Imagine giving your own TED talk – what ‘’idea worth spreading’’ would you share in 18 minutes or less?
Recently, this question has been promoted from day dream to reality for some with the advent of TED’s professional development arm, the TED Institute which recently launched a corporate events program. In this program companies can work with TED experts to put on their own authentic TED talk!
One of the first to engage in this program was the financial services company State Street. The organization put out an open call to all employees for TED talk proposals, from which TED experts worked with company organizers to select those chosen to participate. Those selected were then paired with TED coaches and led through an intense 6 week training program culminating in the creation of a presentation quality TED talk.
Aside from the obvious ‘cool’ factor of presenting your own TED talk for your colleagues, the real impact from these events comes from the creation of a ‘level’ playing field where position is secondary to content – a front line staff member’s talk on professional development may be followed by a personal experience talk by the CEO (if he made the cut!) and be equally as brilliant.
In the current fast paced environment it is increasingly important to inspire passion in employees (those who view new challenges as opportunities to learn additional skills) in order to maintain a competitive edge and foster innovation in a marketplace where many skill sets become obsolete within a few years. These TED inspired events take great strides towards empowering such a culture.
This weeks Kingbridge Insight is a challenge: How can you as a leader in your organization empower a culture of continuous learning and professional development to inspire passion in your workforce?
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