TEDx Newcastle University.
I’ve always been an avid consumer of TED talks, videos and podcasts. They share new ideas, change my perceptions and send me down rabbit holes of further research exploration and discovery.
I’ve also found the idea of giving a TEDX talk seductive. Through the work I do, I want people to explore and experiment with ways to make their work better. And giving a TEDX talk would be a wonderful way to share ideas in a new way.
And of course, I imagined myself doing this with similar clarity, confidence, wit and compulsion that you see in other speakers.
The reality is that - as I mention in my talk - I’m not a natural speaker or story teller.
So whilst I was delighted to be told that I had been accepted as a speaker as part of TEDx Newcastle University I found the whole process much bigger and challenging than I had (probably very naively on my part) expected.
This is a summary of 7 feelings that I experienced during my TEDX “journey.”
Imagine a world.
1) Busted (talking to Ted)
“Who are you talking to dad?”. Evie, my two year old, pulled on my trouser leg and looked up at me.
I realised that I had been rehearsing parts of my TEDx talk whilst navigating preparations for dinner.
“I’m practicing for my TED talk” I said. I went on to explain that I was going to be speaking to lots of people and wanted to practice what I was going to say. Evie seemed satisfied with the answer - for the moment at least - and went on playing.
From that point on, over the coming weeks when Evie caught me practicing elements of my talk - at home, when walking about or pushing her on the swings - she would just ask me “Are you talking to TED?” It made me laugh and smile every time.
My learning: Work things sometimes spill into personal and family life and life things spill into work. This is (for me at least) a reality and rather than hide it, I want my daughter and son to be interested in, or at least aware of, the things I’m doing that are important to me (either personally or professionally).
Oh and your children are always more perceptive than you think...
2) (super) Excited
The build up to the recording reminded me of the growing excitement of the big running races and competitions I had trained for in the past. There was a gradual daily increase of adrenaline, excitement and nervousness in the days leading up to the talk.
To help channel my nerves in the week before I used similar strategies to how I would prepare for a race. Some of things I did included: positively visualising aspects of the talk going well; imaging some of the different challenges or obstacles that might happen and then thinking through how I might deal with them (e.g. what happened if I forgot part of my script, or found myself rushing, or if there was a technical fault during the recording); and making a list of things I needed on the day of the talk (such as reacquainting myself with an iron and finding my “smart” clothes).
My learning: My experiences of performing as an athlete were portable to the challenge of presenting.
I wonder why I had not thought of this before?
3) (really) Challenged
I found it really challenging to craft my script in ways that balanced being: authentic; in service of the audience; and in line with TED ideals in terms of being inspirational, engaging and accessible.
I cringe at the thought of ever being “preachy”, strive to be evidence-led and loves to share and showcase the work and ideas of others. Yet, as Ziyu (the speaker co-ordinator) summarised in some spot on feedback: I needed to be more enthusiastic, accessible and less academic.
Over time, with continued (wonderful) feedback from the TEDX curation team I found a way to present the ideas I wanted without feeling that I had overly diluted or simplified the concept of job crafting that was the focus of my talk.
My learning: Including my stories and studies made the talk more personal to me - at first I struggled with this, but over time came to embrace the fact that the talk was something that was unique and individual. It was a talk that no one else could deliver - for better or worse.
4) (ever so) Tired
I certainly didn’t have a “TEDX talk” shaped hole in my life. Consequently, I had to be scrappy and disciplined to carve out time to work on the script and to practice.
On a number of occasions, I remember cursing myself for committing to do the talk.
At times I felt frustrated about how much mental bandwidth and energy it was taking up. And I was scared about being “good enough” - whatever that meant.
To help with this, rather than resist or resent these feelings I reframed them. I reminded myself they were simply an indicator that I was doing something that was important to me, that I cared about, and that I had experienced similar emotions doing other personal and professional challenges which ultimately I have been incredibly proud of.
I also found it useful to be pragmatic about the talk. Rather than focusing on giving the best talk imaginable, I was committed to giving the best talk I could under the circumstances I was facing using the time and energy I had available.
My learning: I found it really helpful to recognise that the bigs up and downs I experienced weren’t to be embraced or ignored, but were just a reality of doing something that stretched me.
5) (In) Awe
The TEDX curation team were simply phenomenal in terms of the time, effort and commitment that they poured into the event.
The team pretty much outclassed and outworked any and every professional events organisation I have worked with.
Whilst their work commitment has been inspiring, what I have truly admired, is their collaborative approach to navigating all the complexities, risks and challenges of producing the event during the pandemic.
I have been particularly impressed with Ashleigh King’s leadership. She has led with a blend of compassion and clarity that many senior leaders struggle. Ash navigated complex, ever-changing circumstances in a way that brought the TEDX curation and speaker team together, at a time when they could have been pulled apart.
My learning: I was really pleased that I had spent time talking to Ash about the team’s vision for their TEDx and their approach before submitting an application to speak.
6) (Incredibly) Grateful
Aside from the TEDx team, I have been incredibly fortunate to have a number of people give me feedback on various iterations of their script. In fact, there is no one I asked who wasn’t been kind enough to read a version of my script or watch me present.
Pretty much every piece of feedback I received helped me tweak what I was saying or how I was saying it. So thank you Gary Butterfield, Kieran James, Chloe Mark, Duncan Archer, Pippa Archer and Peter Pease for watching drafts of my talk.
And a special thanks to Jo Darby from Voice in the Room for your last minute coaching support and advice.
My learning: People generally want to help. You just need to ask them.
7) (really) Inspired
During the preparations I had had the opportunity to watch some of the other presenters shape and practised their talks. They offered wonderful peer-coaching and support.
It was fantastic to have backstage peaks at the phenomenal talks of the other presenters and see how they have shaped and improved them over time. Each and every speaker and talk has inspired, engaged and provoked me.
My learning: It genuinely is a privilege to have the opportunity to hear from people share ideas and stories that they care deeply about.
The brilliant TEDx speakers.
Ideas worth spreading.
I’m sharing these reflections, not because I thought my final talk was wonderful - I’m certainly proud of it, but there are 1,000s of ways it could be improved - but because lots of people have asked me about my experiences and preparations.
Writing this has also helped to identify the skills and knowledge I have developed during the process.
It’s certainly been an adventure. And I’m pleased to report that Evie no longer catches me talking to TED.
Job Crafting - Making Work Personal
You can view my talk here.
