Short, idea-led talks, the kind popularised by TED and the independently organised TEDx events, have a recognisable style: one clear idea, a personal story, a little evidence and a strong close, delivered without slides full of bullet points. Whether you are speaking at a conference, a school event or a local community night, the preparation is much the same, and cue cards are one of the simplest tools for it.
TED and TEDx are trademarks of their owner. EasyPalmCards is not affiliated with or endorsed by TED; "TED-style" here just describes the format.
Memorised or from notes?
There are three common approaches, and the right one depends on you and on the event.
- Fully memorised. Every word learned. It can be polished, but if you lose one line you can lose the next five, and it is easy to sound like you are reciting.
- Structure memorised. You know the order of sections, the opening, the transitions and the closing line by heart, and speak naturally in between. This is what many experienced speakers aim for.
- Delivered from notes. Cards in hand or a monitor at the front of the stage. Perfectly fine when the event allows it, especially for first-time speakers.
Cards help with all three. Even if you plan to speak without them, they are how you learn the structure.
The shape of an idea-led talk
- A hook Start in a moment, not with thanks or a biography. Where were you? What happened?
- The idea One sentence the audience could repeat to a friend. If you cannot write it on one card, the idea is not ready.
- Why it is true Evidence, an example, a demonstration or a second story.
- What it changes What the audience could see, think or do differently.
- The close Return to the opening moment and finish on the idea. Write the last line word for word.
Use the speech outline builder to give each section a time budget before you start writing.
Sample opening
When I was nine, I broke my grandad's radio. I had taken the back off to see where the voices came from, and when I put it back together there were three screws left over and no voices at all. I hid it in his shed and waited to get in trouble. Instead, he put it on the bench, handed me a screwdriver and said, "Open it up and look." We spent the afternoon fixing it. I have thought about that sentence ever since, because I think most of us have stopped opening things up and looking. Tonight I want to argue that repair is a skill we stopped teaching, and that it is worth teaching again.
On a card this is just: "Age 9, grandad's radio, 3 screws left", "hid it in the shed", "Open it up and look", and the idea sentence in full. The story is yours, so you only need the beats.
Using cards to learn the talk
- Write it out in full once Get the whole talk down, then read it aloud and time it.
- Make one card per section Paste the draft into EasyPalmCards and set the card breaks at the start of each section.
- Cut the words down After each rehearsal, delete the words you no longer need. Within a few runs most cards hold only a first line and a few key words.
- Rehearse the joins Practise the last line of one card into the first line of the next. Transitions are where talks usually wobble.
Rehearsal mode shows one card at a time on your phone with a timer, so you can rehearse on a walk or a train as well as at your desk.
Cards, monitors and the stage
Ask the organisers early what support they offer. Some events have a confidence monitor at the front of the stage showing your slides or notes; some ask speakers to go without notes; some are relaxed about cards. If cards are allowed, keep them small, use a large font and number them. Hold them at waist height and glance down only between sentences. If you do go blank, a card with the first words of every section is the quickest way back. When you are ready, open the talk template and start with your one-sentence idea.