By Mark Tomaszewicz,
TEDxSanDiego 2012 Co-Executive Producer

On more than one occasion this week I heard participants question their own accomplishments following our amazing day together at TEDxSanDiego. This sentiment is understandable after watching 33 speakers and performers, of all ages, each with an idea worthy of the TED stage.

• That guy developed a contact lens with wi-fi…what have I done?
• They help prisoners be more than they ever imagined…who have I helped like that?
• This man has cerebral palsy and climbed El Cap by doing 20,000 pull-ups…what’s my excuse?

First, any objective observer would say that the participants at TEDxSanDiego are an accomplished bunch. More importantly, the theme of TEDxSanDiego 2012 was Cause & Affect; it wasn’t Cause & Finish. Affect implies impact and I believe there is a subtle but significant difference between impact and accomplishment.

Don’t get me wrong, accomplishments are important and worthy of celebration. They are the result of imagination, effort and perseverance and drive our world forward.

Each day however, you have a chance to make an impact. A chance to use your talent, knowledge and time to further a cause, a goal or just to make someone’s day a little better. This is the message we hope was conveyed over the course of your TEDxSanDiego experience with each speaker reflecting the possibility of what happens if you do this over, and over again with an end in mind.

I spoke with Jeremiah Turner, the guitar player from Unknown Lyric after the event. I learned he is 26 and an accomplished artist and choreographer. I also learned he has been playing guitar for just four years. As you can imagine, this last reveal left me dumbfounded and a little deflated – four years!?

Sensing my reaction, Jeremiah didn’t say, “I guess that’s my gift.” Rather, he said – paraphrasing here – “If I could do this in four years just imagine what you could do or what anybody can do. That’s the message I want my music to send.”

That’s possibility. That’s impact. Both of which are within each of us.

Thank you for being a part of TEDxSanDiego.

Best,
Mark Tomaszewicz

Written by Shawna Butler, TEDxAustin organizer who dropped by to help at TEDxSanDiego as she reflected on the first talk. The speaker was Matt Emerzian, Founder of Every Monday Matters.

It is hard to know the impact we have — particularly at the moment it takes place — so may I share my observation of such a moment that Matt Emerzian was at the epicenter of…

Matt, kicked off the talks at TEDxSanDiego, and opened the hearts and minds of many influencers who will carry forward and activate his mission with unimaginable beauty.

It was a giddy audience who entered the Qualcomm auditorium with high expectations and were delighted by the unexpected musical collaboration — they cheered for the beauty, emotional richness, and clever presentation. They were primed for a great experience; already their expectations exceeded.

And then — with disarming authenticity — he masterfully touched the place of our greatest point of vulnerability and held it. Tenderly. Safely.
Using your size and larger-than-life personality to it’s highest and best use.
To help each of us know that we matter and can help others know and feel the same.
With a simple gesture and 2 words.

It was at that moment the TED *magic* happened.

People left the world outside behind.
They were transported.
The ground shifted a bit — and it wasn’t an earthquake — it was a soul quiver in which their lower lip trembled and they questioned their worth.
And Matt answered. “YOU matter”.

Following that, the sense of wonder and possibility that TED is best known for was made possible. A speaker, their idea, and their vulnerability allowed each one of us to plug into the best of humanity and become receptive vessels to the stories and ideas they were about to hear. Matt Emerzian prepared every Speaker. Producer. Audience Member. To engage fully. At their highest level.

He was brilliant in his insight, compassion, and infectious joy.

He caused the world to shift.

How TEDxSanDiego Speakers and Performers Connect with Their Audience and Inspire Action

When a hand-picked group of speakers takes the stage at Irwin Jacobs Qualcomm Hall on December 1 at this year’s TEDxSanDiego, they will be part of a growing, worldwide phenomenon intent on sharing ideas and making an impact. Since 2010, the locally organized, not-for-profit event has assembled an array of speakers and performers. Each speaker explores a theme – this year it’s “Cause & Affect” – from the perspective of his or her experience or area of expertise in technology, education, the arts, and beyond. Their goal is to cause participants to affect their world in some positive, meaningful way. Adding to the challenge: no talk can exceed 20 minutes.

So how does a speaker know if he or she has connected with the audience? It goes far beyond the applause. Presenters from TEDxSanDiego 2010 and 2011 weighed in with their unique perspectives on the anatomy of a great TEDxTalk.

ECOLIFE Foundation Executive Direction William Toone says the audience needs to see themselves in the topic. “It has to resonate with something they know, something they wondered about, something they love or hate or fear, but is about them. The real indication is when they have no desire to leave the room when you are done.”

Holding an audience’s attention for anything longer than five minutes in today’s short-attention-span world can be difficult, especially when your audience is accomplished in their own right, as are TEDxSanDiego participants. Jake Wood uses that to assess the quality of his connection with the audience. Wood, a combat veteran and co-founder of Team Rubicon, says “There’s a way to sense everyone’s eyeballs are focused on you – not looking down at their iPhone. When you have that kind of rapt attention, even in a dark auditorium, it’s palpable.”

For Sekou Andrews, the transformation he can affect is the true measure of a great talk. Andrews is an award-winning Poetic Voice whose work has been featured on such national media outlets as Good Morning America, MTV and BET. “A presentation should be a journey that leaves you somewhere different, more lifted, more hopeful, more informed, engaged and ignited than you were when it began. My goal is to transform audiences from interested attendees to delighted participants… from informed receivers to enrolled responders… from smartphone skeptics slouched in their seats texting or checking emails, to wide-eyed converts, leaned forward in their seats engaged.”

The electricity in the room is what tells Dr. Martha Beck that she’s connecting. “When I accidentally say something that resonates with a fair number of audience members, I can feel a sort of subtle electrical tide rising through the room.  If I try to chase that sensation, it disappears.  If I relax, it feels as if I’m actually riding it, like a surfer on a wave. “

Hargo Khalso, who with partner Sanjay Parekh, is the acoustic band Hargo, says applause is kind of an afterthought. It’s the personal connection that really matters. “As any performer can tell you, there is a moment when you realize you’ve established the connection with the crowd. You feel the barrier between you and them disappear and it’s just casual. For us, a great performance is one where we feel uplifted and can sense that the audience is feeling the same thing.”

Personal interaction can be immediate, as it is for Viet Nguyen, principal architect and lead programmer for NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System.  “It’s definitely the personal feedback after the talk. When people come up to me and tell me they didn’t know about something until I showed them, then I’ve done my job.”

For some TEDxSanDiego speakers, the affirmation of an impactful talk comes in the days and months following the event.  Industrial designer Gad Shaanan puts it best, “When people listen intently to what you have to say and connect with your philosophy and then come over to you years later and talk about ‘that talk you gave’ and tell you how much they use it in business and life… that is when you know you made a difference.”

Attendees at this year’s TEDxSanDiego will have the opportunity to engage with 25 dynamic speakers and performers. If past talks are any indication, they are in for a day of jaw-dropping ideas, entertainment and inspiration that will motivate them to “cause and affect” their world.

Two respected local entrepreneurs have been selected to speak at TEDx 2012, Cause & Affect, at Irwin Jacobs Qualcomm on December 1. Chosen from a total of 30 applicants under consideration, Ann Marie Houghtailing, Principal of The Houghtailing Group, and Alan Brown, founder of ADD Crusher™, join a diverse group of over 20 speakers and entertainers who will take the stage during the day-long event.

Houghtailing, a single mother of two sons, takes an entertaining, enlightening look at the immense responsibility a woman takes on in raising boys to be good men. Her high-energy exploration of the relationship between a mother and her sons, Houghtailing uses humor to deliver often-surprising perceptions. An innovative international trainer, Houghtailing is the founder of The Millionaire Girls’ Movement and tours with her one-woman show, Renegade Princess.

Brown draws from personal experience to shed light on the plight of the millions of undiagnosed ADHD adults around the world. Using compelling personal insight, he looks into the dark struggles of ADHD adults, the disorder’s destructive impact on their lives and relationships, and the strategies that can help them live to their fullest potential.