Links to the other sessions: Session 2, Session 3, Session 4
In this session:
- John Hill – Affiliation Nation: Powering Up TEDx Lansing’s Interconnectivity
- Justin “Bugsy” Sailor – Road tripping: A journey of people
- Sam Singh – Seven Continents, Seventeen Months
- Allie Merrick – ARTiculation, the Art of Speaking
Opening Remarks
Ryan Knott gave some opening remarks to kick things off. Lots to share the entire day. TED videos with a special connection to Michigan will be shown throughout the day.
Affiliation Nation: Powering Up TEDx Lansing’s Interconnectivity
Presenter: John Hill
http://www.linkedin.com/in/msuaajohn
Twitter: @MSUAAJOHN
John Hill is director of alumni career services at Michigan State University (MSU). He works with MSU’s 420,000 alumni with heavy reliance on online social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. In his travels to various locations in Michigan and across the country he as helped organizations capitalize on the leverage provide by Web 2.0 technologies and solutions.
Affiliations… stand if you know:
- Brett Kopf
- Betsy Weber
- Etc.
Lots of people standing. Make a new affiliation with TEDx Lansing on LinkedIn. Ryan Knot is playing guitarr for a so far unspoken presentation.
Main point, get connected. Do something to help out a fellow TEDx attendee… to innovate, etc. A guy who makes a living speaking doesn’t talk at all. Cool presentation.
Road tripping: A journey of people
Presenter: Justin “Bugsy” Sailor
http://www.bugsyrocker.com/
Twitter: @bugsyrocker
Justin “Bugsy” Sailor, a native of the Upper Peninsula and MSU alum, has always thrived on setting out on his own, achieving one idea after the nex. After graduating from MSU he toured all 50 states over the course of a year to create the Hometown Invasion Tour. He stayed in over 100 homes with complete strangers. Exactly one year later, Sailor returned to Michigan having written over 400 bog entires and 12,000 photos documentary his adventures.
The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land. -G.K. Chesterton
Drove 29,000 miles. 1/12 of year in some form of transportation. Goal of trip was to document as much as possible. Took 12,000 photos. Moved into 114 households, almost 300 complete strangers.
Slept on one kitchen floor and only had one water bed.
It’s all about the people, doesn’t matter where you are. Stops in Hawaii, Miami, NYC were not always the best. Can be in North Dakota with dynamic, engaging people and have a better time than being in Hawaii with a bunch of boring people.
Early on in the trip, stayed with 50-year-old-ish married couple. Frantic phone call informing a relative had been murdered. Cemented this wasn’t just a sight-seeing journey. Anything can get you pulled close to people. Wasn’t visiting strangers… just friends you haven’t met yet.
Gladys is 81 and has lived in the same house her entire life. She’s never left the state of Delaware. The most content person Bugsy knows. She knows about the world, just chooses to enjoy where she’s at.
Traveling the country is much more insightful than watching the even news. Seek out the familiar.
Find those friends you’ve never met.
Seven Continents, Seventeen Months
Presenter:Sam Singh
http://www.singharoundtheworld.com/
Twitter: @singhsam94
Sam Singh recently pulled the trigger on a life long dream and explore the world. His website and blog document a journey of his travels along with a lot of reflection on his experience. Singh traveled to more than 25 countries on all seven continents. Singh was living a life changing experience, and wants to share it with the world. He also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity.
Made a pact with a friend to tour the world. Made it happen. Initially, was about the world trip from reading National Geographic as a kid. Realized there was more to it.
Had the opportunity to see presidential elections around the world. One woman said America used to be the moral center of the world, now it’s just the economic center.
Talked to a mayor in Romania. He’s now prime minister of the country. Celebrated election of Obama in Africa. Cyber cafe at Mt. Everest basecamp.
What is Citizen Diplomacy?
Each individual has the right, the responsibility to connect with others. “Volun-tourism” is becoming one of the larger segments of the travel industry.
Volunteerism can create tolerance. HfH allowed ability to for Hindus and Muslims to connect to build a home.
Learn from unintended consequences. Economics of charity and aid. International aid can stifle business. Other countries know how to make clothing, but sending free clothing donations prevents them from being sold. Donating mosquito nets for fighting malaria killed the local manufacturer’s business.
Transition to democracy is hard. Worked with HfH in Romania. Community was still struggling after 18 years trying to be a democracy post-Communism. Family forced to relocate after following the rules of previous government. Need to think about those transitions
Philanthropy is social action. Dissidents thrown in jail. Amnesty International came in to help. Had to sign document admitting guilt. Non-profit people held longer, but fought for the right to challenge the government.
Power of the Internet. Went to Lesotho. Facebook post asking about visit connected with a Peace Corp volunteer. Able to get donation of books shipped over through others helping to pay for shipping and transportation fees.
Power of connection.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” -Mahatma Gandhi
ARTiculation, the Art of Speaking
Presenter:Allie Merrick
http://www.postcouture.org/
Twitter: @alliemerrick
Merrick, a performance poet, has been writing and reciting for more than 10 years. Giving words texture and depth, she uses her voice to engage and enlighten.
In this presentation, themes such as technology and design are introduced as elements of speaking, while Merrick demonstrates how engagement must proceed enlightenment.
Poetic presentation. Could be tough to take notes here. Just going to listen. Sorry, you should be here.
Don’t use templates from Excel or Word to make her thoughts.
Silence is a rare commodity. Too much communication. Want to be heard? Raise your voice. The value of your voice. Words are with more than you understand. Past, present, future. They define the moment… this moment.
Own the moment.
You have the ability to speak.
Step 1 – Engagement. Make the connection.
- initial intension – don’t just introduce yourself. declare why you’re speaking
- common denomination – acknowledge a common concern
- personification – step into your message. become your word, become your message. not about you, it’s about articulation
Step 2 – Enlightenment
- multi-faceted – language is visual and verbal. you must talk with your hands. learn to speak from those who have no voice
- repetitious – content needs to punctuate the point periodically. need eye-contact, voice and body
- passionate – necessary to feel the message
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