NIS Students, teachers, potential speakers, and special outside guests gathered at NIS over two consecutive weekends for two full days of TEDx curation training, these trainings took place on February 28 at the Harmony Theater and March 7 in the Multipurpose Room of the Voyager Building. Led by trainer Ms. Vee, the sessions ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and were organized by the NIS TEDx Leadership Team to launch preparations for the school’s TEDx event, “Bloom: The Unbounded Xpansion,” on May 23.
TEDx is a program of independently organized events licensed by TED that brings the spirit of TED Talks to local communities around the world. TED, which stands for TECHNOLOGY, ENTERTAINMENT, and DESIGN, markets its brand as short, powerful ideas worth spreading through short and inspiring speeches. TEDx Youth events are designed specifically for and often by young people, putting students at the center of the curation, production, and performance processes. This year, NIS earned its license to host a TEDxYouth event for the first time. The theme, Bloom: The Unbounded Xpansion, “celebrates the perpetual cycle of growth that defines both nature and humanity”
Part of the many tasks being tackled by the TEDX leadership team is curation which is the editorial backbone of any TEDx event. Rather than simply inviting anyone to speak, a TEDx curation team must actively seek out ideas, evaluates whether they are original and worth sharing with a broad audience, and then coaches speakers to shape those ideas into a tight, structured talk. TEDx is a brand and thus the NIS student leaders are learning to be curators, not just event planners.
Ms. Vee, who facilitated both sessions, said that since the actual talks are the most important parts of TEDx event, curation is the most vital training point for first time hosts. While much work must be done for NIS to host a great TEDx on May 23, Ms. Vee is incredibly hopeful and inspired by our student leadership team, volunteers and speakers.
For the student leaders and volunteers who attended, the training reshaped how they think about ideas and communication. Not only did students learn how to curate, plan and deliver-* TED-style speeches, they really learned how to really listen to each other, thus preparing them to support and curate speakers they may not know personally. Attendees also grappled with Aristotle’s logos, pathos and ethos and how each played a different role in planning and delivering speeches. The February 28th training focused more on ice-breaking and the components to strong TED talks while the March 7th training really pushed students to develop talks and practice giving them, even it they were very very rough drafts.
The inclusion of potential speakers and outside guests in the training also helped bridge the gap between the organizing team and the people they hope to put on stage. By inviting potential speakers to participate in the curation process itself, organizers hope to build talks that feel collaborative rather than top-down. In turn, this added gravitas to the training. NIS high school students had to engage with adults that are not yet known to them such as Grade 3 teacher Ms. Mary and Psychologist Ms. Pailin amongst others. This is all very important because a TEDx event is not just a series of talks, it is a collaborative effort that culminates in a day-long event that includes speeches as well as activities and exhibits. Lastly, TEDx Youth Nakornpayap International School will see its event and its speeches posted on official TEDx Youth You Tube channel.
With the curation training having come to an end, speakers in the pipeline, and a theme that dares ideas to grow beyond their limits, the only question left for May 23 is: which ideas will bloom?
