TEDxAberdeen is on the lookout for its next cohort of speakers ready to share their inspirational ideas.
Making its return on Saturday 16 November 2024 at the Music Hall, Aberdeen, TEDxAberdeen is looking for speakers from across the North-east of Scotland who can bring this year’s theme of ‘identity’ to life.
Moray Barber, TEDxAberdeen Licensee, said: “There is much to explore with this theme - how does identity impact a community? Does it hold it back or push it forward? What happens when identities are eroded? How do we prevent our identities being stolen online? What’s the impact social media has on our identities? Does maintaining an online identity differ from our identities ‘off-line’ - does it compromise our authenticity or reveal who we truly are?
“As a long standing fan of TED and TEDx talks, I am fascinated by how speakers take a broad theme, find a unique angle or fresh perspective and craft a compelling talk. I am excited to see where our speakers’ ideas will take us with this year’s theme.
“Based on the high number of speaker applications from our past two events, we know there are prospective speakers out there ready to take their place on the TEDx big red dot. The ethos of TEDx is that anyone can have a great idea worth sharing, so we are keen to hear from voices in the community we may not usually hear from.
“It doesn’t matter if you haven’t spoken publicly before, as each speaker will receive support from our team of experienced coaches and mentors - it is a unique and fulfilling experience.
“Being a TEDx speaker has had a profound impact on many of our previous speakers, teaching them things about themselves and opening up new opportunities.”
Derrick Thomson, TEDxAberdeen Curator, is responsible for selecting the line up of 10 speakers who will deliver their ideas on 16 November.
He said: “My role as curator is to review all the idea submissions and present the short list to the wider TEDxAberdeen team for final selection. It is incredibly difficult to narrow down to just 10 ideas but I love a challenge.
"I’m looking forward to reviewing the amazingly eclectic mix of ideas which will inspire our audience, challenge their current way of thinking or perhaps be one the TED community has never heard before."
TEDxAberdeen 2022 cohort member Katie Forbes said: "I applied thinking I was just going to deliver a talk, but I gained so much more. The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and revealed to me that I was capable of more than I imagined. With a wonderful team supporting me, I replaced self-doubt with self-belief.”
Recordings of the TEDxAberdeen cohorts’ talks have now reached more than 202,000 online views globally.
Speaker applications are open and will close on Sunday 30 June 2024 at 11pm.
Applications can be submitted via: www.tedxaberdeen.com or by accessing the TEDxAberdeen social media channels: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | X