Brain freezes while giving TED talks taught two speakers about vulnerability

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a useful article at Fast Company on May 6, 2025 by Jamie Woolf and Scott Simon titled We both froze while giving TED talks. Here’s what it taught us about vulnerability.

 

Jamie forgot her meticulously researched open line and instead whispered an expletive right into the microphone.

 

And Scott was a minute and fifty seconds into his talk when he realized that he’d left the presentation remote backstage. He did a sideways slide off of the red circle to retrieve it.

 

Because they began with high credibility their unplanned moments became strong points of human connection with their audiences. They discuss these five points:

 

Create intentional “vulnerability loops.”

Transform mistakes into growth narratives.

Create structural support for imperfection.

Create equitable spaces for vulnerability.

Know your audience.

 

The cartoon ice block and brain came from OpenClipArt.