ted talk how to give a good speech

• Skip to main content

How to Create Your TED Talk: An 8-Step Process

by Jezra on March 9, 2017

First, A Little Background on TED

The TED conference (which stands for  technology, entertainment, design ) began life in 1984 as a yearly and very expensive conference where industry leaders and creative types gathered to exchange “Ideas Worth Spreading.”

Back then, it was all about the live experience, and speakers were expected to bring some quirky spontaneity to the stage.

But fast forward more than 30 years, and TED has become an institution, spawning countless local “TEDx” events, putting hundreds of speeches online each year, getting millions upon millions of views, and changing the way we all think about public speaking!

So, What  IS  a TED Talk?

According to Chris Anderson, the owner and global curator of TED, every TED talk starts with an idea :

“You have something meaningful to say, and your goal is to re-create your core idea inside your audience’s minds.” —from TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

Anderson calls this idea “the gift in every great talk.” Your idea may:

• Be common-sense (“Every kid needs a champion”) or counter-intuitive (“The way we think about charity is wrong”)
• Describe a scientific breakthrough (“How bacteria talk”) or your own experience (“I am the son of a terrorist, here’s how I chose peace”)
• Motivate people to action (“We need to talk about an injustice”) or greater self-awareness (“Your elusive creative genius”)

But in every case, your TED talk will begin with an idea.

Want Speechwriting or Coaching Help?

And whether or not your talk actually builds a model of your idea in your listeners’ brain — Anderson takes that literally, and research on “neural coupling” backs him up — your TED talk exists to communicate this idea to your listeners.

That is your talk’s one and only goal.

Other Qualities of Successful TED Talks

In TED’s secret to great public speaking (an eight-minute video that’s worth watching), Anderson offers three guidelines for creating your TED talk:

• Focus on one major idea

Ideas are complex things; you need to slash back your content so that you can focus on the single idea you’re most passionate about , and give yourself a chance to explain that one thing properly… Everything you say [should link] back to it in some way.

• Give people a reason to care

Stir your audience’s curiosity. Use intriguing, provocative questions to identify why something doesn’t make sense and needs explaining. If you can reveal a disconnection in someone’s worldview , they’ll feel the need to bridge that knowledge gap.

• Build your idea with familiar concepts

Build your idea, piece by piece, out of concepts that your audience already understands … A vivid explanation… delivers a satisfying ah-hah! moment as it snaps into place in our minds.

These are important best practices, but they don’t tell you what to  do  to create a TED talk.

For that, try this…

8-Step Process for Creating Your TED Talk

Step 1. find an idea you want to share.

To hone in on your idea worth sharing, it can be useful to ask yourself things like:

• What’s one assumption I’d like to challenge?
• What’s a belief of mine that has changed, and why?
• What does everyone miss when they think about my area of interest or expertise?

And remember, you’re looking for an idea . As Jeremey Donovan says in How to Deliver a TED Talk ,

…an idea is not a theme, a general truth, a platitude or a big goal. “Everyone wants to feel included” is not an idea, it’s a general truth. “Empowering women” is not an idea, it’s a topic.

Step 2. Develop an unexpected and/or catchy way to state your idea

If your idea can be stated in a catchy way, listeners will pay more attention and remember it more easily. Here are some examples (with more conventional versions of the same idea in parentheses):

• We can solve malnutrition now (vs. Malnutrition is a problem that is finally, in our day and age, able to be resolved by advances in science.)
• Almost dying saved my life (vs. A near death experience created the motivation for me to face and overcome problems that otherwise would have slowly killed me.)
• Never, ever give up (vs. Cultivate the ability to commit without wavering; it’s an essential component of your lifelong success.)

Step 3. Collect anything and everything that relates to your idea

To re-create your idea in the minds of your listeners, you’ll need vivid examples, illustrations, stories, facts, questions, comments, etc.

So take a few days to notice anything and everything that relates to your idea, and collect these materials by writing them down, taking photos, recording your thoughts as sound files, etc.

Examples of things you might collect include:

• a snippet of conversation
• a quote you heard in high school
• a story that relates to your idea
• a fact, or cluster of data that supports it
• a metaphor or analogy that helps explain it
• a personal moment in your relationship with the idea
• a physical object that will help your audience understand it (here, my client Erika Frenkel presents an anesthesia machine )

Basically, anything that comes to your mind at this stage should be collected.

And don’t worry yet about which materials will end up in your talk.

You can’t collect  things and evaluate  them at the same time, so just collect for now; you’ll have a chance to evaluate later.

Step 4. Start imagining how you might open and end your talk

While it’s too soon to choose your opening and close, it’s not too soon to start playing with ideas for these important parts of your talk.

An effective way to begin any speech (not just a TED talk) is to grab your audience’s attention — often with a human interest story, a surprising statistic, an unexpected observation, or a thought-provoking question.

There are probably some great attention-grabbers in the material you collected for Step 3. Pick one that you particularly like, and flag it as a possible  opening for your talk.

As for the close , you’ll probably want to end your talk in a positive, forward-looking way . This is often done by:

• calling the audience to action;
• painting a hopeful picture of the future; and/or
• “paying off” (finishing, resolving) a story or discussion that has run through your talk, so that listeners get a sense of closure.

With your provisional opening and close in mind, you’re now ready to…

Step 5. Put the rest of your materials in a reasonable order

The middle of any speech is tricky, and a TED talk is particularly so, because TED talks can take just about any form you’d like.

So to tackle this part of your TED talk, take the materials you’ve collected and shuffle them until you find a good arrangement. To do this, you can:

• Create a high-level outline (leave out most of the detail, just arrange the big points or elements)
• Write each element (story, comment, observation, fact) on a 3 x 5 card and physically shuffle them to see different possible orders. (You can do this on a table, or digitally, by creating one slide per element and shuffling them with PowerPoint’s “slide sorter” feature)
• Use sound (speaking out loud) instead of writing to put your talk elements into different sequences (Ask: Does it sound right if I tell that story first, then give the fact? How about if I give the fact first, then tell the story?)
• Try any other method that works for you.

How will you know when the order is good?

Keep in mind that your goal is to create an understanding of your idea in the minds of your audience members , and try to arrange your explanations, comments, and stories in a way that leads to that goal. (You’ll get to test this on real people in Step 7.)

Trust your instincts: If something seems out of place to you, it probably is. Try moving it to a different part of your talk or even skipping it, and see if that works better.

And don’t expect to find the best organization for your talk the first time you try, because that almost never happens!

Step 6. Talk your way to a rough draft of your script

This is where your “speaking plan” becomes a “speech.”

Take your outline or list of ordered elements and talk about each item in turn.

When I’m writing a speech, I like to literally talk it out loud and type up what I’m saying as I’m saying it — but you can also use your computer’s voice recognition software to capture your words, or talk into the voice memo feature on your phone (this used to be called “dictating”) and type up the sound file later.

Why  record yourself talking  instead of just writing out the speech?

Because most of us get all formal and stiff when we write, and the ideal for a talk is that it sounds like you’re…  talking !

And here’s a hint:

As you do this step, pay particular attention to the way different elements (materials) that you’ve used in your talk are connected.

If, for example, you tell me that:

• The river flooded, and
• Some people moved out of the neighborhood…

I’ll want to know: Did people move  because  the river flooded? Did most people stay even though  the river flooded? Did the river flood  after  people had already moved?

When you spell things out clearly, people will form a clear picture of your point.

Step 7. Try out your Ted talk draft on a volunteer listener

The point of this step is to get feedback on how to improve the structure and clarity of your draft.

Ask someone you trust — a smart 10-year-old is perfect — to listen to your talk.

Read it to them (because you haven’t finalized, let alone memorized, it yet), and then ask them:

• Did I explain my idea clearly?
• Was there anything in my talk that you didn’t follow?
• Was there anything you didn’t understand?
• Did anything seem out of place?
• Did I lose your interest anywhere?

If your listener wants to discuss the 6,000 facts you left out, or how your talk should really be about X instead of Y, gently lead them back to these questions.

The point is not to  change  your talk. The point is to  improve  it’s effectiveness.

Step 8. Repeat the following steps as needed

• Based on your listener’s feedback, make changes that will improve your draft. But don’t get carried away editing; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! (And keep your old drafts in case you want to go back to something you did earlier; I number mine v1, v2, v3, etc.)

2. Practice delivering your new draft out loud.

3. Try out your new draft on a volunteer listener, get their feedback , and repeat these steps as often as needed until your talk has taken a satisfying shape.

And finally…

There’s no better time to start working on your talk than now. Even if your schedule is crammed, you’re better off working for a few minutes each day than leaving everything to the last minute!

And as you work this process, remember that perfection isn’t possible.

So instead of striving for perfection, prepare carefully, take your best shot, and try to  relax .

Your audience is going to love this talk — and you deserve to enjoy it, too!

Need Coaching or Speechwriting for Your TED Talk? Get in Touch!

• How can I help you? *
• How did you find me?

You May Also Want to Read...

