SLOW DOWN!  THERE IS NO SPECIAL CONSIDERATION GIVEN FOR APPLYING BEFORE OTHER PEOPLE.  WE WILL CONSIDER ALL APPLICATIONS AFTER THE DEADLINE.  

The January 29, 2022 TEDxEustis event will feature 9-12 speakers sharing "ideas worth spreading."  We are searching for coaches who will guide and help speakers meet their deadlines and be ready to take the stage for the TEDx Eustis talk. If you believe you could serve as a TEDx Eustis speaker coach, we want to hear from you!

The all-volunteer group organizing the 2022 TEDxEustis event will provide a speaker coach for each of the presenters chosen.  This NON-OPTIONAL volunteer coach will work closely with the presenter to craft an engaging performance, regardless of the presenter's public speaking experience or previous lack of it.  Great ideas worth spreading shouldn't be sidelined by stage fright!  This is NOT optional.  As a TEDxEustis coach, you must be able to give constructive criticism and work with the presenter and the curation team to craft the perfect talk for our stage.

While coaches are not paid for their efforts, each talk - which can range from 3 to 18 minutes - will be recorded and uploaded to the TEDx video portal on TED.com to be shared with the world.  You can be proud to have helped your speaker give a TEDx Eustis talk!

Speaker Coach FAQ for time commitment:
1. How often do I meet with my speaker?
The frequency of meetings is between you and your speaker, however it is recommended to check in at least once a week to have your speaker read aloud their talk and then answer any questions they may have.
2. What do I hold my speaker accountable to?
The priority of a coach is to assure your speaker meets all submission deadlines for their talk’s drafts. This is essential to move forward the process of revisions and editing to develop the best talk possible.
3. How many rehearsals do I have to attend?
If you are local to your speaker, please attend as many as possible. The number of rehearsals will vary from speaker to speaker. However, we do schedule group coaching on Zoom and welcome your speaker to rehears up to six times on Zoom for group coaching and you should attend the sessions when your speaker presents. Live or in person rehearsals will depend on where you live and where your speaker is from. However, we do encourage you to have your speaker perform their talk in front of a small group for a live audience experience at least twice and preferably more prior to the TEDx Eustis event. This live in person rehearsal should not be recorded for publishing anywhere. The speaker can record it for their personal evaluation only.
4. How do I help my speaker edit their talk?
We recommend a document sharing platform such as Google Docs or Evernote where both you and your speaker can make edits and suggestions to the script. Please advise your speaker to always have a backup outside of the shared document platform.
5. How much time weekly will my coaching require?
Typically, it is fair to say, the time commitment will fluctuate highly during edits and revisions and then stabilize during rehearsals and weekly check-ins with your speaker. You should allocate a minimum of 1-2 hours per week for your coaching role. 

BASIC GUIDELINES FOR SPEAKERS (coaches will need to help them follow the timeline)

TEDxEustis is a place to share "ideas worth spreading" that you have either personally experienced, formulated through research, or created yourself.  The TEDx stage does not host religious topics (unless the topic relates to a societal context for religion), pseudo-science, or personal conjecture.  All talks will be fact-checked.

***To this end, we strongly discourage speakers from the "self-help" or "personal coaching" arena unless the research/methods or personal experience is new and noteworthy.***

SPEAKER REQUIREMENTS

Presenting at a TEDx event is a major accomplishment and requires a large time commitment.  Speakers are expected to create outlines of their talk and refine the idea until it is ready to fly off the stage and take flight.  Working with an assigned coach, speakers are required to give their talk in public to at least six (6) practice groups and to accept feedback from those groups.

SPEAKER CONTENT TIMELINE COMMITMENT

Please familiarize yourself with all of the following dates and be prepared to add them to your calendars. You must let the curators know in advance if you cannot meet a deadline. All submissions for waivers of deadlines are to be made to the curators via email. All deadlines are 5:00 PM.  
***Repeated missed deadlines may result in the speaker being removed from the 2022 lineup.

