Oh my goodness… My TEDx talk is on YouTube!
This has been a labor of love.
Since the beginning of 2015 I have been working on this TEDx talk. Auditions were held in the Spring, in which you had to deliver the talk as you would during the actual event. The preparation and extensive research started well before auditions and included watching tons of TED videos, analyzing presentation tactics, shaping a story, working with professionals in their field to gain insight, researching companies and organizations, interviewing specific people that ended up spanning the world, digging deep to make sure my words were accurate and then prepping for the actual talk. By the time of the audition, I had already learned so much and grown from the experience. The audition was terrifying but, I put myself out there hard core. When I found out the news I was chosen, I was elated.
More hard work followed as I researched more and then started memorizing. A TEDx talk is unlike any other presentation. I’ve given hundreds of presentations in front of large crowds, on TV and elsewhere, but this was the biggest challenge I’ve faced. The talk had to be on script yet look natural and you don’t have cues. In most presentations you can use your slides as your cues but this was reverse. Your words cued your slides. All from memory. About 2000-2500 words.
I practiced at work, practiced in the car, practiced in bed, practiced anywhere I could. I woke up in the middle of the night suddenly overstressed about a certain line only to lead me to my computer for more research. I stressed over skipping a part I spent months researching. Maybe no one would know I skipped it, but I would and I would be pissed.
As the event approached I was a little more at ease – a breakthrough came about a week before and I finally felt more confident. In the green room at the event my fellow speakers were all jazzed and encouraging. We chatted with Krys Boyd and I was so flustered and inspired by her all at the same time. She is a woman of character, knowledge, passion and just as personable as you hear on her KERA show, “Think“. I am grateful she was our announcer!
In the minutes before my talk I grabbed my headphones, turned up Katy Perry, and danced my flipping heart out behind the stage. ROAR. I was ready.
A little hiccup on my slides in the beginning made me relax. I felt confident and ready to deliver the message. My fellow speaker, Professor Deb Yoder gave the best advice. She said, “It’s not about you, it’s about the message.” And she was right, all of the preparation led to this. Time to connect people to climate change on a personal level.
Here we go, click below to watch!
My slides in the video are a little “off.” It’s not a huge deal and is probably way more important to me than the viewer but I at least have to share with you the actual last slide. So here it is, feel free to share this picture far and wide. #IChooseGreen
The event was held at Mountain View College on September 24, 2015 and the video was released October 22, 2015 on the TEDx YouTube Channel.