• Giving a TED-Style Talk? Here's How They're Different from Business Presentations
• TED Has Eliminated Two Things That Used to Be Said In Most Speeches: Hello and Thank You. Should You?
• Masterful Public Speaking: Daniel Kraft's TEDx Talk

.css-1qrtm5m{display:block;margin-bottom:8px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5714285714285714;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.35px;letter-spacing:-0.35px;font-weight:300;color:#606F7B;}@media (min-width:600px){.css-1qrtm5m{font-size:16px;line-height:1.625;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.5px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;}} Resources TED speakers' secrets to great public speaking

by TED Masterclass Team • May 14, 2020

Do you have a big presentation coming up for work? Are you just looking to learn a new skill? You don’t have to be a naturally charismatic orator to tell compelling stories, but a few tips can go a long way to help you share your ideas in the most engaging way possible. These TED Talks will help you get prepared and start mastering the art of communicating effectively:

.css-ikhk7x{display:block;margin-bottom:4px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5714285714285714;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.35px;letter-spacing:-0.35px;font-weight:300;color:#1D1D1D;}@media (min-width:600px){.css-ikhk7x{font-weight:600;font-size:20px;line-height:1.5;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.2px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.2px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.2px;letter-spacing:-0.2px;font-weight:400;}} Chris Anderson TED’s secret to great public speaking

Why you should watch it.

What if there was a TED Talk on how to give a TED Talk? Well, there is. In this Talk, TED’s head curator helps you understand the secret ingredients to a TED Talk and how you can use those ingredients when developing your own talk or presentation.

Joe Kowan How I beat stage fright

If just the thought of standing in front of people makes your hands feel clammy and your mouth dry, this Talk is for you. In this funny Talk, singer-songwriter Joe Kowan shares his personal story of how he deals with stage fright and is able to sing in front of people every night.

Julian Treasure How to speak so that people want to listen

You’ve got something important to say, but how do you make sure people are actually listening? In this Talk, Julian Treasure, an expert on sounds, demonstrates how you can achieve powerful speaking by using vocal exercises and tips.

Nancy Duarte The secret structure of a great talk

What do Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech and Steve Jobs’ iPhone launch keynote have in common? According to this Talk: The structure of their speech. Watch now to learn how you, too, can use this simple structure in your next presentation or speech.

You’ve seen tips on structure, sound, stage fright, and what the secret sauce of a TED Talk is. Are you ready to use your newfound knowledge and get started on telling your story?

Check out the TED Masterclass course and learn how to communicate effectively and efficiently (even if it’s just a video call).

© 2024 TED Conferences, LLC. All rights reserved. Please note that the TED Talks Usage policy does not apply to this content and is not subject to our creative commons license.

• Newsletters
• Best Industries
• Business Plans
• Home-Based Business
• The UPS Store
• Customer Service
• Black in Business
• Your Next Move
• Female Founders
• Best Workplaces
• Company Culture
• Public Speaking
• HR/Benefits
• Productivity
• All the Hats
• Digital Transformation
• Artificial Intelligence
• Bringing Innovation to Market
• Cloud Computing
• Social Media
• Data Detectives
• Exit Interview
• Bootstrapping
• Crowdfunding
• Venture Capital
• Business Models
• Personal Finance
• Founder-Friendly Investors
• Upcoming Events
• Inc. 5000 Vision Conference
• Become a Sponsor
• Cox Business
• Verizon Business
• Branded Content
• Apply Inc. 5000 US

Inc. Premium

How to Give a Great TED Talk

Advice from entrepreneurs and ted organizers on giving a knockout speech on one of the world's most prestigious stages..

"It was the scariest f---ing thing I’ve done in my life,” Derek Sivers says. Before him sat Microsoft founder Bill Gates, former Vice President Al Gore, and about 400 other audience members. Sivers, a lifelong entrepreneur, was about to share leadership lessons--by way of narrating a YouTube video featuring dancing hippies. He had three minutes.

It was 2010, and Sivers was onstage at TED, the biannual gathering known for serving up exquisitely crafted talks to the world’s big thinkers and leaders. TED presenters aren’t typically professional speakers but researchers, technologists, and other people simply doing interesting work. Months in advance, TED organizers hunt for new speakers and solicit proposals from past attendees. Last year, TED also began hosting a talent search that allows hopefuls to apply online and submit videos. “We want people talking about the ideas they most love,” says conference programmer Kelly Stoetzel.

About two months before the conference, speakers must submit an outline or script. Then, Stoetzel and her team help them hone their ideas and incorporate anecdotes. A month beforehand, they schedule a Skype rehearsal, during which the presenter gives the talk and gets feedback on structure, pacing, and clarity. After that, they encourage speakers to practice--with a stopwatch, in front of nonexperts, in front of a mirror, over and over again, and get the talk down to their specified time limit.

Then, a day or two before the conference, speakers do a dry run on the actual stage, with countdown timers running, to get a feel for standing there, looking out at the seats, and projecting to the back row. The hope is that the training takes over when the unexpected happens. And the unexpected usually does happen. Nilofer Merchant, author of 11 Rules for Creating Value in the #SocialEra, remembers when an unexpected laugh threw off her TED talk about the benefits of walking meetings. “I thought, Oh, no; I just lost a line,” she recalls. “I literally threw out a point I was going to make.”

Sivers managed to narrate the hippie video, which showed how one crazy person can start a movement, just as he had practiced it, word for word. It got laughs, a standing ovation, and more than three million views online. “No other conference I’ve ever spoken at required me to do so much, so far in advance,” Sivers says. “But it really helps.“

Keeping it Real

The best presentations seem spontaneous, even if they are highly scripted. Here are tips  for staying cool onstage from TED organizer Kelly Stoetzel.

1. Tell the Story Your Way.  You may be tempted to copy the structure of popular TED talks from the past. But if you do that, your talk may very well end up feeling contrived. Instead, map out the structure that seems most natural.

2. Work The Crowd.  Before your speech, chat with conference attendees during coffee breaks, lunch, or cocktail parties. The small talk will give you a better sense of your audience. Even better, you’ll see a few friendly faces in the crowd when you take the stage.

3. It’s Not About You.  When you write and deliver your speech, don’t think, This is a message I must communicate, Stoetzel says. Rather, she suggests thinking, People will love knowing about this! “It’s almost like you’re providing a service on the stage, and makes it feel more like a conversation.”

Kelly Stoetzel describes some stand-out TED talks and the keys to a great presentation below.

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

Privacy Policy

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

How to Give a Killer Presentation

• Chris Anderson

For more than 30 years, the TED conference series has presented enlightening talks that people enjoy watching. In this article, Anderson, TED’s curator, shares five keys to great presentations:

• Frame your story (figure out where to start and where to end).
• Plan your delivery (decide whether to memorize your speech word for word or develop bullet points and then rehearse it—over and over).
• Work on stage presence (but remember that your story matters more than how you stand or whether you’re visibly nervous).
• Plan the multimedia (whatever you do, don’t read from PowerPoint slides).
• Put it together (play to your strengths and be authentic).

According to Anderson, presentations rise or fall on the quality of the idea, the narrative, and the passion of the speaker. It’s about substance—not style. In fact, it’s fairly easy to “coach out” the problems in a talk, but there’s no way to “coach in” the basic story—the presenter has to have the raw material. So if your thinking is not there yet, he advises, decline that invitation to speak. Instead, keep working until you have an idea that’s worth sharing.

Lessons from TED

A little more than a year ago, on a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, some colleagues and I met a 12-year-old Masai boy named Richard Turere, who told us a fascinating story. His family raises livestock on the edge of a vast national park, and one of the biggest challenges is protecting the animals from lions—especially at night. Richard had noticed that placing lamps in a field didn’t deter lion attacks, but when he walked the field with a torch, the lions stayed away. From a young age, he’d been interested in electronics, teaching himself by, for example, taking apart his parents’ radio. He used that experience to devise a system of lights that would turn on and off in sequence—using solar panels, a car battery, and a motorcycle indicator box—and thereby create a sense of movement that he hoped would scare off the lions. He installed the lights, and the lions stopped attacking. Soon villages elsewhere in Kenya began installing Richard’s “lion lights.”

• CA Chris Anderson is the curator of TED.

Partner Center

10 tips for speaking like a Ted Talk pro

Advice from the experts on how to make any presentation sing

By Katherine Lee

February 2017, Vol 48, No. 2

Print version: page 64

Psychologists and graduate students are often called upon to speak to an audience, whether to give a conference presentation, deliver a lecture to a class, lead a meeting or give a talk in the community. But public speaking is a skill that comes more naturally to some than to others, and there are some common pitfalls to avoid, such as seeming disorganized or looking down at notes rather than at your audience.

Regardless of how practiced you may be at public speaking, there are some very effective strategies to use to deliver engaging talks. The next time you have a speaking engagement, try these tips to deliver your message like a TED Talk presenter:

1. Know your audience. Keep in mind whom you are going to be addressing when you craft your presentation, says Robert Sternberg, PhD, a former APA president who is a professor of human development at Cornell University. Is the audience going to be mainly fellow psychologists, health professionals, other professional groups, students or consumers? What do they want and need to hear? Knowing whom you are speaking to will help you tailor the talk and will help keep the audience engaged.

