a slide and call them important. Flash a chart of random numbers. Wear glasses with no lenses. The audience will think you are brilliant. That last trick alone has probably cost the public speaking coaching industry a hundred million dollars in sessions clients should have skipped. "If you watched me on YouTube with the sound off, you would think I was a genius." That is Will Stephen on the TED stage, three minutes into the talk he was paid to give. He wasn't lying. Executives pay $15,000 for a keynote coach and still open with a joke the room never laughs at. Founders rehearse their pitch for weeks and still sound like Stephen at minute four, saying "wagga wah, gabba gabba" with authority. The talk is free on YouTube. The method is written across every TED speaker's playbook for ten years. Stephen still writes for Seth Meyers. Almost none of the ten million viewers have stopped nodding at empty slides since. The formula is free. The willingness to actually say something before your next keynote, pitch, or townhall is the entire edge.