TEDxKraków blog

Choosing the right career path is one of the most important decisions in student’s life. The trick is to choose a path that allows the individual to leverage one’s competencies, skills and talents, but most importantly, that leads to a desired career and allows one to do what she or he loves to do the most. Whether that’s an academic or a business career, choosing one path doesn’t close the doors for other opportunities. The first TEDxKrakowSalon event will prove it to us – find out more and join us on 15th of January in Auditorium Maximum at the Jagiellonian University.

Business and education might seem to exist as two separate environments, but in reality they are closely interconnected. TEDxKrakowSalon, a new project created by TEDxKrakow, aims to create a collaboration platform for scientists and business professionals and to help them find “a common denominator”. TEDxKrakowSalon consists of 3 events which will be run by University graduates that are actively sharing their knowledge and passion for science and by entrepreneurs who run their own companies and develop products improving people’s life conditions and quality. We invited the most talented and inspiring speakers and all of them are very eager to “spread the ideas” following TED’s main principle “ideas worth spreading”.

TEDxKrakow Salon is the first event of its kind taking place in Kraków and on top of the above described goal, it also aims to build long-term collaboration within Kraków’s academic environment. The first event will specifically focus on improving the collaboration between the Jagiellonian University and the University of Science and Technology (AGH). We are confident that those two top Kraków universities can create collaboration platform that will allow them to exchange ideas and leverage the full potential of scientists working for them. The next two Salon events are planned for March and May and will take place at facilities belonging to the top universities in Kraków. All talks will be given in Polish only and no live interpreting will be provided.

TEDxKrakówSalon events are truly unique and will provide you an opportunity to meet inspiring people who turned their passion into a success. Join us and find out more for yourself!

If you participate in our events on a regular basis, you have probably noticed the colourful coffee cups printed with TEDxKraków logo. Did you ever wonder what do we need these cups for and what’s the idea behind them?

TEDxKraków is a group of volunteers and a community brought together by a common vision, passion and a belief that thanks to our knowledge, ideas, energy and joined efforts, we can develop new opportunities, create new quality of life and optimise the realities of the world we live in now and in the future. We love spending time together, whether that’s during an official meeting or on a spontaneous get-together in a coffee shop where we meet new people, exchange ideas and simply have a good time.

As we love good coffee and hanging out in cosy Krakowian coffee shops, we decided to go a step further and give you an excuse to come over for a coffee. This way we came up with an idea of regular meetings organised in different, interesting places, as one of the TEDxKraków goals is to create space in which we can always meet and exchange our ideas, experiences and spread the positive energy.

We decided to give some of our meetings a special character and use them as opportunities to develop our artistic skills. A good example of such a meeting is the Halloween event in Tektura Café where everyone could sculpt a Haloween pumpkin, have a coffee and try a pumpkin pie. Follow us on Facebook not to miss out our next meeting!

What is all of this for? We believe that the best ideas are not born in the vacuum. Our meetings are like an engine that drives our creative energy and inspires all of us to action. It’s also a unique place to network, meet new people and make friends, what’s visible by the fast growth of the TEDxKraków community that gains new members every day. On every meeting, all the TEDxKraków coffee cup owners can benefit from discount offers and snacks (not only related to coffee) prepared especially for them.
You can also just go out for a coffee with your friends to on of our partner coffee shops and buy the TEDxKraków coffee cup for just 5 zł:

• Tektura Cafe (ul. Krupnicza 7)
• Wesoła Cafe (ul. Rakowicka 17)
• Miejsce (ul. Estery 1)
• Pół na Pół Cafe (ul. Dietla 43/45).

The list of partner coffee shops grows all the time! Join our community and come over for a coffee with TEDxKraków ☺ you can also buy the coffee cup at every event we host.

TEDxKraków KeepCup coffe cup

Kubek TEDxKraków comes from limited edition with black belt and TEDxKraków logo. The coffee cups are manufactured by an Australian company KeepCup that has a vision to act against mass production of disposal coffee cups made of artificial materials which litter our planet. Did you know that every minute over million disposal cups are being thrown? Find out more about KeepCups on the producer’s website.

