The Anatomy of a Viral TEDx Talk: Here’s What It Takes…

Drew Tarvin is a funny guy.

But that hasn’t always been the case.  

He knows that humor is a learned skill.

When he prepared his 2017 TEDx talk on the topic, he could only have dreamed of the success it would achieve.

Now, let’s be clear about these statistics because they’re pretty crazy.

Drew's talk isn't just “popular” – it's in the top 0.1% of all TEDx talks. ever. given. 

With over 100,000 TEDx talks out there, that's no small feat. In fact, Drew's talk ranks in the top 50 most-watched TEDx talks of all time. 

As Drew puts it...

"The fact that it's in the top 50 is insanity."

But what's his secret? How did he beat those daunting odds? Let's break it down.

Ingredient #1:
Choose a Topic That Challenges Conventional Wisdom

The foundation of any great TEDx talk – or any great speech for that matter – is a topic that makes people think differently. Drew's topic, "humor as a learnable skill," does exactly that.

He builds on the premise that a person is either funny or not funny – presenting humor as a skill anyone can learn. This combination of broad appeal and specific, actionable content is a potent mix for a TEDx talk gone wild.

As Drew explains...

"It's a slightly different perspective than most people have. I'm very adamant that humor is a skill – which means it can be learned. A lot of people have this assumption that you're either naturally funny or not."

So, before you spend days, weeks, and months preparing your speech, make sure you have a topic that will work well on the TEDx stage.

Key elements of a great TEDx topic: