Decide on a presentation plan that makes you feel prepared to communicate an idea to an audience confidently and passionately.

Exercise: Mark up your script

6 things to look for:
1. Underline the most important 2–3 words in each sentence. This helps emphasize key points.
2. Underline twice the one word in each paragraph that really matters. This focuses attention and clarifies emotion.
3. Use a wavy pencil line under playful or lighthearted sections. This signals a more upbeat or humorous tone.
4. Highlight question marks with a yellow highlighter. This reminds you to change intonation and sound curious.
5. Mark the biggest “Aha!” moment with a big black blob before it. This signals a moment of pause or dramatic emphasis.
6. Mark jokes or funny stories with little pink dots. This cues you to smile or allow laughter.

Then read the script aloud, using your voice to respond to each mark— pausing, emphasizing, smiling, or changing pace accordingly. Optionally, record yourself and play it back to evaluate how it sounds.

Lesson vocabulary:
Essential – very important or necessary
“Deciding on a clear throughline is an essential part of developing a strong talk.”
Developing – building or creating something over time
“Deciding on a clear throughline is an essential part of developing a strong talk.”
Deliver – to give or present something, like a talk or message
“There are many ways to prepare for and deliver a talk.”
Script – a written version of what you plan to say
“The best way to say what you really want to say, in the most powerful way, is to write a script.”
Disorganized – not arranged or planned in a clear or effective way
“His talk may seem a little disorganized, because he doesn't actually know any of it by heart yet.”
Recited – spoken from memory in a way that may sound stiff or unnatural
“These are clues that the talk is being recited rather than spoken with meaning.”
Passion – strong feeling or enthusiasm
“He has the passion he had on day one.”
Thrilling – very exciting or emotionally powerful
“If your friend keeps working on memorizing his script, you will notice a thrilling change by the sixth or seventh day.”
Concentrate – to focus your attention on something
“He can concentrate on the meaning of what he’s saying again.”
Flow – to move smoothly and naturally
“You must keep practicing past the robot stage, to the stage where the words flow out freely.”
Stage – a part or step in a process (also: where a speaker performs)
“You must keep practicing past the robot stage.”
Robot – used metaphorically to mean someone who speaks without emotion or natural rhythm
“You must keep practicing past the robot stage.”
Natural – sounding or feeling real, not forced or fake
“This helps them make sure the language they choose sounds natural when said out loud.”
Masterful – showing skill, talent, or control
“Amanda’s powerful poetry makes us feel we are in the hands of a masterful writer.”
Memorable – something that’s easy to remember because it was special or powerful
“Take a look at this memorable moment from Amanda C. Gorman at a TED-Ed Student Talks event in 2018.”
Conclusion – the final part of a speech or story
“It might even be a powerful choice to let go of your script toward the end of your talk, and speak the conclusion directly from the heart.”
Unscripted – not written down ahead of time
“Some speakers choose to give unscripted talks.”
Subject matter – the topic or content being discussed
“Instead, they are thinking about the subject matter and looking for the best words to communicate their points in the moment.”
Communicate – to share ideas or information with others
“Instead, they are thinking about the subject matter and looking for the best words to communicate their points in the moment.”
Alive – used figuratively to mean fresh, interesting, and full of energy
“They often sound fresh and alive.”
Unprepared – not ready or not having practiced
“It’s important to know the difference between unscripted and unprepared.”
Metaphor – a way of describing something by saying it is something else, often for comparison
“But the key is to go back to the metaphor of a talk as a journey.”
Label – a word or phrase that helps name or organize an idea
“It can be helpful to create a label for each step.”
Majority – more than half of a group
“The majority of TED speakers do, in fact, script their whole talk and memorize it.”
Commit – to fully decide to do something and follow through
“The key is to pick a presentation plan that you feel confident about, and commit to that.”

The TED-Ed Student Talks program provides free, customizable activities for educators to support their students in identifying, developing and sharing their ideas with each other and the world. Learn more at the Student Talks page.