Annual TEDx auditions provide opportunity for presenters, audiences to grow together
Anyone who’s ever come within ten yards of a high school classroom has heard of TED Talks. When the lights go off and the teacher starts to adjust the volume, students resign themselves to 14 minutes of boredom, or maybe a nice power nap. But who’s ever considered that they could be the next speaker to stand on that red dot and change the paradigm? TEDxOshkosh offers that opportunity to anyone in the area.
As the longest running non-student Tedx in the state, TEDxOshkosh has given a platform to nearly 100 speakers over the years. Co-organizers Michael Rust and Craig Burnett began the tradition in 2016 following ten months of hard work and collaboration. In order to run a TEDx event, organizers must obtain a license from TED yearly. In addition, organizers have to plan for a venue, lunch, and choose speakers for the talk.
The large event required a team full of dedicated personnel ready to create the best show possible, most doing so out of love for TEDx.
“Everything we do is made possible by our wonderful team of volunteers,” Rust said.
In addition to Burnett and Rust, TEDxOshkosh has six other committee chairs, as well as a large number of ‘day-of’ volunteers, who donate their time and effort to run this impressive event each year.
Last November, TEDxOshkosh featured 13 speakers at The Grand Oshkosh, under the theme Untamed Imagination. Speakers are chosen thoughtfully by the ‘curation committee,’ which receives applicants in a variety of ways.
“We have a different turnout each year for in-person auditions, varying between 10 and 20 people; some are applicants from previous years, or recommendations from previous speakers,” Rust said.
The freedom of online submissions has grown the interview process exponentially.
“Last year alone, we received over 340 submissions digitally,” he said. “It’s difficult to narrow it down to just a few.”
This year, 11 speakers turned up for in-person auditions. Each one was asked to stand in front of the group and present their four best minutes, as Burnett called it. Candidates are both timed and videotaped, as their talk will be thoroughly analyzed over the coming weeks. In addition to performance, the committee will analyze commonalities between the submissions and create a theme based around that, which sometimes results in speakers getting cut when they don’t fit the theme. However, speakers are assured they will be considered for future talks.
One shared theme during auditions turned out to be grief or trauma- four speakers covered the topic: Dorothy McElroy, Joanne Hadichi, Courtney DiVoryack and Masha Durham with presentations entitled, respectively, “Embrace Grief,” “He’s Dead, Now What?” “Workplace Trauma: An Authenticity Crisis,” and “Unearthing Adult Autism: A Little Girl’s Desire to Belong”.
There were many highs and lows over the course of the ‘pitch night-’ tears were shed and laughs were shared as contestants shared personal stories and imparted words of wisdom. Joanne Hadichi’s witty title- “He’s dead, Now What?”- shocked the audience.
“273 TED talks mention grief, 964 mention death, but there’s not one that talks about mourning a family member you’ve been estranged from,” she said.
Hadichi touches on her familial issues in a way that connects to the audience.
“Family estrangement is on the rise, but few studies examine the effects, especially when it comes to sibling estrangement- the shame, guilt.” she said.
She went on to discuss her struggle with her brother’s untimely death after three years of not speaking.
The message encouraged the audience with a common, but powerful call to action.
“Live a life you love,” she said.
Another notable moment was during Lynn Rothke’s “Sometimes You Have To Lose To Win.” Rothke described the feeling of being the first woman to win an Olympic silver medal in Judo as the worst day of her life. Though her speech carried a humorous tone, the message was clear and meaningful.
Following selection, speakers will be paired with a mentor and other tutors to instruct on body language, speaking skills and the actual writing process itself. Speakers spend months preparing for their moment in the spotlight, which will come again in November of this year. Whether it be as a speaker, a volunteer, or an audience member, TEDxOshkosh provides an atmosphere of shared knowledge and growth.
by Gj Zahner
Published May 20 2024
Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue VIII