How to ‘Accordion’ Your Message

TED Talks have changed the way we receive information, and because of them we now recognize that people can say a great deal of information in a short period of time.

In a recent Forbes article, author and speaker Leila Gowland highlights former TED producer Tamsen Webster’s take on the new standard for public speakers: “The future of speaking is being able to know your idea well enough that I can say 'Tell it to me in 30 seconds, 30 minutes, or across 3 days,’ and you’ve got the flexibility to adjust or ‘accordion’ your idea. It only works if you’ve got that high level of clarity.”

In our workshops, we teach people how to create a 15-Second Soundbite—the ability to distill a big message down into a tight, comprehensive package. Once you know how to articulate your bottom-line idea in fifteen seconds or less, it’s easy to deliver your information “accordion-style” by adding or subtracting details according to time restrictions.