2. Keep it simple, especially if you're going to give a talk to a general audience. "People have a tendency to give presentations the audience doesn't understand," says Barry Schwartz, PhD, a psychology professor emeritus at Swarthmore College and a visiting professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He suggests giving a talk that makes people feel like they're smart and like they want to learn more about the topic. "The curse of knowledge is that once you know something, you forget what it was like when you didn't know it," he says. "I imagine that I'm going to present to my grandmother, who had a fifth-grade education."

3. Emphasize connection over content. To best engage listeners, build your speech from an emotional place rather than from the content, says Kristi Hedges, leadership coach and author of the 2011 book "The Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Influence and Engage Others." Rattling off facts and figures and talking at the audience isn't effective if they aren't interested in what you are saying. "Be clear about what you want the audience to walk away with when they leave and use that intent as a structure to frame your talk," says Hedges. Your passion for a topic can draw people in; talking without any enthusiasm for the topic can deplete energy in the room and eclipse your message. "Talk to persuade, not just to inform," adds Sternberg.

4. Be authentic. Some speakers may try to sound like someone they admire instead of being themselves, notes Daniel Gilbert, PhD, professor of psychology at Harvard University. "Some people try to sing like their favorite singer or dance like their favorite dancer," says Gilbert. "Similarly, some speakers may try to sound like Martin Luther King Jr. or John F. Kennedy." Authenticity—sounding like yourself and using everyday language—is key to getting your message across to an audience, says Gilbert.

5. Diversify your delivery. People don't learn just by listening—different people learn in different ways, says Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, APA's 2016 president. Use visual tools (such as slides or a video), incorporate research and tell stories. Anecdotes can be a particularly effective way to connect with an audience. "It could be a story about yourself, especially if you're using humor and making fun of yourself," says McDaniel. One important tip to keep in mind about multimedia presentations: Don't let the technology obscure what you're trying to say, says Schwartz. "PowerPoint is incredibly powerful, but use it to get halfway there, rather than expecting it to do the whole job for you," he says.

6. Shake it up. Another reason to use different media in your talk is to make it more dynamic and compelling. "Using mixed media creates energy and vibrancy," says Hedges. Think about ways to use slides, video, audio, handouts, props and even spontaneous smartphone polls to engage your audience. You might, for instance, start with a video and then use powerful images later in your talk, says Hedges. Or you can begin with an engrossing question and use the audience feedback as data with polling software such as Poll Everywhere .

7. Stick to your points. Before you talk, determine your main points and outline them, says McDaniel. Some people refer to notes on stage while others may use PowerPoint or Keynote slides as prompts. One cautionary tip: Avoid simply putting the text of your speech in slides. "Writing out the words you'll be saying on slides is boring," says McDaniel. "Slides should be used for emphasis."

8. Know the setup. Have a run-through in the space you'll be speaking at if possible, especially if you'll be talking in front of a large audience. Test the tech system during that practice run to troubleshoot possible problems in advance. For instance, the sound may not run properly with your video or your slides may be set up behind you (which would mean you'll have to constantly turn your head to see where you are in your talk).

9. Don't lecture the whole time. Keep in mind that people don't have long attention spans. If you need to explore a topic deeply, use humor, an engaging video or other media to present various aspects of the topic. You can also break up a long talk by posing questions to the audience, suggests Hedges.

10. Leave time for questions. Talking until the last minute is a common mistake many speakers make, says Hedges. If you have an hourlong presentation, plan for 45 minutes of talking and 15 minutes for questions.

A Ted Talk on Ted Talks: To watch a video on how to give a great talk, go to www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_teds_secret_to_great_public_speaking .

Related Articles

• How to keep fear of public speaking at bay

Letters to the Editor

• Send us a letter

5 steps to giving a perfect TED Talk

• James Haynes
• August 1, 2022

Table of Contents

Introduction.

If you’re pursuing a speaking career, you’ve likely seen or heard about TED Talks. But have you ever thought about giving one? TED Talks have become one of the most high-profile examples of public speaking gigs today. If you are excited to learn more about how to give a TED Talk or TEDx talk, let this be your guide! (Interested in other avenues for public speaking? We have a piece on how to best get started here .)

What is a TED Talk?

TED originated in the 1980s on the West Coast as a forum for learning about technological developments in particular in Silicon Valley. In the 1990s, the annual conference grew to a major event, spinning off independent events in major cities around the world under the TEDx banner in the 2000s.

According to TEDx Cambridge director Tamsen Webster , TED Talks are much more exclusive and invite-only, since speakers are invited from around the world. But TEDx Talks, the local, community-based independent forums for TED, are easier to access. If you speak at a TEDx, you’re recorded as a TEDx speaker, but your video may be promoted to the official TED website, ted.com and published on the TEDx official YouTube channel.

Some TEDx speakers, such as academic researcher Brené Brown, get invited to the “Big TED” stage after a breakout performance on the TEDx stage. In Brown’s case, her 2010 TEDx Houston talk, “The Power of Vulnerability”, became a top 5-viewed TED Talk online, and she followed it up with a TED Talk titled “Listening to Shame” in 2012. But, TEDx Cambridge director Tamsen Webster cautions, such cases are rare. Hear more from her interview with Grant Baldwin here (discussion of TEDx gigs begins around the 11:30 mark) .

Find Out Exactly How Much You Could Make As a Paid Speaker

Use The Official Speaker Fee Calculator to tell you what you should charge for your first (or next) speaking gig — virtual or in-person! 

How to give a TED Talk in 5 steps

Want to learn how to give a TED Talk? Read on for 5 steps to make it unforgettable:

1. Begin with the end in mind

Have you ever been left at the end of a speech wondering, “What was the point of this talk?” Don’t do that to your audience. When creating your talk, determine the destination that you want to take them to. Once you pick a point, then you can work backwards and reverse engineer how to get your audience to that place. (for more on finding your big idea, check out this episode  of The Speaker Lab podcast)

Answer “now what?” for the audience. Your audience is always asking two questions: so what and now what? So what means what does this have to do with me? Now what is what you want the audience to do as a result of your talk. Give them action steps to implement what you taught them. If they hear you speak but literally don’t do anything differently, what’s the point?

2. Hone your big idea

Professional speakers often have an extra barrier to cross when it comes to being selected even for a TEDx event. While not prohibited from participanting, they are generally discouraged unless they have a particularly original new idea. In Webster’s words, “We want to catch the rising star. We want the new idea before it’s out there. If you’ve already got the book talk, and you’re already making money with that talk, that’s probably not the talk that we want.”

What’s the type of idea that TED or TEDx organizers are typically looking for? According to Webster, it needs to have the three Is: Interesting, Important, and Individual. In other words, it needs to have a speaker 1) who is an authority on the topic (due to background, life experiences, research, etc.), 2) who can address an important unmet need in the world, and 3) be passionate to share about it.

One way to break down the big idea is looking at a problem, an idea and a change. Webster gives the example of an entrepreneur unsuccessfully chasing work-life balance. The problem they see is that they want less pressure in their non-work lives. The idea Webster proposes is that what entrepreurs actually need to achieve work-life balance are not external skills: “That’s adding more pressure on you’re on entrepreneur already.” The change could be choosing to accept internal skills and abilities and delegating more things to de-stress.

3. Write out your material and tell a story

Professional speakers don’t just make stuff up. They don’t write a few thoughts on a notecard and then shoot from the hip for an entire presentation. They take the time to write and carefully craft their material.

Humans relate to stories. We connect to stories. Funny stories. Sad stories. Inspirational stories. We love stories. So tell them. Lots of them. Stories will keep your audience engaged and are also easier for you to memorize. Read  this super helpful post  by my speaker pal Josh Sundquist for his tips on writing your speech, setting your fee, and booking your first gigs.

There’s nothing wrong with telling a 3rd person story or using some case study or example. Telling stories that you lived and experienced generally makes the story better for you and the audience. For the audience, they can often times find themselves in your story. For you as the speaker, it’s much easier (and more powerful) to tell a story that you lived versus one you read in a book.

4. Prepare the presentation

Oftentimes speakers want to have Powerpoint or Keynote slides to use as notes for their presentation. This is lazy. Don’t do this. Any slides you use should be an enhancement not a replacement of your talk. If you’re just going to stand up there and read off the screen, what does the audience need you for?

Use Powerpoint to show images that make a point. Some speakers will build their talk around their slides. Start with the talk FIRST and then determine if slides are needed or necessary. Slides are generally most effective for showing images or videos that can’t be conveyed in words. For example, if you were in some death-defying crash and that’s part of your talk, it’s one thing to tell that story, but it’s incredibly more powerful if you show pictures or video of it all.

