By Jim McCarthy Feb 25, 2011 0 comments

Keys to Getting More out of Your TEDxGoldstar Experience

I’m cribbing Chris Anderson a little bit here, and this could also apply to any TEDx or TED itself.  Still, here we go:

1.  Sit in a different seat for every session.  Don’t get territorial.  That’s boring.  It’s amazing how much a different literal perspective can change your mental perspective.

2.  Sit with different people at every session. Just plop down into a seat next to somebody, stick out your mitt and introduce yourself.  It’s the spirit of TED.  Remember, the person sitting next to you is just as important as the person on the screen or stage.

3.  Talk to at least 2 people you don’t know at each break. Remember what I said about new perspectives?  Maybe you missed something great in the last presentation and somebody else caught it.  You’ll never know if you keep talking to the people you already know, since they’re way more likely to see things your way.  You could have stayed home for that.

4.  Leave it at work. During the session, turn it off.  During the breaks, take a quick glance to see if anything urgent is happening, and since we haven’t gotten any RSVPs from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, you’re probably safe to focus on what you’re doing for a couple more hours.  TEDx is best if you fully dive into it, but if you have to make a phone call, go outside the auditorium, please.  If you’re blogging during the session, I’d like you to follow TED custom and sit in the back row.  Clackity-clack-clack can be very distracting.

5.  Write down the juiciest tidbits.  TED presenters will say amazing, profound things that could literally change your life in a single phrase.  When you hear one of these, write it down.  (or tweet it or email it to yourself or whatever you like).  You want to avoid this creeping feeling that you heard something incredible that you were going to change the world with but have forgotten what it is.

Beyond that, just soak it in.  It should be a great day, and if you’re coming to TEDxGoldstar, I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

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