Stevenson did not use a PowerPoint presentation. He did not use images, slides, or aids. All the work was done by the power of his narrative. Some popular TED speakers prefer to use PowerPoint to enhance their storytelling. In March 2011, Professor David Christian introduced the "Big History" movement, which deals with teaching major historical events in schools, with a captivating 18-minute TED talk accompanied by visually targeted slides and interesting graphics. The "Big History" movement teaches students how the world evolved and what place it holds in the universe. Christian's presentation, covering 13 billion years of history in 18 minutes, has been viewed over a million times. Apparently, Christian and Stevenson differ in their presentation styles. We will refer to both throughout the book. One tells stories, while the other presents a huge volume of data accompanied by visual aids. Nevertheless, both are captivating, entertaining, and fascinating. They have understood the science and art of persuasion.

Having analyzed over 500 TED presentations (for more than 150 hours) and speaking directly with successful speakers, I discovered that the most important TED presentations share 9 common elements. I also interviewed leading neuroscientists, psychologists, and communication experts to better understand why the principles governing these elements work so effectively. And most importantly: when someone learns the secrets shared by these speakers, adopts them, they already stand out in their next proposal or presentation.