TedxNormal returns in 2024!
Thank you for your interest in speaking at TEDxNormal. Our 2024 event will take place on April 20, 2024 at Heartland Community College. Applications for our 2024 event are now closed. Read on to prepare for future applications.
What We’re Looking For
We are looking for speakers with Ideas Worth Sharing. Speakers who authentically connect with our audience. Speakers who must be able to convey one Big Idea or new information with passion and authority. We’re looking for speakers doing amazing work, or who know something few do, but all want to. You should have something truly important or unique to share, or you should challenge our audience to think about something in a new way. Speakers should be able to communicate their Big Idea in 8-10 minutes. There are many resources and videos online to help your message become an Idea Worth Sharing. Here are the official speaker rules.
Always keep in mind your Big Idea. The primary goal of your Talk is to communicate your idea effectively. Successful TEDxNormal talks teach, entertain, make us think, make us laugh, cry or inspire action – all through the sharing of the idea. Tell us why your idea is original, authentic, and why we should be interested.
We are proud to bring high caliber talks to the TEDxNormal community and – once speakers are selected – we work diligently to help you become that high caliber speaker, with professional speaker coaching, feedback, rehearsals, and materials review long before you hit the stage. We help our speakers avoid pitfalls that might hinder their presentation or their idea from reaching its full potential.
How Speakers Are Chosen
TEDxNormal is led by a curator, who works with an all-volunteer committee to choose speakers for each event. The committee evaluates potential speakers by application, which will be available approximately 6 months prior to our event.
We require a 60-90 second Application Video. Think of this as your sales pitch for your Big Idea. It should be an original video of you speaking on your topic and addressed to the TEDxNormal planning committee. Identify your Big Idea and give 3 supporting statements. This does not have to be your final proposal–we welcome speakers who need assistance synthesizing their ideas into a full TEDx Talk.
Your video does not need to be professionally filmed or edited. Just give us a taste of your presentation style and how well you’ve thought out your Big Idea. Practice before your record. Be sure the sound is strong and we can hear what you have to say. Do not use graphics in place of you speaking on your topic. We should understand in one minute your Big Idea and your three supporting statements.
Don’t worry about editing if you go over the time limit; longer videos will be accepted but only the first 90 seconds will be evaluated.
We typically receive more than 250 applications per event and, unfortunately, cannot respond to each application individually. You will be contacted by email if you are invited to speak, so we recommend using a personal email address for communications with the TEDxNormal team.
Other Important Info
- TEDxNormal prioritizes applications from local speakers. We welcome applications from speakers in the Bloomington-Normal and central Illinois region. If you live or work outside our area, you should clearly articulate your connection to our area in your application.
- TEDx speakers are not paid. The TEDx stage is not a platform for professional or circuit speakers. Its purpose is to give a platform to those who don’t often have one. You can read more about TEDx speaker policies and guidelines in the TEDx Content Guidelines, including our policy around circuit speakers, motivational speakers, and professional life coaches.
- TEDx is designed to give a voice to speakers without a platform. Speakers may NOT promote their own products, books, or businesses, or those of a company that employs them in their TEDxNormal talk. Talks may only include technology, product demos, or books that inform an idea presented in a talk, or are essential in understanding the Big Idea represented in the talk. We may be able to provide authors an opportunity to promote books. As of 2024, we will no longer accept speaker applications from speakers who have shared their Big Idea on another TEDx stage.
Thank you and Good Luck preparing your TEDxNormal application!