Who's TED?

TED conferences are a group of extraordinarily talented people who come together from all over the globe to share their ideas in 18 minutes or less.  This sounds a lot like Portland’s Ignite show, however, TED allows for more time and being invited only allows for a more refined group of people. 

However, TED conferences were originally about the convergence of Technology, Entertainment and Design as seen by its creator Richard Saul Wurman.  This powerful convergence of fields that inspired the idea for the conference has continued to inspire the convergence of “scientists, philosophers, musicians, religious leaders, philanthropists and many others.” 

It currently appears to be a trend in the world of the intellectual.  It is also expanding into the world of weblogging because the TED site’s mission is to encourage people to use the “TEDTalks” (which are free) as topics for posts. 

On the other hand, it seems to me to be bringing back the tradition of salons.  I don’t mean people getting their hair done, I mean an intellectual space where people talk about issues of the times.  The mission also encourages people to create their own salons with neighbors and discussion groups with colleagues during lunch. 

This is the perfect source for the curious account planners.  Since account planners are supposed to be curious folk it would be a wonderful place to feed that creative drive.  They could use it to find connections between fields that seem illogical otherwise.  These connections could be obvious to an audience and possibly taken for granted.  The best part is communicating with some of the most exceptional people in the world.  These people can give you insight into global warming, communication and teach you how to live, truly live. 

It was said best by Lawence Lessig , “It is a little terrifying because you look though the list of people and it is all the people who you want to hear what you have to say.  It is your one shot, 18 minutes, to tell them something.”

What would you say if you were invited to speak at a TED conference? Would you accept the invitation? How would you use TED to help you as a planner?

TED 2007

Posted by guest author, Courtney Nelson.

Comments

[Nick Naber]

When I first discovered the TED website months ago I was glued to the screen watching speakers discuss everything from world hunger to statistical analysis. Thinking about new ideas, especially difficult ones, is the perfect tool to get the mind working. Having intellectual curiosity is one of the most important traits for human development. It is critical to always be searching for new information, as an account planner or otherwise. Having ideas presented in an entertaining, bite-sized video is good way to reach the YouTube generation.

If invited to speak, I'd like to talk about how Western entertainment guides perceptions of other cultures. Specifically, how popular entertainment and the news media work together to perpetuate stereotypes and myths. I think it is extremely interesting how a piece of media made for entertainment can have an effect on the way the viewer relates to the world. An example of this phenomenon would be Disney's use of African-Americans to voice evil characters subconsciously molding children's views. Although I'd never be in a position to be asked to speak about this, I'd gladly accept the invitation.

[Jordan Denham]

I love TED talks! I have never watched a TED talk that I did not find absolutely inspirational. What would I talk about? Well, I would talk about the American educational system and how fundamentally flawed it is. I believe this is a very important topic that is not given as much thought and time as it should. It is unbelievable how little our government thinks about and focuses on educating its people; it seems to me that the government believes it is better to keep the general public ignorant.

I would accept the invitation; however, I would crawl into the corner, assume the fetal position, and wonder what the hell I got myself into.

TED Talks can help an account planner tremendously. The topics that these talks form around are very pertinent to the evolving social economy in the United States and world. As an account planner, you can gain a practical sense of how the world is changing and how to connect with individuals through the insights generated from these talks.

[Alexa Nelson]

In Media Planning today, Dave told the class to watch a video from the TED Conference featuring Sir Ken Robinson about education and creativity. If you haven’t yet watched this, you really should. It offers a very sophisticated opinion about the education system. Anyway, after watching his mostly flawless and very smart presentation, I don’t know if I would be confident enough to speak if invited to the TED conference. I would consider it if I had a very interesting idea to share and the idea would provoke the audience to think about my idea for many days afterward. This is what I think of Sir Ken Robinson’s idea.
The TED Conference is different from Ignite because it allows people a longer time to discuss things that are really important. Ignite offers the same thing (a stage to discuss anything), but Ignite also seems to be the more juvenile version. With Ignite, you would see people giving presentations about riding a unicycle and how to score a date online. I feel that if Ken Robinson was in the audience learning how to ride a one-wheel bike, I would be deeply embarrassed.
If I was a planner, I wouldn’t necessarily use the TED Conference as a way to spread my ideas. I would be more inclined to use it as a way to gain ideas from others. This would make me expand my thinking and consider different opinions from different people when making decisions. After attending a conference or two, I might feel that it is time to take part and share my original ideas.

[V. Stephens]

This sounds like an interesting concept.
Especially if you had a particular interest in a field of discussion.
I could see a planner using it to promote a product to a gathering who was interested in hearing about that specific thing.
Kind of like infomercials for the professional crowd?
To accept say "yes."

[Andrea Schneider]

I'm going to start by giving an enthusiastic "hurrah!" for TED. Ever since seeing one of the videos last year, I've tried to check in often to watch them. I like to watch ones of topics I know nothing about. The people who present are so knowledgeable and passionate about their topics, I can't take my eyes off the screen. They present so well and understand their audience who may know nothing about the more technical aspects of their work. They can put it in layman's terms, and one could walk away feeling enlightened and inspired. Such a wealth of information is invaluable for a planner who should be curious about anything and everything. I also find that the TED speakers exhibit a higher level of thinking that not only informs about their topic, but is abstract and aspirational. They connect these great, wonderful, inspirational ideas to say, "Yes, we can do something about it. Look what we're capable of." Even in Malcolm Gladwell's presentation on what makes people happy, he ultimately brings what seems like a marketing problem, to a human truth.

I often talk about TED with one of my friends, Melissa who is a human physiology major. We both want the TED DVD for Christmas (nerds!) and belong to the TED Facebook group. She finds similar inspiration from all the TED talks. Even though they are about "Technology, Entertainment, and Design" I think they are universal. They present enlightened thinking and pose questions and solutions to our global world.

If I were asked to present at the TED conference I would passionately say yes. That's assuming that I was up to that caliber of thinking, and for now I can only hope that someday I will be. Rather than say what I would talk about, I'll say what I'd like to find a solution for. I'd hope to hone creative intelligence or maybe advance a "New Creative Revolution" in advertising that I hope would forge relationships with brands and the public to do good in the world rather than be just a cog in consumerism and a piece in sustaining our economy.