Consider writing out your material. Professional speakers don’t just make stuff up. They don’t write a few thoughts on a notecard and then shoot from the hip for an entire presentation. They take the time to write and carefully craft their material. There is no right way to create a talk. You don’t need to memorize your talk like a script, but manuscripting can help you to think through the entire presentation and to know exactly how it all flows together. Some speakers prefer to have an outline with several bullet points and flesh it out from there. Every speaker is different. Find a process that works for you.

5. On stage, be an amplified version of you

The bigger the venue, the bigger you need to be on stage. The way you would communicate to a group of 10 people is very different than how you would need to communicate to a room of 10,000. Both should be an authentic version of you, but simply amplified to the setting. The bottom line is don’t try to be something you’re not on stage. Be you.

Keep it slow and steady. When you are talking really fast, it becomes difficult for the audience to follow. It’s hard to keep up and process. Plus the faster you talk, the harder it is to understand what you’re saying. So slow down and enunciate. Give the audience the chance to keep up with where you’re going.

Don’t be afraid of the silence. The silence to a speaker can feel deafening but it can be powerful. Silence shows confidence that you’re in control of the talk and the room and you’re continuing to guide them towards a common purpose. When you make a strong point, don’t rush to the next line. Stop and let it hang there. The silence is your friend.

All in all, though giving a TED and TEDx Talk isn’t going to drive revenue for anyone’s speaking business, it can provide a tremendous platform for reach in your area of expertise, and giving either one is a great feather in anyone’s cap.

If you found this piece helpful, we have a great podcast with Tamsen Webster digging even deeper into the world of TED–especially the ins and outs of the TEDx selection process! She tells us how she helps her speakers prepare for their TEDx talks, how you can get your foot in the door with your local TEDx and how to know if your idea is interesting enough to be considered for a TEDx talk. You can listen to this “inside look” at TED here . Want to read more about speaking tips? Take a look at our 100 tips for motivational speaking for any speaking engagement!

Ready to Get Your First (Or Next) Paid Speaking Gig?

Download our free 26-page guide and get the 14 exact steps you can follow to book a paid speaking gig right now!

While you mull all of that over, here are a few rapid fire FAQs about TED Talks. Happy speaking!

What does TED Talk stand for?

TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, the original topics of TED Talks when the organization launched in the mid-1980s.

How long is a TED Talk?

TED Talks are limited in length to 18 minutes or less.

How much do you get paid to give a TED Talk?

Although TED and TEDx Conference speakers do not get paid, presenters may receive travel and lodging costs for the conference they speak at.

Does TED have any tips for giving a TED Talk?

TED has many resources for aspiring speakers at ted.com. And some past TED speakers have given talks of their own on how to deliver a great TED Talk! See below for a video from TED Curator Chris Anderson, who shares his secret ingredient that all the best ones have in common, along with four ways to make it work for you.

• Last Updated: February 29, 2024

Explore Related Resources

Learn How You Could Get Your First (Or Next) Paid Speaking Gig In 90 Days or Less

We receive thousands of applications every day, but we only work with the top 5% of speakers .

Book a call with our team to get started — you’ll learn why the vast majority of our students get a paid speaking gig within 90 days of finishing our program .

If you’re ready to control your schedule, grow your income, and make an impact in the world – it’s time to take the first step. Book a FREE consulting call and let’s get you Booked and Paid to Speak ® .

About The Speaker Lab

We teach speakers how to consistently get booked and paid to speak.  Since 2015, we’ve helped thousands of speakers find clarity, confidence, and a clear path to make an impact.

Get Started

Let's connect.

[email protected]

Copyright ©2023 The Speaker Lab. All rights reserved.

• Newsletters
• Account Activating this button will toggle the display of additional content Account Sign out

How To Give a Killer Speech

I’m the guy who runs TED Talks. Here’s the inside scoop.

Listen & Subscribe

Choose your preferred player:

• Apple Podcasts
• Amazon Music

Please enable javascript to get your Slate Plus feeds.

Get Your Slate Plus Podcast

If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support.

Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed.

Please enter a 10-digit phone number.

Listen on your phone: RECOMMENDED

Enter your phone number and we'll text you a link to set up the podcast in your app:

We'll only text you about setting up this podcast, no spam.

Listen on your computer:

Apple Podcasts will only work on MacOS operating systems since Catalina . We do not support Android apps on desktop at this time.

Listen on your device: RECOMMENDED

These links will only work if you're on the device you listen to podcasts on.

Set up manually:

How does this work?

We're sorry, but something went wrong while fetching your podcast feeds. Please contact us at [email protected] for help.

Episode Notes

We all have to give a presentation at some point in our lives — on a stage, in a conference room, and, these days, on Zoom. So what makes a good speech? On this episode of How To!, we bring on Chris Anderson, the head of TED Talks and author of TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking . Chris gives us the inside scoop on the famous speaking series and breaks down some of the greatest speeches of all time. Then we present Chris with an unusual challenge from a 6th-grader named Lucy. She wrote in asking for help with a speech she is planning to give to her school board about improving her school. Can the head of TED help our 6th-grade listener with the biggest speech of her young life?

If you liked this episode, check out our episode featuring Guy Raz, the former host of TED Radio Hour : “ How To Become Your Own Boss With Guy Raz .”

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rachael Allen, and Rosemary Belson.

About the Show

We all need advice, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to turn. Each week, Courtney Martin and Carvell Wallace bring a listener on to the show to solve their toughest problems with the help of world-class experts. It’s free therapy, and you’re invited.

David Epstein is a science writer and host emeritus of How To! He is the author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World and of the bestseller The Sports Gene . He was previously an investigative reporter at ProPublica and senior writer at Sports Illustrated.

• @DavidEpstein on Twitter

More From Forbes

How to give a great speech.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Giving a speech

It's the season of speeches.

Every four years, Americans are treated to oratory by speakers of both parties who address their national party conventions. The purpose of such oratory is less to persuade than to fire up the attendees who will sally forth from their respective conventions determined to mobilize forces for their candidates up and down the ballot.

Some of the speeches are downright scary, while others are joyous and uplifting. Regardless, the focus on so many speeches in such a condensed period of time emphasizes the power of the spoken word.

As a former speechwriter turned executive coach, I have helped many women and men hone their messages. I want to share a few things I have learned, mainly through trial and error.

Know Your Audience

People want to hear what you say, but you need to do your homework before you can connect. Understand what the audience expects of you and tailor your remarks to resonate with their needs.

Russian Troops Captured One Of Ukraine’s Dutch Armored Vehicles, Rode It Back Into Battle—And Promptly Got Killed

Wwe smackdown results, winners and grades on august 23, 2024, 3 ‘self-control’ strategies to master your impulses—by a psychologist, acknowledge your limitations.

Many times, what a leader has to say is what they must say. That is, the situation is challenging and presents problems. A leader can only accomplish so much. Failure to acknowledge what you can do and what the organization must do is asking for trouble. People will simply tune out.

Address Objections

Everyone wants to give an uplifting speech that resonates with harmony and joy. Unfortunately, life is not like that. Leaders need to paint a realistic picture, citing the pluses and minuses. What the leader must do may conflict with what the organization wants to do. It is the leader's responsibility to be honest about the decisions and set the course forward.

Tell Stories

Reveal yourself through stories. Cite examples of individuals in organizations who are making positive contributions. No leader succeeds alone. Every leader needs the team's buy-in. So, make that clear.

Issue The Call To Action

Not every speech may need a formal call to action, but every public utterance needs to be understood as a call for unity, a coming together to achieve the mission. However, if there is a call to action, learn from the politicians—ask for their support. Simultaneously, include your commitment to supporting the individuals and teams that make up the organization.

Uplift Your Audience

Knowing, acknowledging, addressing and challenging are just the basics of speechmaking. Each speaker must craft a message that reveals who they are and what they want to accomplish. Give people a reason to believe in you because you believe in them.

One thing I have yet to emphasize in this little essay is delivery. So let me quote the legendary film director, John Ford , who famously said “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” In short, relax. If you have a good message, speak directly. Show people how you feel with the words you deliver. Doing so will encourage listeners to have faith in you and your leadership.

So often, it is said that a leader's job is to elevate followers and enable them to do their best. If that is the case, a good speech—well-honed or off-the-cuff remarks—is an excellent way to begin the uplifting process.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Before your next presentation or speech, here’s the first thing you must think about

Share this idea.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

The next time you’re preparing to speak to a group, remember to keep your audience at the center of your communication, says Briar Goldberg, the director of speaker coaching at TED. One way to do this is to ask yourself: “What gift are you giving to your audience?”

TED recently partnered with Marriott Hotels to offer a special day-long seminar on public speaking for Marriott Bonvoy members. Briar Goldberg — TED’s director of speaker coaching who has helped prepare hundreds of people for the TED stage — gave them tips and tools to be better communicators in their own lives.

Below, she takes a deeper dive into one aspect of public speaking that many of us overlook when drafting our speeches and presentations: our audience.

Let’s be honest, there’s no shortage of public speaking advice out there. There are countless books, blog posts and YouTube videos offering you instructions on how to tell engaging stories, make eye contact, use hand gestures, and more. I think that’s great, although I’ll admit I’m biased. I’ve spent my career teaching public speaking and coaching executives, and since 2015, I’ve been working with TED speakers. I truly believe that everyone benefits when we communicate more effectively.

