A great talk is like a cake

A great talk is like a cake.

Stick with me here.


I LOVE the Great British bake off.

I love looking at the drawings and thinking “NO WAY are they going to make that into a cake” and then being blown away.

I love watching the judges' faces and guessing what they’re going to say.

I anticipate going to the snack cupboard to rummage for a rather unappetizing biscuit when what I really want is that 3 layered chocolate cake, with a mirror glaze, in a sugar dome, with whipped cream and frosted hedgehogs.

But how much of it do I want?

Just a mouthful (OK, maybe two)

I want to get a taste of everything, but not have to eat the whole thing.


And that’s the key to a great talk.

It’s the secret ingredient of TED - you get the slice, not the whole cake.


When you distill your talk down to 20 or 10 minutes, you are not getting rid of essentials.

You NEED to keep all the ingredients, but just enough of them so the audience understands your message.

You are not trying to cram as much into as small a timeframe as possible, you are distilling the information so the audience can get the flavor and feel satisfied.

And ideally left wanting more.


A great talk is rich, not dense.

And most importantly, it takes time to create!

You don't just throw together a lion made of 6 different breads and 23 separate ingredients!

Your signature talk takes planning, refining, reworking and ALOT of practice.

You also need feedback to make sure it's not just style over substance.


If you're looking for a Prue Leith or Paul Hollywood for your next talk, I'm your gal. (I will gladly test your cakes too!) https://lnkd.in/eG4HCr52