Resources
& Articles
You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Stage Fright (Here’s What To Do Instead)
“Just chill!”
“There’s nothing to worry about!”
“You’ll be just fine!”
If you’ve ever been told these things before giving a talk – or have said some version of these to yourself – then you know they don’t quite work.
Why? Because it’s very hard to control the mind with the mind.
This is both good news and bad.
Condensing vs. Clarifying: How Long Should Your Message Be?
In this week's article, let's figure out when and where to focus on brevity, clarity, or both.
How to Confidently Nail Any Interview (Without the Questions)
You’re about to be interviewed on a podcast. You know the general topic you'll be asked about, but you have no idea what questions will be thrown your way. Oh, and you only have eight minutes. Plus, it won't be edited.
In this week's article I'm breaking down how I used our Core Messaging system to be totally prepared without any rehearsing, and delivered a knockout interview.
Speaking in 2025: 7 Lessons from the Red Dot for the Rest of Us
In 2024, our team at Conquer the Red Dot® had the privilege of helping 7 students book their talks and 11 speakers to deliver the talk of their dreams at conferences including TEDxAlexanderPark, TEDxBocaRaton, TEDxWesternU, and TEDxBelltown Women.
They spoke on topics from finance to activism to mental health to the science of balance, racking up a combined 1,724,000 views and one Editor's Pick.
How to Set New Year Goals, TED-style
Every December, we’re bombarded with the same advice: Set goals. Make resolutions. Be better, faster, stronger next year.
The problem isn’t you; it’s the way we’ve been taught to plan.
Resolutions are narrow. They focus on what you’re doing but rarely ask why.
Why Even Experts Don't Deliver The Best Talks
Being a subject-matter expert, and sometimes even being a great speaker, are no guarantee that you’ll know what works best for one specific talk. We do a lot of work with people delivering TED-style talks, and we see this all the time:
They think they need a story… but don’t know which one to tell
They believe it needs to be backed by science… but don’t know how much research to mention and how to describe it
They think it needs to inspire people… so they turn into motivational speakers
Try as you might, that fire is never going to catch 🤷♂️
And those are just three out of dozens of things a speaker needs to consider.
A Better Way to Start a Speech
Learn the essential strategy for opening any talk, presentation, or pitch with impact. This guide explains why typical tactics—like starting with a story, statistic, or question—often fall short, and introduces the “Premise Principle” for engaging your audience from the first sentence with clarity and purpose.
Why Frameworks are Better Than Tactics
What do an activist duo, a financial expert, and a magician have in common? Their recent TEDx talks, while wildly different in execution, were all built on the same powerful framework. In this week's article we explore how reaching for frameworks instead of tactics can elevate your communication and drive impactful change, no matter your message.
If you've ever sat down to a blank page before writing a speech, presentation, email, blog, or social media post, this article is for you.
How To Make Your Audience Put Away Their Phones
In this week's article we're going to learn why audiences tune out, take out their phones, or close your video - and how to instantly (and easily) engage them instead.
No matter what kind of presentation you're giving - a keynote speech, workshop, or TED-style talk - there's one constant: if the audience isn't engaged, the presentation will fail.
Distracted, bored audiences don't learn and they definitely don't take action.
If they don't take action, your ideas will not spread.
Your First Step on the Road to the Red Dot
In this week's article, I break down how Carole distilled decades of expertise on the incredibly complex science of balance into a simple, 9 minute video at TEDxBocaRaton... That has already spread to 130,000 people in just 3 weeks 😲
Continue reading for the breakdown, and to watch her talk as it's going viral in realtime. It might just help you make sure the last years of your life aren't the worst years of your life.
Why Professional Speakers Often Fail on the Red Dot
Discover why professional speakers often fail in TED-style talks and learn the key differences between keynote speeches and Red Dot presentations. This article offers practical advice for both polished keynote speakers and experts new to public speaking, ensuring your message is clear, concise, and impactful.
Why the Most Powerful Short-Form Speeches Do These 3 Things
Clarity Up founder Brian Miller's top three lessons for delivering impactful TED-style speeches based on extensive experience with Speaker Slam and successful client engagements. Learn how to define a compelling throughline, utilize storytelling effectively, and bring fresh perspectives to common topics to captivate and motivate audiences towards meaningful action.
The One-Page Keynote:
How to Design a Speech That Always Works, No Charisma Required by Brian Miller
#1 Bestseller
US • UK • Canada • Australia
“The One-Page Keynote deserves a place on your desk, not on your shelf.”
Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
past President, National Speakers Association; author of Deliver Unforgettable Presentations
