On Thursday, February 19, I stood on the iconic red circle on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University and addressed a packed auditorium and thousands of viewers on a live stream. Presenting my 12-minute TEDxSNHU talk was a phenomenal experience. I’ve done public speaking before, but I knew I had to work extra hard to make my speech TEDx worthy.
TED Talks are videos that present a great idea in 18 minutes or less. TEDx is the same brand as TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) but TED is global. TEDx consists of independently organized local events following TED’s format and guidelines.
Why do a TEDx Talk?
TEDx talks are designed to “share ideas worth spreading” through personal stories and lived experiences that resonate with viewers and motivate them to take action. In my talk, “The Hidden Gifts in Your Family History,” I explained how a snippet of information about my great-grandfather, a former slave, launched me on a journey to learn more about my lineage and encourage others to preserve their family stories and share them for the next generation.
Preparation was intense
I was ecstatic when I got the email stating that my proposal for my talk had been accepted. That lasted for about a day. Then I began to panic at the thought of speaking before an audience and the amount of work involved to prepare. The TEDxSNHU people provided me with a coach, Marcia Griffith, who is on staff at SNHU and gave a TEDx talk in 2025 on her solo 200-mile pilgrimage across Portugal and Spain.
Getting ready for showtime!
The day before the big event we rehearsal. For hours. All nine of us got on stage and spent hours working out the kinks and technical issues in our talks. We were treated like celebrities and I suppose in some ways we were. We were given accommodations at a local hotel and provided with shuttle service back and forth to campus and complimentary meals in the university cafeteria.
Multiple times I reworked the draft of my talk under Marcia’s guidance. She pushed me hard until my talk was polished to a sheen. She suggested that my presentation include family photos and the cover image of memoir. I’m so glad she did.
Marcia suggested I have several outfits on hand so I could decide which one looked best. A makeup artist fashioned our faces in a way that would be pleasing to the camera.
Waiting backstage with the other speakers I watched the auditorium filled with people who’d registered to hear our talks. I was surprised at the interest and thrilled that they were there. I later found out that my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew were watching the livestream and rooting for me to do a good job.
My nephew, Julian, even had a picture taken of him at work, while he was watching me do my talk. My friend and former SNHU classmate, Lisa Allen came to the live presentation and we celebrated afterwards in the campus café.
Being a TEDx speaker was an experience I will never forget. I was nervous going into it, relieved when it was over, but now, can’t wait for the opportunity to give another one.
