Ted Cruz … or TED Cruz?

Ted Cruz was the first 2016 presidential candidate to formally announce. He may have been the first presidential candidate ever to announce by way of a TED-style talk.

Will other politicians feel peer-pressured to go noteless, Teleprompterless and lectern-free when they announce their candidacies. Will they fear that suddenly a podium speech, no matter what the content, will look Nixonian by comparison?

And more broadly speaking, as TED begins to influence all public speaking arenas, will your bosses—CEOs, university presidents, nonprofit directors and public officials—step up their demand on you to make them seem smooth and natural as they stride empty-handed around a stage?

We're going to hold, if not a debate then an urgent discussion on this subject at the next World Conference of the Professional Speechwriters Association, Oct. 7-8 at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business. Join in!

(Registration site is coming, but you may preregister by writing to Mike Hines: [email protected]. —DM