DALLAS(KDAF)—Inside DFW spoke with Cesar Cervantes, public speaking coach specializing in speaker coaching and speech writing for TED Talks.

Cervantes offered some excellent advice for aspiring Ted Talk speakers who are looking to improve their speaking skills or prepare for public speaking.

How did you get into becoming a public speaking coach?

Cervantes said, “My career actually started off as a stand-up comic. And I did that for over a decade, I lived in LA and I got to share the stage with George Lopez and Gabriel Yglesias, a bunch of other people. And for whatever reason, I wanted to just go deeper, I wasn’t connecting with my audience in the same way. And I’m just a natural kind of teacher and coach at heart. I did my first TED talk, and then just started teaching people how to do their own. And that’s how it started”.

How does somebody get to get a TED Talk? What’s that process?

Cervantes said, “The big Ted, they have these two conferences every year, maybe one or two. And then they also have TEDx, which are kind of like satellite events that are licensed by Ted. And this is how everyone can access the TED world, there’s an application process, you have to have your big idea kind of ready to go when you apply. And then when you get selected. Essentially, you start developing your talk, it’s about 10 to 12 minutes, and it can be life-changing for people, it certainly was for me”.

How do people memorize once they’ve been selected for that 10 to 15-minute check?

Cervantes said, “My take is that because it’s such an important time to talk and you really want to landlines, you want to go that extra mile and then go beyond memorization, to ownership so that you can be present at the moment when you’re delivering that talk”.

What is the most important tip for a public speaker?

Cervantes said, “If I had to distill it down to one, I would say that story is really everything. We learn through stories. We connect emotionally with the story”.

You can get a free brainstorming session from Cervantes if you are interested in preparing for a Ted Talk one day.