Selecting and inviting speakers is one of your most important duties as a TEDx host. Having live speakers at your TEDx event is not required, but they add powerful, unforgettable, unique moments to your event -- perhaps tying the theme of your event to local issues or current events. Up to 75% of your TEDx program can consist of original speakers.
Note: TED does not help TEDx partners identify and secure speakers. TED does not pay speakers and neither should you.
How to identify great speakers
To build a powerful speaker program, seek out extraordinary voices in your local community who have a unique story or an unusual perspective -- and who can convey it in a dynamic way.
- Local voices that few have heard before
- People who can present their field in a new light
- Perspectives that the global TED community may not have access to
- Diverse demographics, ethnicities, backgrounds, subject matter
- Speakers whose work fits your event theme
Guidelines for inviting speakers
It is critical that you explain TED and TEDx to every speaker that you invite, and that you make clear the purpose of your TEDx event, and the fact that it's independently organized.
Speakers who make frequent public appearances -- established scientists, authors, media personalities -- should be invited well in advance.