But even with so much advice available, I still see one big communication mistake made all of the time. It’s this: Most people communicate in the wrong direction .

What is the wrong direction? Too many of us write our scripts, build our decks, or compile our talking points before we think about our audience and what they need or expect to get out of our communication. This has serious consequences. When your audience doesn’t feel like your words apply to them, when they don’t understand what you’re trying to say, or, worse yet, they don’t care about your ideas, then your carefully-crafted slides, agenda or jokes simply don’t matter.

My earliest mentor in this work, Jim Wagstaffe always tells speakers to practice their ABCs: Audience Before Content. I love that acronym so much because it captures the essence of what communication is really all about — it’s not about you, the speaker; it’s always about your audience. Your audience’s needs should always be your central focus.

At TED, when we’re helping speakers prepare their talks, we ask them to identify the “gift” they’re giving the audience. In my opinion, this is what every communicator should be asking themselves before any kind of communication — whether it’s a keynote or a TED Talk or something smaller like a pitch to your boss or a statement at a community meeting. What gift are you giving the audience?

The good news is, understanding how to put your audience at the center of your communication isn’t rocket science. And when you do it correctly, I can almost guarantee that your next speech, presentation or meeting will be a success.

What does it really mean to know your audience?

You’ve probably heard the phrase “know your audience.” I’ve even seen lists floating around that offer a series of questions designed to help you do this, with queries such as: “What’s the gender breakdown of your audience?” “Are they executives or middle-managers?” “Where are they from?”

While demographic information like this is important — for example, you should probably rethink a joke about swiping right if the average age of your audience is 76 — the kind of knowledge I’m talking about goes much deeper. It goes beyond the superficial to zoom in on these two key things: “What are my audience’s goals?” and “How do they make decisions?”

How to really understand your audience’s goals

This means you’ll need to ask a different set of questions — ones that get at your audience’s needs and expectations. These include:

“Why are these people taking time out of their busy schedules to listen to me speak?”

“What do they hope (or need) to gain from this presentation/speech/address/meeting?”

“What are their expectations coming in?”

“What can I say in order to meet or exceed those expectations?”

Once you know the answers to these questions, you can craft a communication that is tailored to your audience; when you do, your audience is more likely to stay focused, remember what you said, pass on the information you shared, and remember you as a good speaker.

But what happens if your goals as a speaker don’t align with the audience’s goals?

As a communicator, you will have your own goals. Perhaps you’re an executive and you have an important message that you need the rest of the company to hear. Maybe you’ve designed a new product that you want your customers to get excited about. Getting clear on your own communication goals is important because then you can evaluate if your goals line up with your audience’s goals. If they do, that’s great — and you can start crafting your communication.

But sometimes they won’t. When this happens, it’s your job to figure out how to close the gap and persuade the audience that your goals can — and should — be their goals, too. I’m not talking about manipulation or asking you to trick people into thinking something different. What I am advocating is that you work to understand your audience well enough to know how they make decisions and what kind of information they need to have to be persuaded of their own accord.

One of the most persuasive TED Talks this year was delivered by sleep expert Matt Walker . Everyone has different goals when they decide to watch a talk about sleep. But Matt was clear on his goal: to convince people to prioritize sleep above all else. To get the audience on his side, he had to persuade them that getting enough sleep is the single most important thing they could do with our time.

Understand how your audience makes decisions

You can’t effectively persuade anyone unless you know what kind of information they need to make a decision. Think about it this way: If a salesperson was trying to sell you a new computer, you wouldn’t decide to buy it until they told you the price. With your audience, you can’t expect to influence them until you provide them with the information they need to decide if they want to change their minds.

But every audience is different. How do you know what kind of information you need to offer in order to sway them? There are entire bodies of research that cover audience persuasion strategies. But let me offer a simple framework to get you started.

In general, audiences can be broken down into three types: expert, novice and mixed. An expert audience understands your topic and they might already know you, the speaker. If you’re a real-estate broker addressing an annual meeting of the nation’s realtors, you’re speaking to an expert audience. A novice audience doesn’t know much about the topic and doesn’t know anything about you. An example of this would be a real-estate broker speaking at an open-house for community residents interested in buying a first home. But more often than not, your audience will be a mix of experts, novices and everyone in-between. The large, international TED audience is a perfect example of a mixed audience.

When you’re speaking to an expert audience: Use logical/quantitative arguments to persuade them.

In general, expert audiences are more likely to be persuaded by logical arguments and quantitative information. If you’re a real-estate broker trying to convince your expert audience to invest in a new kind of property, you’re more likely to be successful if your presentation is built around data and statistics that support this plan.

When you’re speaking to a novice audience: Lean into your own credibility.

Because a novice audience doesn’t know much about you or your topic, they tend to make decisions based on your credibility and the credibility of your sources. Therefore, it can be important to build up your reputation and credentials so they’ll trust what you’re saying and follow your recommendations.

When I’m giving a lecture on public speaking to a group who doesn’t know me, I always mention the universities I’ve taught at and some of the names of executives I’ve coached. This isn’t to brag — and let me be clear, you’ll need to use your judgement to figure out how much information to give so it doesn’t sound like you’re bragging — but it’s a quick way for me to get my audience to accept that I’m a solid source of communication advice and that they should listen to me. In some cases, I’ll tell my audience where a particular piece of information in my lecture came from. By saying “Harvard published this study last year…” I’m referencing a respected source, which reinforces my credibility as a speaker.

When you’re speaking to a mixed audience: Appeal to their emotions.

Emotional appeals can be very persuasive, especially when you’re speaking to a mixed audience. After all, everyone has made a decision based on their emotions at one point or another in their lives. Last year, TED speaker Nora McInerny shared her own experience with death to teach us about moving forward with grief. It was an A+ example of an emotional appeal.

OK great, but how do I find out all this information about my audience?

Well, that’s part of the fun. OK, maybe it’s not always fun but it is your responsibility to take a deep dive into your audience, their needs, and their motivations and — trust me — this work will pay off ten-fold. If you’re speaking at an official conference or meeting, I recommend starting with the person or organization who asked you to speak. What can they tell you about the audience? Are they willing to share any of registration information? How did they market the event? If you’re speaking on an earnings call, what about the analysts who follow your company — have you ever asked them what they need or want? If you’re speaking at your company’s town hall, can you talk to your team and find out what they expect to hear from you? If you’re speaking at an event in another country, can you find a translator or local who can help you better understand the expectations of that audience?

The information is out there — you just need to find and use it. You’ll know when you’ve done it right, because your audience will stay engaged and, when you’re done speaking, they’ll help pass your message along.

This post is part of TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series, each of which contains a piece of helpful advice from someone in the TED community; browse through all the posts here.

About the author

Briar Goldberg is the Director of Speaker Coaching at TED.

• briar goldberg
• business advice
• communication
• public speaking

TED Talk of the Day

How to make radical climate action the new normal

3 strategies for effective leadership, from a former astronaut

Feeling unseen by your boss? Here’s what you can do 

Let’s stop calling them “soft skills” -- and call them “real skills” instead

There’s a know-it-all at every job — here’s how to deal

The 7 types of people you need in your life to be resilient

Perfectionism holding you back? 3 ways to shift the habit

The unseen forces that can cause your great new idea to crash and burn

Have you quietly quit? Your next step: Go to the neutral zone

6 ways to give that aren't about money

7 Zoom mistakes you might still be making -- and how to raise your video skills

The skill you need now: presentation literacy

Storytelling is a powerful communication tool — here’s how to use it, from TED

7 ways to be a better communicator -- by tweaking your body language

Column: Harris changed this election. This election changes America

• Copy Link URL Copied!

Each night at the Democratic National Convention this week, the enthusiasm was palpable long before crowds reached the gates. You could feel it in the tone of nearby conversations, the waves of laughter rolling from every direction, the pace of the walk between the ride-share dropoff and the security checkpoint blocks away.

Opinion Columnist

LZ Granderson

LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports and navigating life in America.

In June, Democrats wanted to defeat Donald Trump.

Now it’s August, and Vice President Kamala Harris has changed what this election is about. She has voters looking toward one another — reminding us of our collective American values and shared humanity.

In 2020, anger and fear drove many of us to the polls. Harris is using a different source of energy, a source embodied in a popular psalm often heard in the civil rights movement: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Granderson: ‘We love Joe’ at Democratic convention really means ‘We love American values’

The crowd’s effusive love for the president on Monday night was about what he represents: personal sacrifice for the greater good.

Aug. 20, 2024

Democrats showered each other with joy this week. And it wasn’t about their party; it was about our country. Even the heavily armed police officers and Secret Service agents, usually stoic, couldn’t help but flash a smile inside the house that Jordan built.

“America, the path that led me here in recent weeks, was no doubt … unexpected,” Harris said in her acceptance speech Thursday. “But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys.”

