So I did a TEDx Talk:

So, I had the opportunity to deliver a TEDx Talk.... (more info on that once the videos are published to YouTube.)  But, the organizers asked that we submit a reflection blog describing our experience.  This is mine:

The TEDx Experience is as follows: "You have been invited to give a TEDx Talk."... the email reads. You will be so overjoyed, you will laugh, you will cry, you will panic, you will feel so proud and so humbled. So congratulations on making it this far! Shortly after, a second email arrives: the logistical one. This will have a contract to fill out and sign, this ensures that you agree to being filmed and can assure the organization that your ideas worth spreading are not plagiarized! (definitely important) The other half will have a schedule attached. This will be a full schedule of expected submissions from the moment you receive it up until the moment you hit that stage! Within days you are asked to conceive a draft of your Talk's title. As the following weeks unfold, you will be submitting an outline, videos of your Talk, as well as small blogs to reflect on your journey thus far. This is where the process can become challenging... so if you're one who likes to procrastinate, this is not for you. Either way, congratulations on being a new member to the TEDx community! 


As you prepare and rehearse your TEDx talk, remind yourself that time is crucial. Start early! Start immediately! The reason for that one email is to ensure you keep a schedule of preparedness. This is not disciplinary! It is here to assist you. The TEDx organization wants you to succeed. They will offer multiple mentors whether technological or stage-worthy. They recommend books, or other TED/TEDx talks as a means of educating yourself on how to muster the courage to get up in front of 300+ people and bear your soul. Do this, not this! Be yourself! Don't sound too rehearsed! You will hear these mantras multiple times. Don't worry! If you have any questions or difficulty, be certain to ask. There is so much help ready to help you shine brightest! You got this! Each little step matters, each little step counts. I cry as I type this because I know what amount of work is required to traverse this path. So again... congrats on making it!

As I prepared for my TEDx talk, I couldn't help but compare myself against some of the other talkers. Mark Twain is quoted saying "Comparisons are the thief of joy." ... and boy, was that true at times! As other resumes rolled in, one had 6 PhD's, another had 14 Nobel Prizes, and another was the President of 4 countries! (or I could be highly exaggerating) My point is: Your path is yours and yours alone! However, when preparing, I did often wonder how other talkers prepared. At times, I imagined how the most stereotypically successful resumes were preparing for their talks. Along the way, I decided to go with a new theory of preparation. My theory was simple... by wondering how the "more successful" talkers prepared, I hypothesized that by emulating this process, I too would have an excellent talk. So.... from the beginning, I whipped out my notepad and started writing everything down that I wanted to say. While on vacation, I hand-wrote my entire talk at least once a day. Later on, when it was time for memorization, I composed notecards. I had one notecard per sentence of my talk. As a writer, I am very particular of my sentences' composition and phrasing. I envy other speakers who can use bulletpoints and improvise along the way. I can't! I had very specific set of definitions and sentences that I needed to iterate. This required memorization. My notecard system made the editing process easier also. I could literally pull a card out or add a new one, then continue quizzing myself daily. The determination to rehearse was a surprisingly challenging one. Each day of the final month, I gave myself at least 2 run-throughs every day. I did a full rehearsal in the morning and one at night. No matter how well I thought I knew it, no matter how cocky I felt for having it fully memorized, I knew I had to override my pride and practice. I cannot stress the value of quality practice time!!! I would still think: "If the most impressive TEDx talkers are practicing multiple times a day, I can also!" So I did. I challenged myself by frequently practicing within the allotted 7-minute time. I challenged myself by rehearsing with intentional distractions; I had the TV on, I played music (both familiar music and raucous unfamiliar music), or I also practiced while driving. I thought there might be potential distractions once on the stage and I wanted to come prepared. This proved invaluable once real-life distractions did appear. And I also challenged myself to rehearse my inflections/tonality in such a way that I never sounded mechanical or robotic. I had a mentor in Mary Schaefer who gave a TEDx talk in Wilmington just 2 years prior.  She was pivotal in my journey to keep me both focused and balanced.  She was a gentle presence of wisdom to bounce ideas around with, she was the reason I made certain to not seem over-rehearsed, and she appeased my guilt for believing it was selfish for wanting to be remembered.  Day by day, rehearsal after rehearsal, the main day quickly approached.

A day before the big TEDx day, there is a main-stage rehearsal... and thank God for it! This is your first moment on the stage itself, in front of the big letters, on that iconic red carpet. This is your opportunity to see the chairs in the audience, feel the lights, learn how to adorn your lapel with the personal microphone, and finally: this is the opportunity to get your nerves out! This can be a very scary moment. So come prepared! I didn't expect to lose my train of thought, but it happened. Get those nerves out early. Also, this is your opportunity to witness other TEDx talkers deliver their wonderful talks, too. Sit a spell, and enjoy the moment. Cheer them on, they are just as anxious as you are! The big day is just around the corner. Get your rest. Oh, and congratulations again for making it this far along this momentous journey! 


August 24, 2016:
Finally, the big day arrives and the surreal becomes life.
The energy is like none other. You arrive to the building nervous, yet ready. Everything is so official, you have to catch yourself just to savor the moment! Savor it! Before it's your time on stage, you're welcomed back stage again and the mic is clipped to your shirt. It's minutes away. You hear the audience applaud as the preceding talker is exiting the stage with a smile of relief. Your heart pounds an octave lower. Your name is introduced and you hit the stage. You know your first sentence. You know what you're doing. The audience is engaged and listening. They want you to succeed too. (As I type this, I blink a small tear again.) They laugh with you. They cry with you. They celebrate your message. It is genuinely one of the most memorable moments in your life. And as fast as it has felt in all your rehearsals, it's over. You exit the stage to the sound of your own applause, it's your turn to smile with relief and wish the next speaker their luck. You join the audience again. As the day itself progresses, you can interact with audience members and other talkers. Everyone is so inspired and inspiring. They all have fantastic ideas worth spreading also. You are one of them. You are a TEDx talker now! Congratulations. You have done something so very special.  This was such an amazing experience and I am so profoundly humbled to have been selected. It was so validating. It was so encouraging. This has been such a unique foundation for confidence; confidence I hardly had, but knew I needed to develop quickly. I am so happy to have had this opportunity to celebrate my perspective on forgiveness. I hope that this is a key for many future doors.  But remember, this whole crazy, stressful, joyous experience started with a choice:  the decision to say Yes to the TEDx application and the courage to fill it out.  

 You can do it.  You’ve got this.  See you next year!

Joe Sielski 
TEDxWilmington
 Class of 2016

Photo credit belongs to Joe Del Tufo and Jim Coarse
MoonLoop Photography
http://moonloopphoto.com/