TEDxKraków KeepCup coffee cups are 100% eco-friendly and canbe used several times.

Did you ever wonder what does the organisation of an event such as TEDxKraków look like? If you ever attended TEDxKraków, you well know it’s an extraordinary experience, not only because of the special atmosphere brought by everything that’s related to TED or the inspiring subjects discussed on the scene, but also because at TEDx everyone feel welcome and almost like at home. The place of the conference and its plan are designed to make interactions and meeting new people as easy as possible; and the speakers are not unapproachable guest stars, but participants happy to talk to everyone and taking part in all activities. Everything at the event goes smoothly and seems somehow… natural. Does it happen just like that, without any effort?

In case of TEDxKraków2013 in Stara Zajezdnia, it took us a couple of months of solid work to prepare for the event. We decided to use the Service Design method for this purpose and thought about the conference as about a service that needs to be designed in a way that will be most beneficial for TEDx fans. In May 2013 we met for an all-day workshop led by our team members: Krzysiek and Bartek, who taught us all about this method and helped us in the planning process step by step. We started from analysing feedback received from participants of the previous TEDx editions and looking at all the different questions and comments we came across e.g.: “why is the registration form so complicated”, “I wonder if anyone thought of vegetarian dishes” and “I hope they are not going to run out of coffee”.

We then tried to identify ourselves with the conference participants by creating profiles of certain types of people attending TEDx. We created detailed “personas” for each type by almost turning them into real characters and describing their lifestyle, appearance, their main concerns and things that make them happy. That’s how Jacek was brought to life. Jacek is an IT student, who constantly plays with his smartphone and is worried that he won’t be able to check in at the conference. Kasia, another persona we created, is a wife of one of the speakers who doesn’t know what to expect at the event, but would like to meet new people and spend a nice day with them. We developed over a dozen of such profiles – you well know how diverse is the TEDx audience and how many different lifestyles they represent.

Having in mind all the expectations, needs and different personalities amongst our audience, we tried to imagine how they find out about the conference, where do they look for information and how do they get to know the program. That was enough work to keep us busy for the next couple of months. We met every week during the summer before TEDxKraków 2013 to plan all interactions with participants that took place before the event (e.g. how should the registration and the attendance confirmation look like, how to announce upcoming speakers and activities on the day of the conference), during the conference (handing out the badges, goodie bags, the distance to cloakroom and toilets) and after the event (planning after-party, collecting feedback, retaining relations). On top of planning the path of attending the event for each type of participants (including standard attendees, speakers, media representatives, sponsors), we also mapped the interactions with the key internal, external and associated stakeholders (simply speaking, we thought about who is or/and could potentially be involved in the event and what are the relationships between them).

Did we think of everything and everyone? Definitely not. However, what we do know is that TEDxKraków 2013 was the best conference we managed to organise so far and we plan to do so even better the next time round. Despite the fact that the next conference will take place in the middle of 2015, all teams have already started to discuss the paths of ‘their’ types of participants and we are going to meet all together at the beginning of December to unite our forces and combine our ideas. There is one thing we know for sure – TEDxKraków2015 is going be something big!

P.S. If you are interested in Service Design and would like to find out more about the tools we used to plan TEDxKraków 2013, visit Krzysiek’s company website – PLEO Design.

The November edition of TEDxKrakowCinema’s theme was: work + life = balance. The hosts of the evening, Agata and Marek Wierzbicki, wondering whether this was at all possible, decided to take a closer look into it.

The meeting started with traditional icebreakers, followed by Nigel Marsh’s presentation -”How to make work-life balance work“. It turns out that the reconciliation of family life and work is not very easy and requires time and attention, but the search for what’s important to us is still worth a while – no one else will do it for us. Little, everyday joys and small changes often bring surprisingly good results.

After discussing in small groups of 5-6, we had found that each of us has a slightly different idea of what work – life balance is. Sometimes, the peace of mind we seek does not necessarily guarantee happiness. Overwork can often lead to burnout and painful isolation. Reaching work – life balance requires many tries and sometimes the courage to take the first step.

