Quick note! This is Part 3 of the Diary of a TEDx Speaker series, for anyone who aspires to stand on a TEDx stage. Part 1 was about how to submit a strong speaker application, and Part 2 covered what the process looks like after you’ve been accepted to TEDx.
This series is informed by my experiences as a speaker at TEDx Mechanicsville (now TEDxOttawa) in 2025, and as a past TEDx volunteer. I am not affiliated with TED or TEDx, and my opinions are my own.
Wondering what you should expect on the day of your TEDx talk?
A TEDx event can be a long, exciting, and emotionally intense experience. Even well-prepared speakers may experience the effects of nervous energy or adrenaline as they wait backstage.
The best approach is to trust your preparation, take care of yourself throughout the day, and focus on connecting with your audience rather than delivering a perfect performance. Let’s talk more about what to expect, from someone who’s been there.
So, the day is finally here
I imagine you won’t be reading this on the actual day of your TEDx talk, but rather in preparation for it.
So take a moment to put yourself into that “it’s go time” frame of mind.
You’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. You’ve endured the long and thoughtful process that is TEDx: the revisions, the coaching, the check-in points, the writing and rewriting. The constant questioning of “Why did I sign up for this again?!”
You know you’re ready, but that doesn’t mean the day won’t bring some surprises. The excitement, the nerves, the adrenaline, and the strange experience of finally doing something you’ve spent months imagining…it can all feel a little overwhelming.
So, from someone who's been through it, here are a few things I want to prepare you for on TEDx Day.
Here’s a shot of me “walking the talk,” captured during my 2025 TEDx Talk at TEDx Mechanicsville (now TEDx Ottawa). Watch my full talk here.
The anticipation is real
Chances are you’ll be a mix of jitters, excitement, and nerves as you prepare to take the stage on TEDx Day. You’re feeling the pressure, questioning your decisions, and part of you might even want to run and hide.
For many of us, public speaking is intimidating. It requires vulnerability, and even experienced, well-prepared speakers can find themselves experiencing a fight, flight, or freeze stress response.
But feeling nervous doesn't mean you're unprepared. And it certainly doesn't mean you're going to do a bad job.
If you've followed the preparation process we've talked about throughout this series, you've already put in an enormous amount of work to get to this moment.
Consider everything you've accomplished:
Your talk is fully written, revised, and rehearsed.
You've practised your talk so much you're probably sick of hearing yourself say it.
You've had opportunities to share your talk with others, so you have a sense of how your message lands with an audience.
You may have worked with a coach, whether through TEDx or independently (like me!), to refine your content and delivery.
You've worked through feedback, revisions, check-in points, and all the little details that go into preparing for a talk of this scale.
In other words, you're not walking onto that stage hoping you'll somehow figure it out. You've done the work.
If you know you’re prone to nervous energy regardless of your level of preparedness, it can help to have a few comforts prepared for the day ahead.
For example:
A meditation, some white noise and/or calming music cued up and ready to listen to (don’t forget your earbuds).
A few familiar breathing exercises.
Water and snacks to keep yourself feeling nourished.
Reminders in your phone of why you're doing this, why you're the right person to share this idea, and how much preparation you've already put in.
A copy of your talk, saved on your phone and/or printed out, in case you'd like to refresh your memory.
You might not use these, but having them at the ready can make the waiting a little easier, and the stress more manageable.
Let go of the perfect performance
You’ve spent months preparing for this talk. You’ve probably rehearsed it hundreds of times, made endless adjustments, and worked hard to get everything feeling right.
So when the day arrives, allow yourself to stop preparing and start trusting yourself.
Your job isn’t to be “perfect” on stage. It’s to share an idea. It’s okay if you stumble over a word or deliver a sentence differently than you rehearsed it. All the practice you've done means you know your material well enough to recover and continue without losing sight of the message you're there to share.
The audience doesn’t have your script in front of them. As far as they know, every word you say and every move you make is exactly as you planned it. Trust the work you’ve done and focus on connecting with the people in front of you. You’ve got this.
Time will feel funny
On the day of my TEDx talk, we arrived about 9 am – a last-minute concession on the part of the organizers, who had originally set the call time an hour earlier. Being speaker #11 of 16, I had a long wait ahead of me.
After lunch, the video team handed me my headset…and then time slowed to a crawl. I did breathing exercises in between hushed conversations with other speakers as I waited backstage for my name to be called. It may have been the longest 20 minutes of my life.
When I finally stepped on stage, all of the training took over and time ceased to matter; I found myself in a perpetual present where all that existed was the audience, the red dot, my slides, and the words that I’d practiced until they became part of me. I felt perfectly calm.
Then it was over, and I was back in the green room, and time shifted again.