Starting with the tea party movement, it felt as if progressives had ceded the idea of “love of country” to the angry mob seething about the election of President Obama and passage of the Affordable Care Act: They were the flag wavers who loudly called themselves patriots.

Granderson: Is Harris or Trump fighting for workers? The union crowd in Detroit says it all

American voters remember how the former president hurt them. And they’ve seen how Harris would support them.

Aug. 8, 2024

A shift began with the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.

Now Harris’ campaign is challenging the right’s claim to patriotism, love of country and — with the sonic drive of Beyoncé’s anthem — the concept of freedom itself.

“This whole week has felt like a dream,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “I’m like, ‘Am I going to wake up at some point and realize all of this has been a fantasy?’ ”

Robinson grew up not far from where the convention was held. She went to Whitney Young High, the same school as Michelle Obama. The former first lady electrified the crowd Tuesday. Robinson, the first Black woman to lead the largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the country, took the stage Wednesday.

“There’s been chants of ‘USA’ in the conference halls,” Robinson told me. “Normally I save all of my patriotism for the Olympics, but I finally felt like when people were chanting that, that it wasn’t a threat to me but a story that included me. … That is only possible because of what’s happening right now, because of what Kamala Harris has done.”

In the early days after President Biden announced he was stepping out of the presidential election, there was trepidation over whether America was ready for someone who looked like Harris to be president. Yes, Obama’s hope was aspirational. Yes, Hillary Clinton left 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling . But Harris? As president? For many Americans, this was asking a lot.

To envision Harris as the first Black woman to be president, the first person of South Asian descent to be president and the first person in an interracial marriage to be president … that required voters to let go of what has always been and embrace what may be. The answer to the question of whether America’s ready for a president who isn’t white or male has since been answered by the rallying cry of “We’re not going back.”

“It’s very, very powerful,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told me. “I was elected as the first South Asian to the House on the same night Kamala Harris was the first South Asian to the Senate. When we are elected to these positions, we help Black and brown women and other people see themselves. Something that may not have felt possible suddenly feels possible.”

That feeling can change suddenly, but it took decades to change what was possible. Harris accepted the nomination 60 years to the day after Democrats refused to give Mississippi civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer — who was pushing for Black voter representation — a delegation seat at the national convention.

The Democratic president, Lyndon Johnson, had just signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. And yet the very next month, his running mate Hubert Humphrey said of Hamer : “The president has said he will not let that illiterate woman speak on the floor of the Democratic convention.”

This is what Sam Cooke meant by “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

It wasn’t just about the laws on the books. The Civil War brought an end to slavery, but disenfranchising remained. The change needed was one of the heart as well.

Cooke wrote the iconic song not long after he was refused a room in an all-white hotel in Louisiana. He released it in 1964 — a few months before Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act and the subsequent mistreatment of Hamer; months before Shirley Chisholm, who would become the first Black congresswoman, won her first election; months before Harris was born.

If those events seem random and disconnected, Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, would tell you otherwise.

“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” the vice president famously said last year , quoting her mother. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”

When you are driven by fear and anger, seeing that connective tissue can become impossible. It’s only through compassion that we can see the ties that bind us. It’s only through compassion that we can find the joy that sustains.

“To hear Kamala speak of her Indian immigrant mother — which reminds me of my own trailblazing mother who moved a half-world away from her family in search of a different life — is incredibly special,” Versha Sharma, editor in chief of Teen Vogue, told me. “We have been told our whole lives growing up as Americans that we can be and do anything, but that’s not been our reality as women of color. Slowly but surely things are starting to change.”

That sentiment was echoed by many in and around the week’s convention.

“This moment is literally hundreds of years in the making,” said actress Poorna Jagannathan. “Set aside if you are a Democrat, Republican or independent. Who we are as Americans is reflected in this ticket, and it surpasses politics. This story could only happen in America.”

@LZGranderson

More to Read

Column: Kamala Harris doesn’t need to say her presidency would be historic. She shows it

Aug. 23, 2024

Kamala Harris, making history, accepts Democratic nomination and lashes Trump

Aug. 22, 2024

For all her star power, Kamala Harris is still ‘a blank slate’ to many voters

A cure for the common opinion

Get thought-provoking perspectives with our weekly newsletter.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

LZ Granderson is an Opinion columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He arrived in 2019 as The Times’ sports and culture columnist. Granderson is also a political contributor for ABC News. A fellow at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago as well as the Hechinger Institute at Columbia University, the Emmy award winner appears regularly on The Times’ Spectrum News 1’s daily news magazine program, “L.A. Times Today.” Granderson joined CNN as a political contributor and columnist in 2009 before joining ABC in 2015. He spent 17 years at ESPN in a variety of roles, including NBA editor for ESPN The Magazine, senior writer for Page 2 and co-host of TV’s “SportsNation.” In 2011, Granderson was named Journalist of the Year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Assn., and his columns have been recognized by the National Assn. of Black Journalists as well as the Online News Assn. His podcast for ABC News, “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson,” has won numerous honors, including a GLAAD award. His TED Talk on LGBTQ equality has more than 1.7 million views.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Column: Donald Trump’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Convention Week

Aug. 24, 2024

Opinion: This is Biden’s chance to end the war in Gaza. Just threaten to cut off weapons for Israel

Hollywood Inc.

DNC ratings thump Trump as 29 million TV viewers watch Harris’ acceptance speech

Hollywood showed up in force for Kamala Harris at DNC, even if Beyoncé and Taylor were absent

• Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

Biden Leaves the Stage

On president biden’s private pain since stepping aside, and his public message at the democratic national convention..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

I’m Sabrina Tavernise, and this is “The Daily.” On the first night of the Democratic National Convention, the stage belonged to the man who chose to give it up. Today, I spoke with my colleagues, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker, about Joe Biden’s private pain since stepping aside and his public message here in Chicago. It’s Tuesday, August 20th.

Is this the line we need to get on?

This is the line. Oh, gosh. I’d say we’re going to be here 45 minutes or so. Woof, my goodness. These nice birds and flowers here —

little butterfly.

Oh, there it is. I can see the United Center now. See, it’s through there.

Yeah, but can you see to the front of the line?

No, line, line, line.

I feel like the season is passing as we’re waiting in it. There’s a cicada coming up.

Yeah, I see some leaves turning, yeah.

Welcome. You got it. Have your credentials ready.

Oh, is this the end?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

OK, so we’re through the line. It was, indeed, 45 minutes, as I predicted. And we are standing outside a giant building with a big blue sign on it that says Democratic National Convention. And it is Kamala Harris’s convention. It is her week. But it is Joe Biden’s night. Tonight, he’s going to take the stage, give a speech to an entire party who forced him out.

And many of us know the broad story of how he decided to step aside. But the question always has been, what was the thing in the end that fundamentally made him drop out? But my colleague, Katie Rogers, has gotten inside the final few days for Biden in making that decision. So we’re going to go talk to her about what ultimately drove Biden to make this decision to leave the race.

OK, big “New York Times” area, may be seeing a lot of other people. I know. Oh, here she is. Katie?

How are you?

Are you ready?

Welcome. We’re so glad to have you. So, Katie, just to start, I wonder if you could reflect for a moment about what this convention was supposed to be up until a month ago.

Right, I mean, this is something that President Biden had been looking forward to. He had been workshopping a big convention speech. This is something that Biden didn’t get in 2020. If you remember, we were in the middle of a pandemic. This was all done virtually for him.

This would have been the very first time in his career that he was the presidential nominee at a huge 50,000-person strong convention. You get the balloons. You get the big banners with your Bidenisms broadcast everywhere. It was a moment this president doesn’t really ever get to have.

I mean, it’s been a moment he’s wanted for decades, right? So many people cheering for him and choosing him in a way in person.

Yeah, it’s the validation. He has wanted the validation of being that choice and will not get that now. Instead of this moment where he gets to lay the groundwork for a second term, he is ending his political career in Chicago on stage.

Katie, you and our colleagues have been reporting on why he decided to give up something he wanted so badly. Tell us about what you found.

So it starts almost exactly a month ago. The president is campaigning and comes down with COVID and is rushed home on Air Force One to his beach home in Rehoboth in Delaware. There, he is joined by his wife, Jill Biden, the First Lady. And there are two other aides who are very close to him. Another key advisor was in Rehoboth at the time sort of on standby named Steve Ricchetti. He’s the keeper of the president’s political relationships. So a lot of the party leaders were funneling their alarm and their worry and their unhappiness through Steve Ricchetti.

So Friday, the president was sick and didn’t really get out of bed much. He read the papers by the pool. The next day, though, he gets on the phone, calls Steve Ricchetti, and says, I need you and Mike at the House. And Mike is Mike Donilon, the president’s most senior strategist, the writer of his speeches, really, the keeper of the Biden flame, if you will.

Biden, Ricchetti, and Donilon go over the polling, go over what people in the party are saying, and essentially say to the president, look, if you want to do this, we can get you there. We have been around, all of us, long enough to know that the polling can be wrong. We can get you there.

