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Guideline 1: No commercial agendas

"If it's essential to a talk that the speaker mentions what they do and describe the businesses that they're in, they should. But speakers may never use the TED or TEDx stage to pitch their products or services, plug their books, or ask for funding. While entrepreneurs and business leaders can speak at TEDx events, their talk should be driven by an idea and not sell from the stage. A TEDx event is not a platform for professional or circuit speakers, such as motivational speakers and professional life coaches--it's a fine line between shameless self-promotion and wholesome self-reporting so, as a rule of thumb, if it feels like an advertisement, it probably is."

Guideline 2: No political agendas or inflammatory rhetoric

"Politics, social issues, and policy are key parts of the global conversation. However, TEDx stages are not the place for partisan politics, nor for extremist or inflammatory positions. Speakers must not attack or advocate for parties, party platforms, and political leaders in their talk. They must not advocate for violence or oppression. Advise speakers to focus on discussing concrete problems and solutions. Special care should also be taken with politically divisive subjects (eg. abortion, gun control) so as to avoid polarizing “us vs. them” language. Instead, speakers should focus on consensus-building and nuanced discussion. Consideration should also be given to any content that may carry negative connotations for other parts of our global audience."

Guideline 3: No religious agendas

"Don't book speakers who attempt to prove or persuade the correctness of a single religion, deity or other belief system (such as atheism or agnosticism), whether through rhetoric or "scientific proof." Be wary of speakers promoting new age beliefs, including concepts such as quantum consciousness, Gaia theory, archaeoastronomy, and drug-induced spiritual epiphanies. Speakers can be honest about their beliefs, but should not use the stage to promote them or to denigrate those who don’t share them."

Guideline 4: No bad science

TED offers scientists and other experts a platform to provide scientific information directly to millions of people around the world. Learn more about TED’s Science Standards. Science is a big part of the TED universe, and it’s important that TEDx organizers sustain our reputation as a credible forum for sharing ideas that matter. It’s not always easy to distinguish between science and pseudoscience. And the more willing a speaker is to abandon scientific underpinning, the easier it is for them to make attention-grabbing claims. This is especially true for talks that call on science for support but do not come directly from the scientists themselves. Claims made using scientific language should:  

• Be testable experimentally.
• Have been published in a peer-reviewed, respected journal.
• Be based on theories that are also considered credible by experts in the field.
• Be backed up by experiments that have generated enough data to convince other experts of its legitimacy.
• Have proponents who are secure enough to acknowledge areas of doubt and need for further investigation.
• Not fly in the face of the broad existing body of scientific knowledge.
• Be presented by a speaker who has the right scientific qualifications.
• Show clear respect for the scientific method and scientific thinking generally.

Claims made using scientific language should not:

• Be so obscure or mysterious as to be untestable.
• Be considered ridiculous by credible scientists in the field.
• Be based on experiments that can not be reproduced by others.
• Be based on data that do not convincingly corroborate the experimenter’s theoretical claims.
• Come from overconfident advocates.
• Use over-simplified interpretations of legitimate studies.
• Include imprecise vocabulary. (Phrases like “quantum consciousness,” personal “energy fields,” “crystal healing”, and the like, should be considered major red flags.) 
• Abandon evidence-based thinking or be dismissive of the scientific method.

The Complete List of TEDX Content Guidelines is available at TED.com - here

TEDx isn’t a typical conference. The TEDx audience has high expectations of the speakers. The TEDx speaker team works with speakers well in advance of the conference to help shape a presentation that will succeed on the TEDx stage. TEDx is the place to give the talk of your life.

Speaking at TEDxSantaBarbara is by invitation only.

Anyone has the potential to be a great TEDx speaker. Having previous experience of speaking in public will undoubtedly help, but this does not mean you have to be a professional.

Note: We do not accept unsolicited requests to speak

TED recommends that TEDx organizers avoid talks that cover these three areas: religion, politics, and pseudoscience. Additionally, we will not be selecting talks that are primarily motivational in nature, as other conferences are better suited for them. Instead, we are looking for talks that have very strong ideas. See above for the subject areas we are interested in showcasing.

Please read the top FAQ for a more detailed explanation.

Note: The time regulations (less than 18 minutes) applies to our weekly Salon Conversations and our live on-stage talks.

We strictly enforce the clock for all speakers. TEDx is the place to condense your ideas into a compelling 18-minute (or less) talk that communicates your best ideas. We’ve found that a carefully prepared presentation of this length can have astonishing impact. This short-talk model works since it demands the audience’s attention for only a short time, decreasing the chance of minds wandering or daydreaming about lunch. In fact, some of the greatest TED Talks have been as short as five minutes long, and sometimes with very little words!

Note: This only applies to speakers invited to give a live talk at a live event, not our Salon Conversations which take no preparation.

Before you apply, it is worth considering whether you can spare the time required to perfect your talk. You’d be surprised to learn the amount of work it takes to create a good talk. It can take up to 6 months with drafts and rehearsals to craft a talk.

Speakers will agree to provide drafts to the TEDxSantaBarbara team at key milestones. This helps us track the progress of the talk and provide constructive feedback.

Being accepted as a TEDxSantaBarbara speaker is just the beginning of the process. We provide a robust speaker coaching program that will help you and the other speakers give the talk of your life. This will include core idea development, story coaching, and presentation coaching.

Expect to spend 8-10 hours directly with a coach. This time is in addition to the work that you will do on your own, writing, memorizing, designing and practicing your talk.

We have rehearsals the week of the event, with a full dress rehearsal the day before the event. It is not necessary for your talk to focus on Santa Barbara or local issues. At TEDxSantaBarbara, our aim is to include speakers who live and work in and around the area. We are looking for ideas that originate in our community but are widely relatable.