A TEDx conference is the place to the give the TALK of your life! Are you ready???
Remember, even Kobe Bryant has a coach! The impact that giving a TEDx talk can have on your life can be far out of proportion to its length, so being fully prepared is important. If you host TEDx events we can coach you in being a better host, as well!
At USC, December 17th, 2011 following the TEDxSoCal Organizer’s meeting. Open to all current and future TEDx Speakers and all TEDx organizers. Cost: Free.
RSVP to johnb at tedxsantamonica dot com
Join us for a free half-day workshop with two seasoned TEDx Talkers, Michael Weiss and John Bates, as they share their TEDx and TED Experiences, their philosophies on speaking and performance and offer their tips on how to become a TED Talker who is DYNAMIC, ENGAGING, ENTERTAINING and INSPIRING.
We will be basing much of our coaching on the book Resonate, by Nancy Duarte (who supports/coaches TED speakers), which was a recent gem sent out by the TED Book Club.
The best way to learn is by doing. So come prepared to give a 3 minute TEDx talk, or a 3 minute segment of your TEDx talk. Michael and John are loving, fun guys who will create a safe space, offer constructive critiques, help you polish your own style, and offer suggestions on body language, inflection, content, tone and overall performance. If you are using slides – bring them! We will offer guidance on how to use slides effectively, as well.
There are speeches and there are TEDx Talks. Which one do you want to give?
The great thing about TED is that everyone wants you to win, so let us assist you in making it a really big win!
About Michael and John

Michael Weiss – As Managing Director of figure18, Michael serves as a dynamic force in the Web marketing and development industry as a veteran speaker, consultant, client advocate, and sales executive. Michael offers extensive experience as a presenter and speaker. As a regular TEDx Talker, teacher and speaker Michael has spoken to thousands of people all over the United States. Michael is also an accomplished musician and has played in front of large audiences from New York to Los Angeles. He is no stranger to the stage and enjoys entertaining people whether they want to learn, rock out or both!
Along with his extensive management, marketing, and sales experience, Michael also possesses a background in education and counseling. He has taught at the Crossroads School, Palms Middle School, and Daniel Webster Middle School, all located in Los Angeles. In the past, he has also worked in the entertainment industry for such moguls as Quincy Jones, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Arnold Kopelson.
Michael’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston University and a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola-Marymount University.

John K Bates has been actively involved in the growth of the Internet since 1987. He started at the bottom (or the top), dragging cables through the ceilings of UCLA as an undergrad and ended up managing several computer labs for the Humanities Computing Facility. In 1994 he became the Director of Online Services for the first entertainment site in the dot com domain; Virtual Vegas. No real gambling, but it still became the hottest destination on the Internet and later sold to Vivendi for undisclosed millions. In 1998 John co-founded BIGWORDS.com raising over $80M but subsequently failing in the dot-bomb explosion. He then became the first employee at Goldstar.com and was responsible for opening all the major markets in the US. In 2006 MindArk, the creators of the Entropia Universe hired John as a consultant to represent and consult with them in the US & Pacific Rim. He has recently joined Wemo Media, creators of theblu.com as Outreach Ambassador.
John also works with select high level executives on public speaking and media training and he has spoken at hundreds of conferences, business schools and other venues all over the world, including speaking at TEDActive during the 2011 TED Conference, which he has been attending since 2009, TED Conference, TEDxWoodsHole, and TEDxLexington.
Other Past Speaking Engagements include: Events such as the Virtual Goods Summit, Virtual Worlds Conferences, the Harvard Business School Cyberposium, Web Attack, Jupiter Online Developer Conferences, Vanderbilt B-School Distinguished Speaker’s Forum, St Gallen Business School World Leaders Symposium, Leiden Veerstichting conference for Global Leaders, Login Conference, Game Developer’s Conference, TEDActive 2011, and many others including hundreds of University classrooms all over the US and Europe.
TIME AND DIRECTIONS
Saturday, December 17, 2011, 1:30pm - 4:30pm (directly following TEDx Organizer’s meeting, same room)
(We recommend people enter campus through Gate 6, and park in PSA. Parking costs $8.00).
Directions and Parking:
Enter Campus on Gate 6 at the intersection of Vermont and 36th St. (A3 on campus map) http://bit.ly/WQERm
Enter into parking structure A (A5 on Campus map)
Directions to the meeting room:
Exit parking structure through Southeast stairwell, cross street, and walk south down McClintock Ave until you reach Tutor Hall, RTH (B6 on campus map). Take the elevator to the 5th floor, and the meeting will be in room 526.