On April 2, 2013, I had the wonderful opportunity to present for the first time at a TEDx event: TEDxWyandotte. This inaugural TEDx event took place at Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC).
Creative Ideas and Diversity at TEDxWyandotte
My topic of my presentation and the video is "Diversity and Ideas in the Porous Community."
Its focus, which is right at the heart of the Brainzooming message on creative ideas and diversity, explored the importance of creating communities open to ideas from diverse and external perspectives. In keeping with the presentation theme, I invited audience members at two different points to select the story they wanted to hear next from among three options. This approach, which I call a “live blog,” puts the audience in control of shaping the talk they most want to hear from among, in this case, nine different possible versions.
Using the TEDx constraints (limited time) and admonitions (share stories you’ve never told) created an opportunity to weave together a completely new collection of content about creative ideas and diversity, including a childhood story no one outside my immediate family had ever heard before the audience selected it.
"Diversity and Ideas in the Porous Community" Video - Mike Brown- TEDxWyandotte
I really appreciate the invitation and opportunity to participate in TEDxWyandotte from its curator Shari Wilson and Jay Matlack, Workforce Development Coordinator at KCKCC. The overall theme for TEDxWyandotte was "Core Impact," and I'd definitely invite you to check out the work of the other presenters to see how they interpreted the theme in their own TEDx talks:
- Shari Hall – “Are You a Superhero?”
- Adam Arrondando – “Minds on Fire--Inside the Mind of an Entrepreneur”
- Mary B. Lucas – “Remember the Comeback Sauce”
- Making Movies – “Sustainable Music in a Disposable Culture”
- Brett Ramey – “Converging Rivers-Refreshing Place-Based Food Systems”
It was particularly rewarding to present at TEDxWyandotte because KCKCC feels like home in many ways. My wife led the student activities at KCKCC for ten years at the start of her career. Because of that, prior to TEDxWyandotte, I’d been on stage at KCKCC many times playing the scary monster at Halloween parties Cyndi organized for students’ kids! It also felt like home because my parents attended, marking the first time they’d visited Kansas City in many years because of illnesses my dad has since put behind him.
And when it came to telling untold stories at TEDxWyandotte, my father was more than happy to share any stories I didn’t tell with anyone who stopped by to chat before, during, and after the event. He just didn’t have to keep his stories to less than 18 minutes total! – Mike Brown
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