Has it been a whole year since Warrington Tedx?

It was amazing to be part of TEDx Warrington in 2022. With gears set in motion for this year's event in November, I thought it time to reflect on what has happened since and provide a few tips for anyone wanting to stand on the red dot themselves.

Tedx Warrington should have happened in 2019 and paused due to the pandemic. So speakers had to re-submit. If you don't know the process, no-one simply walks onto the TEDx stage. You have to be selected through a process of elimination by a panel. You're scrutinised on your soft skills and hard facts and whether you have an idea worth sharing. That's why TEDx is a badge of achievement that many speakers seek it.

TEDx Warrington came at a pivotal time for me. My goals were changing and I'm sure I'm not the only one who used lockdown to look ahead imagining what life would feel like five or even ten years from now.
2022 was an opportunity to renew my stage persona and voice, combining the comedian with the educator, humour with experience. I think it did just that.

This year I've been invited on the speaker panel, crikey! It's a responsibility alright, but I reckon I'm well placed to offer practical advice, and having been on the red dot, understand whats needed.

So you want to do a TED talk? Here are my personal three tips to help your video submission shine;

Be interesting.

There are a lot of TEDx videos on personal development, a lot. Be different. No subject matter is two quirky or unusual if it's delivered clearly. If you find you're self-editing or thinking "people don't want to hear this" you're doing yourself an injustice before you start. If your subject's a bit odd - embrace it.

Be aware.

Gaining confidence from speaking in front of an audience is something everyone should learn. With this comes knowledge of how you are seen in the flesh, on screen, and how others see us. With your TEDx submission video, frame and light yourself as best you can to show that you have considered how you are seen, and want to be seen by others.

Be human.

If you're a professor or a certified master expert person, great, but let the audience see you as a human being. Hiding behind credentials, waving them about verbally or using them to gain authority just isn't needed. It should be what got you where you are, not who you are.

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Thinking of applying for a TEDx talk?

If you need advice on how to add humour or make your pitch as snappy as possible and you think a 1-on-1 session would help, get in touch.

Useful links;

TEDx Warrington

TedX talk, Warrington

Massive. This has been on my bucket list for years. Talking about the benefits of improv, I worked hard to learn it and get it right. The best takeaway from it wasn’t just the standing on the red dot, but how it’s helped me look forward. The version of me on stage that is confident not only in being funny but also in sharing knowledge and experience.

Art Battle Manchester.

Another opportunity to actually say ‘I’m an artist’. I’ll admit I wasn’t totally comfortable doing it, and wasn’t happy with the final piece, but it was a great experience, and something I’d like to have another go at.

Edinburgh Festival, Comedysportz & Salfunny

Great to see the Edinburgh fringe back in full swing with covid restrictions eased. It looked the same and smelled the same, but it was different. Higher accommodation fees and new ticket systems changed the status quo for performers and producers. After the pandemic, refocusing my career path, I was able to enjoy performing, doing Comedysportz and compering the Salford University showcase. All without any ego fuelled self-analysis or giving too hoots about what other stand-up comics were doing. Joy.

More Live Drawing.

More of this in 2023, please. Drawing portraits for awards ceremonies at the Liverpool Hilton, Graphic recording for to big corporate clients in Manchester, and a dozen more events this year. If live drawing has replaced comedy and I’m invited to nice hotels around the world to create live art, I’ll be a very happy person. It’s niche and I’m good at it. More or this.

Pecha Kucha night Manchester

A talk with twenty slides, twenty seconds each slide. My talk was on my comedy career and how Distance came into being, but I also got to do a completely improvised talk too, where someone else had prepped slides that I didn’t get to see beforehand. Blimey that was fun.

New clients

I can’t wait to share more of the work I’ve completed in 2022. In July I started working with the NHS, writing and illustrating an animation to help autistic people. Also in November, I delivered my presentation skills and humour workshop to the sports company New Balance.

New home

The high point has to be January though, and my new flat. Moving to South Manchester near the city was no mean feat. Manchester is an incredible city and it’s growing at an exponential rate, with a skyline that has changed along with it. When I moved here eighteen years ago it was like a big Newcastle, now it’s a little London.

It resonates all the more as at the end of this year we lost my dad. He was an incredible person. Funny, kind and always cheering me on, and he got to see all this year's successes. I’ll miss him loads. A very reflective end to a very successful year.