Ideas worth spreading at Live from Momentum: TEDWomen2015
TEDxDayton Sponsors First Women's Event
An unmanned aerial vehicle that can reduce disaster response time from 3 days to 7 hours. A ring that is fashionable and functional as it changes color to alert the wearer of text messages, calendar appointments, and social media notifications. A geneticist who uses the power of virtual collaboration to stop the spread of the Ebola virus. These are a few of the innovative ideas from the first TEDxDaytonWomen event.
The program, sponsored by Women in Business Networking and held at McGohan Brabender, brought local women together to participate in Live from Momentum, a simulcast of the TEDWomen2015 conference from Monterey, California. The livestream offered a preview of what audience members will experience at the third annual TEDxDayton event on Friday, October 16 at the Victoria Theatre.
If you’re not familiar with TED, it is a non-profit organization dedicated to “ideas worth spreading”. The conference features the best of technology, education, design, art, product innovation, and social consciousness and is known for its dynamic speakers and presenters. TED Talks are eighteen minutes or less in length and can be viewed either at live conferences or online by audiences around the world.
Like many women at TEDxDaytonWomen, I was amazed and challenged by the life-changing ideas from the diverse speakers. I cheered the story of the Nigerian green entrepreneur who created economic opportunities for villagers by helping them make products from water hyacinth leaves. I marveled at the emotion analytics expert that mapped various facial gestures to help autistic students interpret body language and emotions and to understand how we engage in social media. As an artist, I identified with the virtual reality pioneer who uses the technology in documentary films to teach people the power of empathy.
Of the twelve speakers included in the livestream, perhaps my favorite speaker of the day was management thinker Margaret Hefferman, who spoke on the power of team cohesiveness and relationship building as being central to creativity. Hefferman believes that the longer a team is together, the more trust and chemistry is developed. She cites the most successful teams as being those who are sensitive to each other’s emotional needs, who give equal time to all in the group, and who include more women.
My favorite quote from this TED Talk? “Companies don’t have ideas. Only people do.” Well said, Margaret!
I came home from TEDxDaytonWomen with new ideas, new business and personal connections, and a few more books added to my reading list. I can’t wait to attend the annual event in October and see what local ideas are worth spreading to the Gem City and beyond.
To keep up with news and announcements or to volunteer, visit www.tedxdayton.com.
