TED talks are there for Ideas Worth Spreading.
All TED and TEDMED talks are worth watching because they have passed the strict internal TED and TEDMED filtering process which ensures they will always fulfil this criterion. That is the guarantee and the quality of TED and TEDMED and it has a significant cost for these organisations.
So what about TEDx?
What is TEDx?
TEDx talks are independently organised junior members of the TED family. The key phrase here is “independently organised”. Some of them are big and well organised and picky about who they invite or accept to speak but I think it is fair to say that nature of these events means that the organisation, the vetting and the calibre of the speakers does vary. However, there are some absolute gems given at TEDx events and a good number get elevated to TED.com.
According to TED.com
The TEDx Program is designed to help communities, organizations and individuals to spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences.
At TEDx events, a screening of TED Talks videos — or a combination of live presenters and TED Talks videos — sparks deep conversation and connections at the local level. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, under a free license granted by TED.
I found this TEDx talk while I was researching for a series of talks that I was giving in Noida and Bangalore in India last year for a global IT, technology and consulting company. It is one of the TED family talks that has made me think – and rethink – the most.
Perhaps this is because I was educated in the Commonwealth in an incredibly diverse school and have been very lucky to live and work in different countries and within different cultures. It was also heightened by the fact that I discovered this TEDx talk while I was on a speaking and coaching tour that included the very different cultures of South Korea, India, Singapore and Australia. I hope it works for you too!
The part about the English cutlery and table setting (authoritarian) vs. the Indian way (democratic) was not just funny and lightbulb-like for me but reinforced to me on my first morning in India by the waiter in the Crowne Plaza hotel in Noida (south east of Delhi) just a week after I had found the talk.
He brought me an Indian breakfast – accompanied by a fantastic mango lassi. I asked, cautiously, what was the best or the correct way to eat the feast that he had prepared for me. “Anyway you like!” he replied!!
Every time I tell an Indian that story, I get a laugh. Because that is how it is!
Anyway – I hope you enjoy it! The level of cultural understanding and tolerance shown in the talk could do the world a lot of good.
The reason I am sharing this today is to coincide with http://thecommonwealth.org/commonwealthday The Commonwealth, like everything, is far from perfect. But it is incredibly diverse with a huge amount of combined potential and it has a lot to offer if it could just work together more.
I have worked with speakers on talks that have ended on TEDx, TEDMED and TED stages and am also a TEDMED SpeakerCoach. If you have an “idea worth spreading” give me a call and we can discuss how I can help you maximise the impact of your talk.