It’s sort of a cultural belief in the Biden circle to not discount polls, but to look at them and say, well, we have been here before, but it is going to be a climb, and you are going to do it alone without the support of Democratic party leaders. He will be ripping apart his party if he wants to do this.

Finally, Biden, who is still sick and weakened with COVID, says to them, well, what would we tell the American people?

Meaning if he were to drop out?

Exactly, what would we say? And that’s really the first moment that Biden wants to see something on paper that is an announcement that he would be leaving the race. The president says to them that he wants to sleep on it. And they let him go upstairs. He’s sleeping in a spare bedroom because he has COVID.

So he’s alone.

So he’s alone on one of the most important nights of his life. And people close enough to him to know his thinking in this moment have told me that it was not decided. But everybody sort of knew where he was going. The next morning, he gets up. The letter gets finalized, and it is published on X exactly one minute after he calls into his senior staff meeting and is reading the letter to them, telling them that he is leaving the race.

So it sounds like the calculations for him are not about winning or losing, but really, about the party and party unity and not wanting to, as you say, rip it apart.

What do we know about how he’s been feeling about that decision since then? That was a month ago, as we said.

So in the moment, it’s been described to me as peace, a sense of understanding, that he was not willing to do what would have been required of him politically to keep going. And I think in the weeks since, I think he has experienced a mixture of emotions.

The president, it should be noted, I think, is a pretty proud person. There was a really big day a few weeks ago where three American hostages were released from Russian custody as part of a really complicated seven-nation prisoner swap. That is as Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security advisor, was fighting back tears talking to us that day, saying, this is vintage Joe Biden. This is what he’s best at, complicated foreign policy.

That was a moment for somebody like Biden to say, hey, I’m still the president. And I was on the tarmac at midnight when those hostages came off and was talking about the importance of allies, the importance of diplomatic relationships, essentially saying the importance of my experience is this. And if you know how he approaches politics, you know that he is saying in that moment, I have value. This is what I bring. This is what I am good at. And he wants the chances to be able to say that.

It’s like he’s sending a message to the people who pushed him out.

Totally, yes, yes. And speaking of the people who pushed him out, I think there are people close to the president who have told me as much, saying this party will have to reconcile with what it did to a sitting president who the voters had chosen. And I think that there is definite resentment, frustration, distrust.

Former President Obama was somebody who was making a lot of calls to party leaders, including he was in touch with the vice president in the days before the president decided to drop out. There is definitely a sense of resentment toward Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker, for saying things like, well, if he does drop out, I think we should have an open convention basically before he’s even made the decision to say, well, here’s how it could look and what I think.

He just sort of is pushed out, right?

Right. So one of the things he did is saying, I fully support the vice president as the person to carry on my legacy and to win this election and prevent another term for Trump. And it really shut down talk of other people jumping into this race. She locked it up. There’s got to be a land speed record for that.

There were these conversations about we don’t want it to be a coronation. But it was pretty close. And that is because Biden made the strongest case he could for her at a moment where the Democratic Party had leaders saying, well, let’s do this, or I would like this, or maybe this person. And Biden all but said, well, no, we’re going with my person. We’re going with the vice president I picked.

So, again, he doesn’t want to see this party infighting. He endorses her so that there’s not this nasty public battle, right?

Again, unity.

It was a unity play. And it was, again, a fear of his that this would happen should he not really make a strong case for her. And it’s interesting because the reporting we had leading up was also that he privately did not necessarily believe that Harris could win and got to this point by the time he decided to leave the race that he clearly believed that she was the one who could.

Yeah. So in a way, one way of looking at this convention is that it’s not his convention, but he did have a big hand in making it her convention.

I think that’s right. It’s definitely not his big event to headline anymore. He’s coming in as not the change candidate that so many Democrats are seeing in Harris now but as this throwback figure almost that is passing the baton to her. And I think he sees the vice president as somebody who is best positioned to carry forward his legacy. She’s taking the baton from me. I saved democracy. She will preserve it.

And inside the United Center where we are, delegates who are arriving are getting little coffee bean packets that say “Cup of Joe” on them. And the digital banners will say, “spread the faith” and a couple other Bidenisms. And then they go dark when he’s done, and they flip over to Harris walls and the messages associated with her campaign. So there’s a lot of talk of gratitude for him.

The thing is, though, is that Joe Biden has been around long enough to understand that the second beat to thank you so much is thank you so much for dropping a campaign that Democratic voters did not believe in. Thank you so much for getting off the stage. And for somebody like him, that has got to be very bittersweet and a tough moment to get through.

Katie, thank you.

Thank you for having me.

So right now, we’re at the arena, and we are about to go inside to talk to delegates. These are people who will formalize Kamala Harris’s nomination. And we are going to talk to them about Joe Biden. How are people seeing him in this moment?

Oh, my God, hi. Are you a delegate?

I am a delegate.

Where are you from?

The great state of Michigan.

OK, my name is Sabrina, and this is Rob.

Hi, Sabrina. Hi, Bob.

Nice to meet you.

Well, his name is Rob, actually.

I’ll take Bob. That’s fine.

Yeah, whatever.

So question for you, one word to describe Joe Biden. If you had one word, what would it be?

^ Honorable.

Courageous.

Delawarean.

He is an American Patriot. He has been such an incredible leader for our nation for years.

He’s been an amazing public servant.

I’m a little misty. I have such affection for him.

I was sad, very sad to see him make the decision he made. But he made the right decision for the country.

In some ways, does part of you wish he was the nominee still?

No, because the election has turned on a dime. It’s going in the right direction now. It was going in a very bad direction before.

I mean, in less than a month, she’s turned over this campaign. She’s brought people together in just incredible ways. Now, that’s not to take away from Joe Biden or to say — I mean, I love Joe Biden.

How is it going to feel tonight watching him speak?

I don’t know, but I brought Kleenex.

I think we’re all here to give him his flowers, to say thank you. We’re going to be proud for him. It’s a valedictory, and he’s deserved it and earned it.

I think that there’s going to be an incredible outpouring of love, respect, and honor for him. I’m not sad for him. I’m proud of him. I’m just, I’m in awe of him, really. And I think we’re living history right now. I mean, we’re living history tonight. I think the history is going to show, wow, what an incredible gift that Joe Biden has given us.

We’ll be right back.

So we are walking to the arena from the Press Center. I’m walking with my friend and admired colleague, Peter Baker.

I’m an admirer of you. And we are first going to have a conversation. And then, we’re going to go in to watch Biden’s speech together. OK, so we’re going to talk to Peter about what he expects from the speech tonight. What do you expect, Peter?

Well, look, it’s a really fascinating moment because Joe Biden has been coming to conventions like this since 1972. He’s given a lot of speeches. But this is the first one where he has to basically give a speech saying I’m done. And it’s something he’s always resisted. His whole thesis of his political career, his whole life really, is if you’re knocked down, you get back up. Well, now, he’s going to say, OK, this is the end for me after more than 50 years on the public stage. So he’s speaking to a couple of different audiences. One, of course, is the audience here in the Hall and the national audience watching on television. And he’s going to try to frame his accomplishments and pass the torch to Kamala Harris. And then, the second audience he’s talking to really is history. He’s trying to say, who is Joe Biden? What did it matter that he was president for four years? Where does he fit in our national story? And it’s going to be a really fascinating speech to watch.

And what do you make of the fact that it’s happening on Monday, the first day of the convention? But this is the day they’ve chosen for him.

Yeah, Monday is, of course, a demotion. He expected to give his speech on Thursday when he was going to accept the nomination. That’s the big night. That’s the night you want to give a speech. He’s been demoted to Monday, which is usually the night for the formers.

And you can already see in the last few weeks, if you go to the White House every day or you watch him give his public presentations, what few he’s done, you can feel the energy and the power and the attention drifting away from him. And it’s a palpable thing when a president becomes a lame duck. And you really have seen it these last few weeks.

And now tonight, he’ll get up there. He’ll give his speech. And then he’s going to get on a plane later tonight. And he’s going to head off to California. And he won’t be here for the rest of the convention. He’s going to literally cede the stage to Kamala Harris. And it’s the symbolic way the Democratic Party is going to say, we’re moving on. All right, the Joe Biden era is essentially over now. And we’re moving on to the Kamala Harris era. And he will be on vacation. You won’t see him in public really again until Labor Day.

I guess, Peter it is really a fundamentally human moment that we’re witnessing here, right? I mean, this is a man who had all of these years in public service. And the one thing he wanted most in the world was this that he’s now giving up. And that feels really just in the sweep of history pretty remarkable and a very human moment.

Yeah, it really is. In some ways, it’s the most human story. It’s actually all of our story because all of us eventually are going to run out of time. He has been in public life for a half century, more than any other president before him, by the way. He has been running for president since a lot of the people in this arena were children. His first campaign was in 1987. His second one, of course, was in 2008. He didn’t win either time. Finally, he wins in 2020.

