I’m so happy to be able to post some of the videos from the 2015 TEDx New Bedford “unbound” conference. I was invited to speak at the event, and it was an unbelievable experience to share the stage with some truly extraordinary men and women.
The work that goes into living up to the expectations of a TED conference organizing committee is pretty daunting. They make it very clear, for example, that the talk is to be between 12 and 18 minutes.. no exceptions. I wondered if they cut off your microphone or just extend a very long hook to reel you in if you go over the allotted time, but I don’t think anyone wanted to find out.
The talks for this conference all gravitated around the “unbound” theme. World class cardiologists, innovative designers and people who fight the good fight for the underdog… these were just a few of the people who made up the daylong roster.
Of course, a big cheer to Dolores Hirschmann who, with her incredible team, put the whole thing together, and brought us all through the day unscathed. This was Dolores’ second TED conference and she is a wizard when it comes to making these events run smoothly. My slot was scheduled for 6pm, and I was the first speaker in the last group. Amazingly, everything ran on time, but I suppose that’s really the TED way.
I didn’t know that you have to build up to a conference of this size… about 1,500 people attended and the hall was packed. To get a license for this conference, the committee had to prove they could handle a small venue first, and they had indeed handled a TED conference with a hall capacity of a few hundred a few years earlier. With that experience in hand, the international TED committee gave them a license for the next step.
I invite you to check out these TED talks.
The first one is by my friend Mona. It focuses on innovative design and I really admire how she uses her calling in service of her efforts to see problems as opportunities.
This next talk is by another San Francisco transplant. Joshua is originally from New Bedford, so this was a homecoming of sorts for him, and his message is timely and timeless.
And this is my TED Talk: The Crayon Box – How A Visualy Impaired Filmmaker Sees The World.
You can vie the other talks from the conference on the TEDx New Bedded 2015YouTube channel, andI’d love your feedback on these talks. Additionally, the TEDx New Bedford Unbound website is still active and their mission continues unabated. The conference is over, but the work of living unbound never ends.
Onwards!
