I did a little video to share with you my thoughts about TEDx Drogheda. Right now, TEDx Drogheda is looking for new speakers for this year’s TEDx.
As a speaker from last year, I loved the entire experience. It was nerve-wrecking knowing if my written submission would make it through. Then my one minute video. Then my interview. At that point it was 14 down to 8. Thankfully I was one of those eight.
I totally encourage you to apply if it’s something that you’ve always wanted to do. If you get it, great. If you don’t, you have started on the journey and it’s only a matter of time before you do.
All the details are on tedxdrogheda.com (even if I do say tedxdrogheda.ie in the litte video). Anyway, here’s the video, it’s not long and the transcript is below if you want to read along!
Apply today. Don’t leave it until tomororw because then it willl be October 1st and it’s too late!
Hi there. Today I want to talk to you about something that’s actually really close to my heart and it is TEDx Drogheda.
So TEDx Drogheda is in now in its second year and it’s currently looking for speakers. The deadline is the 30th of September and all information is on TEDx Drogheda.com. If it is something that you have ever thought about doing, I completely 100% in fact, 120% encourage you to go for it.
Last year I was chosen as one of the 8 speakers for TEDx Drogheda, the inaugural Drogheda and actually I was the first one on stage for TEDx Drogheda. And I can honestly tell you with my hand on my heart that it was the most nerve-wracking and the most exciting thing of my career. I had always kind of like thought about doing a TEDx talk or TED talk and so when the chance came for TEDx Drogheda to apply, I actually did go, will I?, won’t I?, what will people think?. I had this idea germinating in my mind and I thought will I do it or not and I thought you know what I will. If I got it, I got it, if I don’t you know what, it’s an experience.
Now my TEDx talk starts at something like this: Hello my name is Denise Fay and I am afraid to ask for help. It was one of the most vulnerable moments I suppose of my career where I actually admitted that I was afraid to ask for help when I had seen a slogan and it went something like ‘asking for help is a sign of strength and not weakness’ and so I decided to a 31-day experiment because obviously I love 31 days and I love time. and to see if I could get over myself and actually start asking for help.
Now when I got off that stage, my heart was beating like you would not believe it but the amount of people who came up to me afterwards and said that I spoke to them and that they felt exactly the same. That they are afraid to ask for help whether it’s looking after their children or you know asking for help in terms of their business or anything like that so that kind of was quite overwhelming the response that I got afterwards. So if it’s something at all that you’ve been thinking about, Do it.
Just apply. All the details are on TEDx Drogheda so I definitely encourage you to do it. Get in contact with me if you need any advice or anything like like that, I’d certainly love to be able to share my own experience with you. But what I will say to you is that the TED talks are meant to be inspiring or thought-provoking and so when you go to look at your submission and the theme this year, just to let you know, is Private Lives and all about identity.
On the TEDx Drogheda website, there are ideas maybe to get help get the creative juices flowing but when you think about your your own talk, don’t think about talking to the masses.
Because when I looked at my message like asking for help, I actually said at the very end, I said something like, Go out there, blush, stammer, stutter, that kind of thing but just ask for help. Because you would be better off for it.
A lot of people said yes, they completely resonated with it but then there was some people who came up to me afterwards after what in the video or indeed you know been in in attendance and said that they couldn’t believe that
I was afraid to ask for help that they would think nothing of asking for help so your message, if your message is for everyone, it’s for no one. So that would definitely be my first piece of advice. My second piece of advice is if at all you want to do TEDx, apply to TEDx Drogheda. Submissions have to be in for the 30th of September and then they will be assessed.
I think the first week in October and then the event itself is on the 4th of November. Or the 3rd of November. Anyway just get your submissions in. It’s either it’s the Friday, either the 3rd or 4th of November so just get your submissions in. And if there’s anything I can do to help, just do it but remember – TEDxDrogheda.com