Saturday, July 31st
Online applications due (only online applications will be accepted)

Monday, August 16th (or sooner)
Speaker Line-Up Announced

Monday, August 30th
Submit outline and title ideas for talk. Feedback will be provided

Monday, September 13th EVENT LAUNCH
Online ticket sales, social media, website and other available promotion.

Thursday, September 16th
First draft of talk is due.
Be sure to include references where applicable

September 22nd & 23rd
Initial drafts are reviewed by event team for content and fact checked. Feedback is provided

Friday, October 8th
Second draft outline of your talk is due
Submit duration of talk (accurate to ± 1 minute) - target of 12-14 minutes but no more than 18

October 11th - 17th
Drafts are reviewed by event team for content and fact checked. Feedback is provided

Friday, November 5th
Final sign off for talk by curators & coach(es)
Stop editing - start rehearsing, practice, practice, practice

Week of November 8th - 14th
Individual run-through of talk with curator & organizers

NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, JANUARY
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Friday, January 28th DRESS REHEARSAL
Schedule will be confirmed closer to the date.  All TEDxEustis speakers must attend the ENTIRE dress rehearsal. This is an all day commitment.

Saturday, January 29th EVENT!
Please arrive to the venue by no later than 8:30 a.m.
All speakers are expected to stay for the entire event (9am - 4pm)
Final recognition of speakers on stage
Speaker line-up to be determined

ONGOING
Meetings, emails, or phone calls with curators and other provided resources such as speaking coaches and TEDx Eustis Talk experts
Emails and messages from the operations team
Meeting, emails, Zoom meetings or phone calls with their fellow TEDxEustis speakers
Sharing of information {drafts, feedback, resources)

THE TED COMMANDMENTS
1. Dream big. Create the best talk you have ever given. Reveal something never seen and heard before. Do something the audience will remember forever. Share an idea that could change the world.
2. Show us the real you. Share your passions, your dreams, your fears. Be vulnerable. Be authentic. Talk about failure just as much as success.
3. Discuss complex issues in plain talk. Don't try to dazzle people with your intellect or speak in abstractions. Explain everything. Give examples.
4. Tell stories. Be specific but remember to focus on your core idea.
5. Connect with people's emotions. Make us laugh! Make us cry!
6. Don't flaunt your ego. Don't boast. Don't tell us your biography. It's boring and the surest way to switch everyone's attention off.
7. No selling from the stage. Unless we specifically ask you to do so, do not talk about your company or organization. Don't even think about pitching your products or services or asking for funding from stage.
8. Feel free to comment on other speakers' talks, to praise or to criticize. Controversy energizes. Enthusiastic endorsement is powerful!
9. Don't read your talk. Absolutely no notes or outlines on-stage. They're distracting to the audience. That's why we're giving you time just to internalize your entire talk.
10. No slides.  Tell your audience the story, don't use photo shortcuts.  Slides and photos take their attention away from you.  Let your audience use their imagination and the story will soar!
11. End your talk on time. Doing otherwise is to steal time from the speakers who follow you. We won't allow it.
12. Rehearse your talk in front of family and friends for timing, clarity and impact.
13. No political agendas. This talk is not for advocating for a political party, do not belittle political adversaries or use your talk to push inflammatory or extremist positions.
14. No religious proselytizing. Do not attempt to prove or persuade the (in)correctness of (a) religion(s).
15. Use only credible science. The claims you use should be testable experimentally, have been published in a peer review journal, and be backed up by theories and have generated enough data to convince other experts of its legitimacy.
16. Have fun, you are giving the talk of your life.

If you cannot commit to the same timeline as our speakers, you should consider being an attendee instead. Coaches should attend the full rehearsal on January 28th and the entire event on January 29th.

After you read all of the instructions, please read them again.  Check your calendar against our deadline dates.