Some of us need a small change to start, but others might need to make a revolution in life and turn it upside down. How about a year long vacation for every seven years of work instead of an early retirement? Sounds radical? Not necessarily, when you look at creative results of  “Sagmeister & Walsh” in the presentation by Stefan Sagmeister: “The power of time off “. Is time off a wasted time?  Maybe our internal computer needs to reset from time to time to stay creative? Companies like Google or 3M programmed free time in their employee’s schedule. It  lead to great results. Is it worth to plan our time off? It turns out that yes, very much so! Figuring out the schedule for our favorite activities helps structuring the sabbatical. A yearlong time off brought ideas for 7 consecutive years of work, the joy of creation and financial success for Stefan and his studio.

Does the satisfaction from our achievements in life means happiness? The answer was provided by a very entertaining talk by Shawn Achor: “The happy secret to better work”. Shawn talked in a quite funny way about the power of ​​positive psychology. Surprisingly, changing the perspective opens quite new possibilities. Maybe we don’t need to be just an average after all? It also might be worthwhile to change the principle that working hard and being successful automatically makes us happy. Studies show that only 10% of our happiness depends on others, and 90% is up to us. If so, it is definitely worth to attract happiness into the framework of our lives. To find work – life balance is to find balance in life general. It takes effort and many attempts, but it is like riding a bike – once we figure it out, it gives us joy and happiness.

To finish the evening Agata selected a presentation about how to use a paper towel. Now we will remember to shake and fold for the rest of our life

See you again in December.

Work-life balance has probably been one of the most written-about subjects in recent years. Why? The way we work and live has changed and while in theory we should have more time thanks to the new technology solutions, but in reality we seem to have even less of it – also because we are connected to work 24/7 via emails and phones. If you are ambitious and looking for professional fulfillment it’s very easy to fall into a trap of spending long hours at work and having no time and energy for your personal life, family or hobbies. You can say it’s a matter of personal choice, but it’s often hard to tell where is the line. And as it happens in real life, if you loose balance you are going to fall – either by being too tired to be productive at work, having issues with your health or relationships or a combination of all. So how to make the work-life balance work?

“Never work for a company that says people are its most important asset”

An ironic remark from “Office Politics” by Guy Browing probably shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but it brings up an important point that a lot depends on where you work. There are still many companies where working for long hours is an unquestionable standard, even though the research clearly shows that it’s neither effective or productive. Luckily for us the number of employers embracing culture of work-life balance and offering flexible working hours and numerous benefits is increasing. How to find out if the company you are applying to is the right one? There are many rankings out there, like the one run by Forbes recognizing companies from a variety of industries for creating the best work-life balance environment – you can check out the latest one here.

Your role

Finding the right employer is just the beginning of the journey towards the work-life balance and no matter where you work, you have to manage it yourself. How to do it? Some experts suggest it’s about prioritizing your tasks and finding smarter ways of working, other advise to manage your energy rather than time (“Manage your energy not your time”, Tony Schwartz, HBR). Get inspired by TED Talks – watch playlist “Work smarter” here.

If you want to find out more, join us at the next TEDxKraków Cinema event on Tuesday 4^th of November at Pauza In Garden.

The meeting will be hosted by Agata and Marek, TEDxKraków Team members and well-known workaholics.

The second TEDxKrakówLive this year took place over the Wisla river last Thursday. This time, we met on a 125-year-old ship – Barka food.live.music. We had the unique pleasure of experiencing TED Global in the same form, as people actually attending it live at the Copacabana beach.

During the two sessions we had the chance to watch, we heard about the good and the bad: conflicts in the most dangerous parts of the world, and art that makes cities flourish. We also had time to reflect, and to give in to the hypnotizing southern music.

Photo (cc by-nc-nd) Piotr Mleczko

During the breaks, Kasia and Justyna organized a little upcycling workshop and taught us how to make wonderful cardboard wallets. They work, and they are fantastic

Photo (cc by-nc-nd) Piotr Mleczko

We ended the evening with an open lesson of a brazilian dance – Forró. Junior Arto from space for dance and movement Kontakt shared some of his energy and knowledge with us, and taught us the basics. It was so much fun, we left for dry land just before midnight.

Photo (cc by-nc-nd) Piotr Mleczko

We’re preparing a small video from the event, and event more photos — so stay tuned by following us on Facebook. See you at the next TEDxKrakowLive!

Is there a formula through which we can find our ‘other half’? Are we capable of calculating the probability of a successful online relationship using dating apps? Are distance relationships now easier than ever? What & whom are we looking for on becoming more and more popular online dating websites ?

TEDxKrakówLive emotions have not yet subsided and we already invite you to the October edition of TEDxKrakówCinema to talk about real emotions in the digital era.

The online world and new technologies give us a completely new environment  to explore relationships. They influence how we live, think, love, and interact with others. Mobile apps, social media, and different types of online messaging tools open wide spectrum of new interaction possibilities in the digital space, and increasingly become primary means through which relationships form and develop. We will discuss this phenomenon and talk about quality & the future of such relationships. We will watch also three TED Talks carefully chosen to represent the topic.

The host of the meeting is a TEDxKraków team member Wioletta Dec, who deals in our team with communication topics and makes sure you can get your own red TEDxKrakow cup. Professionally she is associated with the world of PR and technology. Privately in constant motion (skating or snowboarding). Frequent traveler who meets people around the world and always is interested in peoples relations and ways they do it. She invites you to join the event lying on the intersection of  people, technology and emotions.

Wioletta Dec together with volounteer on the TEDxKrakow main conference 2013 held in Stara Zajezdnia.

Please join us on Tuesday, 14th of October – we start at 18:30 in Pauza in Garden, Rajska 12 street (entrance from Szujskiego street). The entry is free and we recommend you to come early enough to find a sitting place. The TED Talks are in English with Polish subtitles. The discussion will be in Polish. Around 20:30 we finish the official part and start an afterparty, which we hope will give you the opportunity to carry the exciting discussions on.

9th of October is just around the corner – check out what surprises are waiting for you at this year’s TEDxKrakówLive!

The live transmission from TEDGlobal2014 in Rio de Janerio isn’t just an opportunity to watch the selected sessions from the conference in Brazil. Most importantly, it’s a unique chance to experience the atmosphere of this amazing country that seduces us with its high temperature and incredibly hot energy. There will also be additional attractions, which will keep reminding you that for those few hours, we have virtually travelled to the south.

We invite you on board of the BARKA food.life.music docked by Kładka Bernatka at 5:00 pm. This incredible barge with history starting in 1889 will be our venue to watch the live transmission from TEDGlobal “South!”

BARKA was built in Dutch shipyard J&K Smit and for over half-century was used to transport goods, such as wood, on Ren river. In 1980 the barge was recognized as a maritime shipping historic object and appeared on post stamps in Netherlands. It travelled through our country 23 years later during it’s almost a yearlong trip from Rotterdam to Kraków. In 2009 it was finally docked on Vistula river and became a popular place for meetings and leisuire.

Zdjęcie ze strony http://www.barkakrakow.pl/

How is 9th of Oct 2014 going to mark itself in the barge’s history? The transmission of the first session “Field Work” will start at 6:00 pm and will take around 1.5h. The session will include (to name a few) presentations by Severine Autsserre on her research related to war and conflicts around the world, and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim who will talk about her studies on medical and nutrition aspects of flora on Mauritius island. The artistic part will be taken care of by the Circle of Sound – a musical duet combining styles and instruments from different cultures.

During the break between the sessions, everyone will have an opportunity to participate in upcycling workshops and make themselves a wallet out of used milk box! Make sure you bring the milk box with you and remember to wash it properly and cut out its bottom.

The transmission of the next session entitled “Urban Canvas” will begin straight after the “upcycling” break. The speakers on this session will include the painters Haas&Hahn and Su Yunsheng, working on urban city space projects for fast developing cities showing that being fast does not necessarily mean being less efficient.

The whole TED Global 2014 programme is available here.

Join us on 9th of October and travel with us to the “South”!