How do you find your big TEDx idea?
I’ve been rethinking the nature of finding your TEDx idea.
Because it turns out trying to find your ‘big’ idea is really intimidating, and not actually that helpful.
It makes you think that to be worthy of that stage you must have discovered a cure for cancer or developed a new farming technique that will end world hunger.
Don't get me wrong- those ideas are incredible, and TED has a wonderful history of making huge science & tech discoveries accessible over the years.
But the other thing TED is synonymous with is being relatable. Being human.
The people who watch TED & TEDx talks a billion+ times each year are not in search of radical novelty, they are in looking for ideas and perspectives that are accessible to them.
TED itself doesn’t say it’s about big ideas, it says it is about ideas worth sharing.
The idea itself can be something pretty small- maybe just a change in perspective- but when scaled up to that potential audience of millions, can have a huge impact.
So how do you find your idea?
Well, what’s one thing that you understand deeply, but isn't really talked about, that could have an impact on someone’s life?
What's one idea, perspective, action or creation that would make the world a better place if more people knew? That might impact someone else’s way of thinking, actions, health, knowledge or community?
It’s rare that you watch a TED talk and think WOW I have never heard anything like that before. Most likely, the talks you've saught out have been on ideas and topics that are already familiar and interesting to you, but when presented with a new perspective, allow you to see the world through new eyes.
We’ll never run out of ideas, because there will always be new problems and new ways we’ll try to solve them. And we will always be curious about them.
So, if you have 10 minutes on the stage, what’s one thing that you know, that could help move the needle for someone else?
Now scale that up to the size of the potential TED audience.
Will your talk get millions of views? Most likely not, that doesn’t mean it can’t have a huge impact on the people that do see it. Just because only 3,000 people see it, doesn't mean it's not an idea worth spreading.
So don't go looking for your BIG idea. Pick one of your many small ones, and back it.
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And of course, if you need help finding and refining that idea, let’s have a chat: https://calendly.com/resonance-ideas/tedx-strategy-call
