How to create movement during and after TEDxAmsterdam
“What can I do today to expand my idea tomorrow?” This was the theme of the day on March the 6th with four inspiring workshops, passionate speakers, delicious food and a hell of a lot of ideas. All in all, bootcamp number two went down a treat.
The speakers gathered to brainstorm innovative ways on how to create a movement around their idea for revolutionising education, both during and after the TEDxAmsterdamED event. Four workshops broadened their horizons and triggered new ideas on how to take their talk from the stage to the next level.
“How do I initiate change within organisations?” This question was addressed by Jostein van Vliet. Change is hard because it is long-term, indirect and uncertain. “If you want change to happen,” he says, “it needs to be simple for people to understand what you want to achieve. The audience needs to genuinely believe in your idea.” What can you say during the talk to trigger a change in your audience, one that will last beyond the talk?
During the “Movement and social media” workshop, led by Oliver de Leeuw, speakers were challenged to think about how to establish their online presence. How do you attract your audience online? If you use social media, which brand archetypes would you choose? Would you be the explorer — adventurous, self-sufficient, daring and pioneering? Or would you rather be the creator — visionary, passionate, expressive, imaginative, creative? Do you see yourself as the hero — successful, awarded, determined, powerful? Or the sage — wise, respected, influential, guiding? Maybe the innocent — optimistic, simple, truthful, honest? Or how about the ruler, the jester, the lover, the caregiver or the regular girl/guy — friendly, unpretentious? Once the speakers get off stage, people will want to look them up online. This is why it is important to establish an online presence now.
Apart from the workshops, what was most touching was a guest talk delivered by Claire de Pont. As a former TEDxAmsterdamED speaker, she knows what it means to be on stage and what happens once you get off.
Claire’s presentation reinforced some of the points raised by the workshops and provided the future heroes of TEDxAmsterdamED with ten concise pieces of advice:
1. Ask yourself who you are
2. Find your purpose
3. Prepare your story
4. Be yourself on stage
5. Make it personal
6. Own your story
7. Feel the talk
8. Connect with the audience
9. Show urgency in your talk
10. Look to the future
What did the speakers take away from this bootcamp?
Every talk is a piece of art — you basically deliver a performance. A TED talk is not a corporate presentation, it is about who you truly are. If you manage to touch people, they will connect with you. Therefore, each talk has to have that something special that will make people want to connect with you!
A major thing that resonated during this session was that self-discovery can sometimes be a painful process, but it’s a beautiful one. TEDxAmsterdamED is a rollercoaster, you just have to learn how to ride it!