And so to say, OK, I’m going to give it up after spending a lifetime of trying to get there, it goes against the grain. It just is completely against everything that he sees in himself. His life has been full of tragedy and setback followed by comeback and resilience. And here is the first time he is not bouncing back.

So he’s done the one thing that he prided himself on never doing. But at some point, you cannot outrace time. You cannot outrace the impact of age. And as much as he wanted to stay on the stage, his time has come. And he’s had to accept that. And it’s not an easy thing to do. But tonight brings that to the fore in a very public way. And he’s, I think, going to use this opportunity to frame that exit.

OK, let’s watch that speech. Let’s watch.

We’re going to go over. So we’re sitting at the very top row in the arena, and you can really see everything from here. It’s pretty amazing — thousands and thousands of Delegates and this huge TV screen.

And now, I would like to introduce my father, your 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.

So he’s smiling. He’s looking up into the crowd. He’s putting his hand over his eyes.

They’re chanting. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe.

Look, his eyes are tearing up. He’s always been an emotional politician, not afraid to show emotion in public. This has got to be one of the most emotional moments of his political career.

My fellow Americans, nearly four years ago, in winter on the steps of the Capitol on a cold January day, I raised my right hand, and I swore an oath to you and to God to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and to faithfully. execute the Office of the President of the United States.

In front of me — in front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me, a capital that two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob. But I knew then from the bottom of my heart that I knew now, there is no place in America for political violence, none.

Biden’s presidency has been rooted in that January 6th attack and the aftermath basically for four years. And in a way, Kamala Harris is going to run a different campaign because rather than talk about the past, she’s trying to say that she’s about the future. As important as January 6th is, a lot of Americans want to move on. And the difference between his approach to it and hers is rather striking.

I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed.

“Democracy has prevailed” is the line he used in his inauguration address in January 2021.

And now, democracy must be preserved.

This was the reason he gave to run, right?

This is the reason he gave to run in 2020. It’s the same narrative, and it’s the same evaluation of where we are as a country, in effect. He’s trying to say this is the battle that we have to wage. And even though he’s not going to be the one waging it now going forward, he’s telling these Democrats that they have to continue the fight.

I also ran to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class.

So here, he is moving on to legacy.

Yeah, yeah, he’s moving on to legacy. He wants to talk about what he has done these last three years on legislation, on foreign policy, presumably, on domestic policy.

We have done that. And many of those jobs in the so-called fabs, the buildings that make the chips that are being constructed now. And guess what? The average salary in those fabs the size of a football field will be over $100,000 a year. And you don’t need a college degree.

That’s been a big thing for him, a big priority in the last four years, talking about jobs for people who don’t have a college degree, trying to move Democrats away from the idea that they’re elites and that they only care about people who are highly educated. And it’s coming at a time when the demographics have changed. The Republicans have become the party of the less educated voters, and the Democrats have been the party of the more educated voters. And he’s trying to recapture that old Democratic appeal to working class Americans.

Make sure they thought —

Those are his roots, in fact.

Those are his roots, right, “Scranton Joe,” as he conceives himself.

Meanwhile, we made the largest investment commonly in public safety ever. Now, the murder rate is —

So he just mentioned Kamala and I. But here we are about half an hour into this speech, and he really hasn’t gotten around to talking about her yet. He’s made a couple passing references to her, but he hasn’t yet given us the torch-passing part of the speech.

Kamala and I are committed to strengthening legal immigration, including protecting Dreamers and more.

Again, in reference to Kamala, but kind of —

But again, in passing.

— sort of subsidiary.

Yeah, the subsidiary, Kamala and I and then moves on. There’s not — we haven’t yet heard him talk about who she is, what she’s done as vice president.

He’s not giving us a pitch.

No, he presumably will before it’s over. But this is not a speech he had about Kamala.

The brave service members who gave their lives of this country, he called them “suckers and losers.” Who in the hell does he think he is? Who does he think he is?

There’s no words for a person. They’re not the words of a person, not worthy of being commander in chief, period. Not then, not now, and not ever. And I mean that. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

He’s talked more about Trump tonight so far than he has about Kamala Harris because I think he expected to give a speech tonight making the case against Trump, that he wanted to make that case himself for his own candidacy. And in that sense, a lot of the speeches, the speech he might have given a month ago, except that one key line, “I accept your nomination.”

Folks, I’ve got five months left in my presidency. I’ve got a lot to do. I intend to get it done.

It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more.

I love my country more.

And all this talk about how I’m angry with all those people who said I should step down, that’s not true.

[CROWD CHANTING]

I love my country more, and we need to preserve our democracy. In 2024, we need you to vote. We need you to keep the Senate. We need you to win back the House of Representatives.

And above all, we need you to beat Donald Trump.

This was his case, right? This was the case he made for himself.

Elect Kamala and Tim.

Elect Kamala and Tim, he’s endorsing them. He’s supporting them, but he hasn’t really talked about them.

We’ve made incredible progress. But we have more work to do. And Kamala and Tim will continue to take on corporate greed and bring down cost of food.

Peter, is he actually passing the torch?

Well, he has changed the subject of the sentence from “I will” to “they will.” And the rest of it is a lot of what he would have said otherwise.

They will continue my policy.

Exactly, exactly. He’s outlining what he would have done in effect and saying Kamala and Tim will be the ones to carry it out.

Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee.

All right, we’re talking a little bit about her.

It was the best decision I made my whole career.

He said it was the best decision he ever made in picking Kamala Harris as his vice president. Now, you can say he adds a line, but obviously, he understands right now that in some ways, she’s the most important thing to his legacy because if she wins, he will be remembered for what he accomplished and for sacrificing and stepping aside. And if she loses, people will say he hung on too long through hubris or stubbornness or pride, and he didn’t set the Democrats up for success.

In other words, his legacy is entirely dependent on her and what becomes of her in the next couple of months.

Absolutely right. 10 weeks will decide it.

America, America, I gave my best to you.

So this is the final moment.

The book ends of an extraordinary political career. Whether you support him or not, it’s an American story.

Remember who we are. We’re the United States of America.

This is the line he always uses to finish his speeches.

And there’s nothing we cannot do when we do it together.

God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.

The crowd is roaring.

He turns around, looks behind him.

So about 48 minutes, long speech. It’s now well after midnight in the east. But the crowd here was appreciative, even if some of them began to drift away. Behind him and behind Jill are graphics saying, “thank you, Joe” and “we love Joe.”

Here’s Kamala Harris.

Kamala and her husband, Doug, are joining them. They’re embracing.

I love you so much, he just said. Kamala Harris, you could see her lips. I love you so much, he said, and gave her a hug. And then she just said, I love you, again. This is effectively the torch being passed, in effect, sending the signal, this call to the country and the world that he sees her as his successor. And it’s her party now. And if she can win in November, it’ll be her White House.

So he’s clearing the stage. The next three nights of this convention, all in prime time, will all be Kamala Harris and the people who are promoting Kamala Harris. Joe Biden won’t be here anymore, and it won’t be his convention.

And he’s leaving the stage, Peter.

Now, he’s leaving the stage, literally, and you can argue, politically.

That’s it. He’s gone.

Here’s what else you should know today.

In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal, that he supports it.

Israel accepted an important proposal put forward by international mediators, including the US, who were trying to broker a last ditch plan for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The proposal was described as a bridge toward a larger peace agreement. And Israel’s support prompted American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to call on Hamas to back the proposal as well.

The next important step is for Hamas to say yes, and then, in the coming days, for all of the expert negotiators to get together to work on clear understandings on implementing the agreement.

But it’s unclear whether Hamas will back the bridge proposal. Hamas has repeatedly claimed that the ceasefire negotiations have been slanted toward Israel. And in a sign of its skepticism, the group’s military wing carried out a provocative suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Sunday night.

Today’s episode was produced by Rob Szypko, Lynsea Garrison, Carlos Prieto, Stella Tan, and Jessica Cheung. It was edited by Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, and Rowan Niemisto, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Katie Rogers and Peter Baker

Produced by Rob Szypko Lynsea Garrison Carlos Prieto Stella Tan and Jessica Cheung

Edited by Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett

Original music by Marion Lozano Dan Powell Rowan Niemisto and Corey Schreppel

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow ‘The Daily’ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio

On the first night of the Democratic National Convention, the stage belonged to the man who chose to give it up.

Katie Rogers and Peter Baker, White House correspondents for The Times, discuss President Biden’s private pain since stepping aside, and his public message in Chicago.

On today’s episode

Katie Rogers , a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Peter Baker , the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading

Biden defended his record and endorsed Kamala Harris : “America, I gave my best to you.”

Analysis: The speech Biden never wanted to give .

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Katie Rogers is a White House correspondent. For much of the past decade, she has focused on features about the presidency, the first family, and life in Washington, in addition to covering a range of domestic and foreign policy issues. She is the author of a book on first ladies. More about Katie Rogers

Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The Times. He has covered the last five presidents and sometimes writes analytical pieces that place presidents and their administrations in a larger context and historical framework. More about Peter Baker

Advertisement

TED is supported by ads and partners 00:00

A simple way to inspire your team