A lot has happened during the first few months of the semester. And by that, I don’t mean studying, sleeping, and eating (which was all I did during the whole summer). Many new clubs were formed, which most I have joined, but ended up not participating in at all (I was busy .-. ). But apart from the clubs, there were the student chapters as well as TEDx USMC, which both I’m a part of! Kick-starting the academic year was TEDx USMC, which held two successful events already! I myself was a committee for the first event and a participant for the second event.
The first event was called “TEDx Salon” (and no, it has nothing to do with a barber), this however, was a small-scale event that deviates from your usual TEDx event (which was the second event). “How so?”, you may ask. Well, this event focuses more on the audience as it provides them with a more intimate space, which in turn gives them more opportunities to exchange their ideas with one another. This event also aims to spark that passion and interest for TEDx events among the audience, which is why it is held ALL YEAR LONG!
A TEDx event will usually have its talks and discussion revolving around a certain theme. The theme for the Salon event was “Seeing the Invisible” and the entire event lasted for 2 hours. The first video of the day was titled: “The psychology of self-motivation” by Scott Geller, which discusses what it takes to be self-motivated and the benefits that come along with it.
After watching the video, we had our discussion session, which was a bit eccentric, as the entire discussion was conducted in this environment……
Before the start of the discussion session, the audience was separated into groups, which unbeknownst to them, was already done the moment they sat down, as their group numbers were under their chairs. Following this, they were gathered outside the room and escorted back into the pitch black room one-by-one to their new group table. This really added some fun to the discussion session, as they wouldn’t know who their group members are. (Also, doing this allowed us to showcase the glow-in-the-dark key-chains, which excited the audience as they didn’t know it glowed in the dark.) Then, the discussion session began, as everyone (me included) started sharing their opinions with the strangers around them.
After a lively discussion session, the lights were turned back on…… to the brightest setting in an instant. And if I had to describe everyone’s experience after that, it was a flash-bang going off in the room, as everyone was covering their eyes and moaning with agony, which was hilarious. (Too bad I was caught in the flash-bang too, otherwise, I would have taken a picture of everyone’s reaction……) However, I’m sure that this would be one of those funny moments where people look back and have a laugh together.
Following this was a short refreshment break, whereby the audience was given some time to mingle while enjoying some light refreshments and snacks (and also recover their vision). Then, we moved on to the second video: “Draw your future” by Patti Dobrowolski, which teaches us how to make our future a reality.
At the end of this video, the audience was given a chance to draw their own future and also present their drawing to everyone. I myself have went around to have a look at everyone’s drawings, and I must say that there are some that are really well-drawn (I guess engineers are multi-talented) and some that are interesting.
All in all, I think that TEDx Salon was an amazing event and a very worthwhile experience. It not only allowed me to share my views on the topic, but it also helped me get a clearer picture of what my passion and motivations are. In addition to that, there were FOOD and cool MERCHANDISES, so who can complain?!
Well, this marks the end of my blog, as I have written a bit too much already (Whoops!). So, if you are interested in the second TEDx USMC event, feel free to check out this blog by a good friend of mine –>
I personally can’t wait for the next TEDx event, whether I will be a participant or committee. With two successful events so far, I’m truly looking forward to the next event in early February.
Photos Courtesy of Muhammad Firas Syabil Bin Saidin