As the famous motto of TEDxAUBG is “Ideas Worth Spreading”, you need to begin with an idea that you strongly believe is worth sharing.
A TEDxAUBG conference usually has a total of 9 speakers, most of whom are invited personally by us. However, they may also be accepted through an application form, and there is always one faculty member and one student at AUBG. What all of them have in common is that they go through our team and, more specifically, the Speakers department.
Once a year, ideas are gathered, not only from Bulgaria, but from all over the world. How to get invited? You need to be an active citizen of the world, to be engaged within your community, and above all, have a unique topic that would grab the attention of the audience. It is not the person that stands out, but the innovation, the idea.
As already mentioned, TEDxAUBG also accepts applications from external speakers. That is, people who did not receive a special invitation from our Speakers department, but, nevertheless, sought out this opportunity for themselves, because they believed they had an idea worth spreading. An external speaker brings new visions, fresh perspectives, and represents the diversity of the TEDxAUBG stage. Of course, the application process is not so simple. It has to go through the experienced eyes of our team, which carefully selects the best candidates.
A faculty member of AUBG is also chosen as one of the speakers each year. A professor who compels students with the sound of their voice, a class turned into a story, a stage transformed into a magnificent experience. A professor with ideas that are worth spreading.
Moreover, every year one AUBG student is graced with the honour of stepping on the red carpet, too. A student brave enough to share their ideas, experience, and knowledge with their fellow students and audience. A person that has an immense influence and a long-lasting impact on the academic or co-curriculum life.
Above all, a speaker needs to have the attention of the audience for 18 whole minutes. They shall not engage with any commercial, political, or religious content. They shall focus on what unites us, not separates us, and this is precisely: the power of ideas. A conference has one sole theme and, while the speakers’ speeches are crafted around it, they are not directly related, since each speaker brings a unique perspective in a wide range of areas.
Another thing to remember is that a speech is not created in one sitting. It is a process of multiple drafts and checks from our Speakers department that ensures the talk is understandable, cohesive, and by the rules. And although in TEDxAUBG we emphasize the powerful role of words, sometimes words need their best friends — pictures, so that they are easier to digest and remember.
Our final words? The selection of speakers and the creation of the speech is a process achieved with a lot of dedication and resilience from our Speakers department. Ideas are the driving power of a TEDx speech, but having one is simply not enough. It needs to be presented in an effective manner to leave a long-lasting impact on the audience. For 18 minutes, people’s attention is yours, for 18 minutes, you step on the red carpet in front of the big red X, and for those 18 minutes, you have the power to change lives, inspire, and teach.