TEDxHuntsville was founded in 2009 with an intimate event on November 17th in a beautiful downtown office. I was lucky enough to participate. The conversations were open, intelligent, educational, and inspiring.
Leap ahead to 2012 and I can honestly say the event, content, and experience has also leapt ahead.
This year’s event on September 9th, 2012 achieved it’s goal – to reignite: our senses, our passions, our inspired actions!
There was a more diverse group of presenters this year. I felt more connected to them. They weren’t stars, they ere just like you and I – making a difference in the world one person at a time. Now THAT is inspiring! Each presenter had their own style, their own message. The order and mix of presenters worked well, and the hosts were authentic and fun.
3 Cheers for the Volunteers
A virtual standing ovation for the team of volunteers that put this all together. This event went from a small group of 40 or so in a conference room to a venue of more than 550 – and they did it in 4 years. Amazing.
Last year I provided my critique of the event, selecting only a few presenters to review specifically. This year I decided to review each presenter. For each one I was looking for the following:
- Is it clear to me what their ‘One thing’ is? Their message?
- Was I inspired?
- What action did they request?
- What one thing do I learn about presenting from them?
The Presenters
In order of appearance
Paul deJoe – The City that Saved the World
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- The world needs you to be you (be yourself)!
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 7
- What action was requested?
- Commit to talking about ideas, not people or events.
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- There is power and inspiration in sharing you passion of what will be.
Sameer Singhal – Bio Battery
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- Our dependency on traditional batteries is holding us back!
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 5
- What action was requested?
- Increase awareness of your battery dependency (implied).
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- Video of an experiment is a great way to help the audience visualize data heavy presentations.
Tasia Malakasis – Happy Accidents
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- Shift the way you think about accidents: as events ripe with opportunities.
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 8
- What action was requested?
- Embrace accidents (my translation – embrace uncertainty and absurdity in life)
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- Non traditional visuals (looped video with soft music in the background) made this a home run!
Cynthia Lankford – Spoken Word Poet
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- What is re-ignite? (so we know how to be it – do it)
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 6
- What action was requested?
- Relax and enjoy yourself.
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- The rhythm and repetition of poetry (spoken word art) is an ideal form for naked presenting.
Jeff Zentner – A Walled Garden
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- Creativity is critical to our survival (and legacy)
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 6
- What action was requested?
- Set aside daily sacred creativity time.
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- A trained voice is a powerful tool! (Jeff is a musician / performer )
Darlisia Lyles – The 21st Century Violinist
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- Try something different: Mixing old technology with modern sounds
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 5
- What action was requested?
- Listen (implied).
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- The tools you choose to deliver your message are as important as your message.
Ashley Capps – Building Business, Nurturing Community
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- Traditional values are the foundation of success.
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 6
- What action was requested?
- Nurture your community (in business and life)
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- The speaker’s passion in sharing a story is more important than a polished talk.
Lisa D. Williams – Rules of the American Dream
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- Don’t take the American Dream for granted.
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 6
- What action was requested?
- Take action: do it because it’s worth it; the only way to fail is to quit.
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- Visuals that support the story are powerful, personal images are most powerful in generating emotion.
Daniel Crosby – 5ex, Funds, and Rock n’ Roll
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- Our emotions influence our financial decisions
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 7
- What action was requested?
- Be aware of your biases in everyday life (implied).
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- Data can tell a story of presented well and in the right context.
Jason Cassibry – Fusion Propulsion for Exploration
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- How critical fusion energy science is to space travel and discovery
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 6
- What action was requested?
- Increase your awareness of local research (implied)
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- Making the complex simple is part art and part science (even with science).
Jon Gosier – Changing Nations with Data
Watch the video- What was my one take away (The message)
- We are creating digital exhaust which can be used to make a difference in society.
- Was I inspired?
- Scale of 1 to 10: 8
- What action was requested?
- Explore data more – be more aware of your digital exhaust and how it is being used.
- What one thing did I learn about presenting?
- Complex data presented visually can tell multiple stories that have impact.
Conversations Inspired
The conversations these talks inspired amongst the audience and presenters were as inspiring as the talks themselves.The best part about these conversation is being able to experience another’s point of view. The above is my perspective, but others heard something different and were more or less inspired by the different speakers.
The objective – open your mind to new ideas!
photos from TEDxHuntsville Facebook