As my nervous system tried to process everything that had just happened, my brain started racing and so did my mouth. Two volunteers approached me to collect my headset and get my signature on the TEDx video release form, and I just started talking… at them.
I have no idea what I was talking about; I only remember being unable to focus on the form in front of me and babbling endlessly at these poor women who were just trying to do their jobs. Part of my consciousness watched this whole scene going, “Alex, shut the f–k up and sign the form.” But the adrenaline had caught up to me and I was in a bit of a daze.
The rest of the event also felt like a dream. I vaguely remember taking photos and talking to my friends, and then suddenly finding myself at the post-event celebration for speakers and volunteers. And then it was over, in a haze of champagne.
None of this is to say that you’ll experience the event in the same way that I did. Just be prepared to feel different than you would on an ordinary day.
You might find yourself unusually calm, emotional, energized, exhausted, or some combination of all of the above. There’s a lot happening, and your brain and body are trying to keep up with it all.
Give yourself some grace, and try to enjoy each moment as it arrives.
Everything in moderation
TEDx events are long. Take advantage of the food, water, and little treats that are offered; they’ll help keep you grounded and provide the nourishment your body and brain need to perform at their best.
This can be easier said than done if your nerves attack on event day and a little voice inside starts screaming, “I’m gonna vomit!” Maybe your appetite has disappeared, and putting anything in your stomach feels unbearably risky.
But let’s be really honest with ourselves: hunger won’t make you feel less nauseous. Dehydration won’t make you feel more clear-headed. Low blood sugar isn’t going to improve your performance or your mood.
If anything, depriving yourself is going to make everything worse. Please nourish your body.
Choose familiar foods that you know are easy on the stomach and leave you feeling energized, not sluggish. Eat small quantities, if that’s all you can manage. Take regular sips of water (it’s good for the brain and won’t cause your blood sugar to spike).
Anecdotal evidence even says that sour candy can help with anxiety, and some voice actors claim that green apples temporarily help them sound better on the microphone. Whether or not those particular tricks work for you, my advice is to stick with things you already know agree with your body.
The upshot, of course, is not to go overboard. Don’t put yourself into a food coma or chug a bunch of water before you head onstage.
The goal is to keep a steady blood-sugar level and to be well-hydrated without doing the potty dance. You can always dig into that box of chocolate bars after you walk off stage and hand your microphone back to the tech team.
And remember to bring a toothbrush…there will be lots of cameras around!
Be present and enjoy the day
There’s an incredible camaraderie that takes place behind the scenes. Everyone’s feeling that heady blend of excitement and nervousness, and that makes for some serious bonding opportunities. Don’t be surprised if you wind up in a deep conversation with a fellow speaker you’d previously only met in passing.
You’ve all spent months working towards this moment. There’s something special about being surrounded by people who understand exactly what you’ve been going through - and what you’re experiencing now.
Take the opportunity to enjoy that shared experience.
When it’s your time on stage, you finally get to share your idea with the world and see the audience react to it in real time. You get to set in motion the impacts of all your reflecting, planning and practicing, and watch the ripples of your message begin to spread. It’s a day of pure possibility.
Eventually, the photos will be taken, the crowd will file out, and it will be time for the final celebration: you, your fellow speakers, and the team that put the event together.
This is when relief sets in: you did it, you came through the other side, and now you get to add “TEDx speaker” to the list of things you’re proud of.
Sleep might elude you afterwards
I’ll be honest - you might not sleep too well the night after your talk. There’s too much to think about; too much adrenaline still working its way out of your body.
That’s okay. You can sleep later. For now, let this day last as long as it wants to. It will be gone so soon.
Celebrate your accomplishment
When things do settle down, give yourself time to reflect on what you’ve just achieved.
Not just the talk itself, but everything it took to get there. You believed in your idea enough to share it. You invested time and energy into refining your talk. You listened to criticism and feedback, deciding what to incorporate and what to leave behind. You likely had moments of doubt, but you continued to show up and do the work.
You have so much to be proud of. So don’t just rush to the next thing. What you’ve done is extraordinary, and it deserves to be recognized (and celebrated).
Looking for your next step?
Throughout this series, I've talked about how to get accepted to TEDx, what happens during the months of preparation, and what you can expect when the big day finally arrives.
If there's one thing I hope you take away from all three parts, it's that great public speaking doesn't happen by accident.
It takes thought, preparation, practice, a willingness to receive feedback, and a whole lot of trust in yourself.
And none of those things are exclusive to TEDx.
Whether you're preparing to give a TEDx talk, deliver an important presentation at work, pitch an idea, or speak in front of an audience for the first time, a lot of the same principles apply.
I’d love to help you further build on everything you’ve learned from this experience so you can continue to share your voice with the world.
Explore coaching and communication training opportunities with Stage Light Communications.
