Artefact 3 - TEDxWolverhampton application
I sent in my application and had to go through a series of rounds, before I finally found out in January 2020 that I had been selected as one of the 12 speakers for the event. I decided to base my talk on the theme of Alternatives, as my EdD research is examining alternative approaches to enterprise education.
I went along to the speakers meeting in January and met the other speakers and organisers of the event, and realised that most of the other speakers were just as nervous about the experience as I was, but also really excited to be part of the event. Tickets went on sale and I was embargoed from revealing I was on the line up for a few weeks until it was formally announced by TEDx.
The next step in the process was to write a draft speech and send it off for approval from TED HQ in New York. There are a set of guiding principles for TED talks and TED HQ have to approve all talks before they are accepted, as they are recorded and shared on the TEDx YouTube Channel and Website, which collectively have 40 million subscribers!
Writing the talk made me have to really focus down my ideas further, how could I convey the scope of my research in less than ten minutes, in an accessible way which non-academic mainstream audiences would not only understand but actually be interested in?
This resulted in me narrowing down my ideas and focussing my research goals, which I then recorded in a short video run through of my talk.
The TEDx event has been postponed until November 2020 as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, however the process of being selected and having to write my talk has moved me along my journey.
Wow! How exciting. I hope we can come to the event to listen to you speak and to support you. I too really enjoy listening to TED talks and find them inspirational. I'm not sure I would be brave enough to even apply. I would imagine it had really focused your mind on your research ideas.
ReplyDeleteHi Debs, thanks for your comment. There will be a few live tickets available, but the majority of tickets will now be virtual with a link to the live stream, in order to maintain social distance in the theatre. I applied in a moment of madness, not really believing I would get selected, but I am so glad I was selected as it has helped focus my thoughts and it will be something to both add to my CV and tick off the bucket list! I will post a link on the group chat for tickets.
DeleteWow! I really enjoy watching TED talks and I am impressed that you are going to present one. I wasn't aware of the process involved in applying to speak. It is interesting that you are limited to the amount of time you can speak for - that must focus the mind. What do you put in and what can you leave out? I cannot imagine that dilemma apart from trying to reach a word count when writing - or even harder reducing a word count! Let us know when it had been rescheduled. Deb
ReplyDeleteHi Deb, thanks for your kind words. It has been a long term ambition of mine to deliver a TED talk, so I am thrilled to be finally doing it, although terrified too! It was difficult to know how to keep it succinct and appeal to a wider audience, but I am happy with the talk now, I just have to rehearse it, as I have to memorise it by heart for the event! It has been rescheduled for November and will predominantly be an online event now, with a limited live audience due to the pandemic. However, it will be live streamed and later available on YouTube.
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