Well, we’re back from the week-long TEDxSummit which brought together over 800 TEDx organisers from around the world to Doha in Qatar. It was an amazing week of discussion, connection and general mayhem, but somehow it all worke. The opportunity to connect the TEDx community was valuable: we all know that we’re doing amazing things in our community but this was the first chance we had to come together as a community in our own right. We saw that many of the things we’re dealing with are common to us all, and we also found many new ideas for how to do things better. Here are my top 10 lessons as a TEDx curator. Have a look at the Polish version of our blog to see what Kasia Triantafelo learnt (in Polish).
So my top 10 lessons were:
1. There is a big tension within the TEDx organiser community between spreading ideas and putting ideas into action and that’s OK – we have a plan! In fact, we have several plans: watch out for Ideas Worth Doing, regional lenses, how-to-TEDx videos and many more.
2. When choosing your speakers and deciding if theirs is an idea worth spreading, ask yourself “is this a wiser model that makes a valid contribution?” and “is this a future we can aspire to?”.
3. For speakers who are artists, designers and architects: don’t try to sound intellectual. Be confident. Share your work and let it do the talking.
4. There is no formula for TED Talks. The best speakers are those who give the talk that they, and only they can give.
5. A TED Talk is 18 minutes OR LESS.
6. As a TEDx organiser, if you remember that you are managing with limited control you will have so much more fun.
7. Forget about the mass media – too much effort for too uncertain a result. Use your social media to create a tribe of friends and provide them with value (no pointless posts about the weather, happy holidays etc).
8. It’s all about storytelling. Learn how to tell a story. And learn how to spot bad science.
9. If you need to say “no” to a sponsor, speaker or anyone else who is insisting that they won’t cooperate unless you do what you want, blame Lara.
10. 24% of TED Talks are viewed with subtitles. The revolution will probably not be televised in your language.