WONG JUN YAN

We gave 4 presentations about our wishlist for topics and speakers for TEDxS 2020 and how TED curates, each better than the previous. We also helped out in the salon event, where we helped in the welcome booth, and sat in for the panel discussions where we learnt many valuable insights. We also had a final presentation and discussion about TEDxTJC regarding speaker training and running the event, with some of our LA tutors.

3 content knowledge / skills learnt

1) Presentation skills

We were taught the how-tos of presenting, from setting the stage and adjusting lighting, like closing the blinds to improve visibility, to posture and position, like standing next to the visualiser screen to avoid directing attention away from the slide. We were also told not to use too many words on a slide, which is a common habit and misconception of slideshows among students.

2) Curation methods

We learnt that TED curates by looking for ideas in the speakers, instead of the speakers themselves. To aid in this, TED usually lists out topics before looking for speakers who can speak about that topic. TED also looks for interesting people who do radical things, among with performers, artists and innovators. There are also criterias for speakers, for example having a balanced number of male and female speakers, or speakers from different age groups.

3) Perspectives of arts in Singapore

We helped out at a TEDx salon event, and sat in for the panel discussion, where we had many insights about the arts, with questions like "what is art" and questions surrounding arts education.

2 interesting aspects of your learning

1) Curation takes a very long time, and takes a lot of searching

Curating for an event can take up to an entire year, as it involves careful selection of speakers and topics, to make sure that the ideas from the speakers are worth spreading, the event will run smoothly and it does not end up having a limited selection of speakers (example, all male speakers).

2) Completely different presentation style from what we are used to

We were told to use no more than 4 words per slide for our presentation, which is more professional than what we typically do in school presentations, where we load an entire slide filled with words and information.

1 takeaway for life

Establish connections and be open to new ideas.

This is what makes curators successful, as they get to hear from all kinds of people and accept a variety of different ideas, which can diversify the pool of information presented.

Aside from curation, having connections is also beneficial for anyone looking for success, from entrepreneurs to artists, looking for a way to breach into the market.

Being open to new ideas makes one more accepting and understanding of others, and can also help in creativity.