I\u2019m so happy to be able to post some of the videos from the 2015 TEDx New Bedford \u201cunbound\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t think anyone wanted to find out.<\/p>\n
The talks for this conference all gravitated around the \u201cunbound\u201d theme. World class cardiologists, innovative designers and people who fight the good fight for the underdog\u2026 these were just a few of the people who made up the daylong roster.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 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\u2019s really the TED way.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know that you have to build up to a conference of this size\u2026 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.<\/p>\n
I invite you to check out these TED talks.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n