Westminster College TEDx Team Seeking Speakers for October Campus Conference

The TEDxWestminsterCollege team is seeking speakers for a local, independently organized event to be held in early October on the campus of Westminster in Fulton, MO.

The team is taking nominations for potential event speakers – from entrepreneurs and students, scientists and inventors, writers and artists, business leaders and community champions to those who have a unique perspective on life and society – who can convey their ideas in a compelling 18-minute presentation on a topic of their choice.

Earlier this month, a team of students and faculty at Westminster received approval to host their local TEDx event in the fall. Planned and coordinated independently under a free license granted by TED, TEDx events feature a screening of TED Talks videos or combination of live presenters and TED Talks video to spark deep conversation and connections at the local level. TEDx is a nonprofit global community that welcomes people from every discipline and culture who are seeking a deeper understanding of the world.

The objective of the TEDx event is to present a group of presenters who speak on topics as diverse as science, technology, entrepreneurship, philosophy, data mining, societal expectations, the arts and humanities, sporting experiences, “Aha!” moments, sharing a talent, bullying, or education just to name a few.

“We would like people to send us speaker nominations of those with a unique perspective that can share their ideas on the topic in a personal, relevant and compelling way,” says Shrijan Amatya, a Westminster student from Kathmandu, Nepal and one of the organizers of the event.  “We are seeking presentations that can provide a new twist on information or completely new ideas that will have an impact on those in attendance.”

Speaker nomination forms can be found at http://goo.gl/forms/yxmky7ueib.

Speaker coaches will work with speakers selected in fall rehearsals to get them ready for performance level.

The format will be a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances on a wide range of subjects that foster learning, inspiration and wonder. Interactive activities and areas to congregate and interact will be used to provoke conversations that matter.

“We want this to be an event that strives to re-create the unique experience found at TED where the world’s leading thinkers and doers congregate to share what they are most passionate about,” says Amatya.  “We aim to provide a platform where thinkers, visionaries and learners will be inspired and have the opportunity to inspire others as we foster and spread great ideas.”

Anyone interested in finding out more information about the Westminster team and their plans and events should send inquiries to [email protected].

The Westminster TEDxLive team previously hosted a simulcast event on campus of sessions from the TED 2015 International Conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia in March.

Founded in 1984, TED is run by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation and began with an emphasis on technology and design, consistent with its Silicon Valley origins. Today it includes talks on many scientific, cultural and academic topics.  Speakers are given 18 minutes to present their ideas in the most innovative and engaging ways they can.

By joining online and at TED events in a clearinghouse of free knowledge from some of the world’s most inspired speakers, participants engage with ideas and each other as they arrive at possible solutions to some of life’s most challenging issues.

Past TED speakers have included Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Bill Gates, Bono, Al Gore, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and many Nobel Prize winners.

TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission:  “Ideas worth spreading.”

Those seeking more information about TED can visit http://www.ted.com/.