TEDx organizer workshops, hosted and attended by TEDx organizers, provide an opportunity for those who have organized a TEDx event to come together to discuss best practices and strategies for the TEDx program in their region.
The first-ever such workshop, the TEDx Asia Organizers Workshop, brought 20 organizers from various countries throughout Asia to the Great Wall of China. That event kickstarted numerous TEDx collaborations in that region of the world, beginning a new conversation centered on the community members' shared goals.
We encourage TEDx organizers to take a leadership role in their community by hosting a workshop. Coming together in person fosters a spirit of collaboration among members of the community.
Depending on your ambition level and funding, your TEDx organizers workshop might be city-wide, regional, country-wide -- or even for an entire continent. It might be a day-long gathering, or an hour-long meeting over a cup of coffee.
Planning a TEDx organizers workshop:
- Define its scope: Think in terms of what best defines the region from which you want others to participate -- however large or small that region is. Large might mean "Scandinavia"; small would mean "Copenhagen."
- Get approval: Email salome@ted.com with the agenda, goals, proposed date and location of the workshop. (Note: Ideally, a TED staff member will attend your workshop. We'll work with you to determine the best way to accommodate that.)
- Choose a name (and get it approved): Email salome@ted.com with the proposed name of your workshop. The general convention for a workshop's name is TEDx [city/region] Organizers Workshop.
- Draft your invitation; send it to us: Draft an invitation email. The draft should give an overview of what's planned at the workshop, and make it clear that the workshop is collaborative. Send the draft to salome@ted.com. (We will send the invitation to all of the organizers in the designated region.)
- Get in touch with organizers who respond: Once your invitation has received responses, we'll send those names and email addresses to you, so you can get in touch and begin working together. (We encourage you to include them in your workshop planning process.
- Keep us updated: Email salome@ted.com any updates to your plans for the workshop.
Key Resources
TEDx organizers workshop 10 Commandments:
- Every attendee must be be a TEDx organizer (past, present or future). No sponsors!
- All TEDx organizers are equal
- All guests must come to learn
- All guests must share freely about successes and mistakes
- Guests must take ownership of the workshop
- Hosts must ensure attendees are comfortable
- Hosts must steer the conversation toward ideas that improve the TEDx program and TEDx events
- Every guest must get an opportunity to participate/present
- All participants must embrace the spirit of TED
- All participants must maintain these principles: curiosity, openness, passion, quality and diversity
What your organizers workshop should look like:
Ideally, a TEDx Organizers Workshop should take place a day before a TEDx event in that region, so the organizers can attend the workshop one day, and then the event another day.
Workshops should foster a collaborative spirit among the TEDx organizers who attend. There should be no sense of hierarchy at TEDx workshops.
At the workshop, focus on how to leverage the TEDx platform -- and your local TEDx community -- to make a positive impact on the world.
Suggestions for collabarating with other organizers
- Invite other TEDx organizers to your TEDx event.
- Plan a series of TEDx events in your region, over a period of 24 hours or a week.
- Organize a screening of the webcast of another TEDx event in your region.
- During your event, use Skype to have conversations with other TEDx organizers in your region.
- Create a short (3 minutes or less) video that gives an overview of your event.
- Plan back-to-back TEDx events, and share speakers between them.
Suggestions for workshop sessions:
Opening:
- Offer a chance to mingle
- Distribute name tags
- Watch a TEDTalk or a TEDx talk
- Define objectives
- Go over the workshop agenda (be flexible; allow for changes)
- Personal introductions / "ice breakers"
- Share interests, concerns, favorite TEDTalks
Presentations:
- A presentation by the TED staff member in attendance
- Short TEDx talks (3 minutes or less) by select participants, highlighting their TEDx events
- How-tos:
- General objectives of TEDx
- Selecting speakers (See this and this video.)
- Coaching speakers (See this video.)
- Curating the audience
- Identifying and working with sponsors (See this video and this webinar.)
- Filming TEDx talks (See this and this video.)
- Generating special content (initiatives with schools, etc.)
- Extending TEDx into the broader community
- Attracting media attention
- Talking to the media
- Facilitating networking among attendees
- Organizing a webcast
- Organizing an event around another event's webcast
- Avoiding common mistakes
Collaborating and dreaming:
- Allow for an open, "un-conference" session
- Use a fun exercise to augment collaboration (group challenges and activities)
- Give time for brainstomring
- Make time for informal talks about what has/hasn't worked at TEDx events
- Host a question and answer session
Exploring shared goals:
- Cross-promote fellow attendees' upcoming events
- Share leads on great speakers
- Discuss region-specific issues and possibilities
Wrapping up:
- Give small gifts to attendees
- Pass out workshop feedback forms
- Host a casual discussion over food and drink
- Tour cultural locations
Rules:
- Naming your workshop: Your workshop name should follow this convention: TEDx [city/region] Organizers Workshop. As TEDx is a global program, the location you choose for your name cannot be too general (e.g., "West" would be a bad choice). The name of your workshop should match the place it will be held. The organizer, and all participants, must use this name when referring to the workshop.
- Sponsors: We do permit sponsorships for TEDx workshops. The package you offer to your workshop's sponsors might include placing the sponsor's name in the workshop's program guide. If the workshop's sponsor requests something else, you need to request approval from TED.
- Websites and social media: Do not purchase a website. Do not register social media or other web properties for this workshop. Workshops are for TEDx organizers only, and you should avoid any public proliferation of this name.
- Approval: TED must approve your workshop's date, location and name, as well as its formal objectives.
- You must confirm who will attend prior to the date of your workshop - all attendees must have hosted a TEDx event or must have an approved TEDx license. Sponsors or anyone else who is not a TEDx organizer cannot attend a TEDx workshop.
- Workshops should be held before or after an individual TEDx event in a specific area within the region.
- You must invite all TEDx organizers in your region to the workshop, and to its associated TEDx event. It is preferable that you only invite TEDx organizers from your specific region -- in order to keep the conversation focused.
- After your workshop:
- Send your attendees the TEDx Organizers Workshop Attendee Feedback Form.
- Fill out and submit the TEDx Organizers Workshop Host Feedback Form. (If you have any feedback beyond what's asked on the form, send it to lara@ted.com.)
- Upload photos to Flickr, tagged "TEDx," "TEDx Workshop," and TEDx Organizers Workshop
- Write a post for the TEDx Blog that gives an overview of the workshop -- lessons learned and key takeaways. (Include pictures if possible!)