[VIDEO] 2005 TED Talk

The best presentation I ever gave

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Listen closely and you will hear me hyper-ventilating throughout. That’s how nervous I was, just after meeting Ray Kurzweil.

That set up: audience tiered, me on big floor below, giant screen behind … is my favorite. Guy highlighted on stage is Chris Anderson, who took over TED in 2001 and turned it into a global enterprise. Back in 2005, there was only one TED conference each year.

I had to be talked into presenting by my speaking agent, Jennifer Posda, despite there being no speaking fee. She told me I’d regret saying no. She was obviously correct and far-sighted in that regard.

It wasn’t easy for me to say yes. I had just been fired from the Naval War College and was suddenly on my own for the first time in my career. So, devoting the better part of a week for no money wasn’t trivial.

Since it’s been that way pretty much ever since, you could say that 2005 and TED constituted a big turning point in my career.

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