Ted Talks comes to Ammon
The popular conference, Ted Talks gets millions of online viewers each year and thousands attend the bi-annual event.
A local group, inspired by Ted Talks decided to start a local conference in Ammon.
The point of the talks are to bring together interesting people who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less.
Ted Talks is a nonprofit devoted to “Ideas worth spreading.” It started in 1984 as a conference to bring together people from different industries.
The talks range from inspirational, to moving and funny.
“She’s going to learn that this life is going to hit your hard in the face,” said Sarah Kay, a national Ted Talks speaker.
Most talks reflect on life experiences, with a little bit of humor.
“When I was in my 20s I saw my first psychotherapy client. She was there to talk about guy problems. When I heard this, I was so relieved. My classmate got an arsonist for her first client,” said Meg Jay a national Ted Talk speaker.
The talks have gotten enormously popular and have included many famous faces such as actress Jane Fonda, Ariana Huffington, Bill Gates and Bono.
“Anderson asked me if I could put the last 25 years of anti-poverty into 10 minutes for Ted. That’s an Englishman asking an Irishman to be succinct,” said Bono, a national Ted Talk speaker.
The point of these talks is to share ideas and experiences.
Brad Christiensen is a big fan of Ted Talks, so he decided to create one in Ammon. He went through an application process to get approved to host a Ted Talks Conference. He’s calling the event TEDxAmmon.
“Our community is surprisingly diverse. So that’s what you’ll see represented by the speakers that’ll be at the event,” said Christensen.
The speakers booked for the event have impressive backgrounds.
“I have three degrees in art. I went to medical school, didn’t graduate medical school but got a degree in medical illustration. I’ve been a college professor and started two businesses of my own,” said John Hart, who will be a speaker in Ammon.
The topics are equally interesting.
“My topic is going to be on the life cycle of creative movements,” said Hart.
Like the national Ted Talks, these speakers have a way of adding their own flare to keep you interested for 18 minutes.
“My talk is on the importance of failure. I’m really good at it so it’s a topic I can discuss well,” said Tyler Price, a speaker in Ammon.
The group is finalizing the Ammon event and only 100 people will be able to attend.
“We’re really after connectors, people who are in the community who will take the information and disseminate so that it gets a broader reach than just those 100 people. I think that’s the point, sparking that kind of dialogue,” said Chistensen.
Christensen asks if there is anyone who has attended a national ted talk to reach out to him, because someone who has attended a national conference can get the credentials to allow more people to attend the local one.
The Ammon event will live streamed.
Attendees will need to apply for a spot. The event will be held February 21 at Eastern Idaho Technical College.
