Ideas Worth Spreading

By Coach Bay

Last week I was sitting on an airplane with a colleague. We had a conversation about things that might help and inspire people to be and do more.

She mentioned TED, and the fact that she had only recently gotten to know about TED,and the great organization it is.

The week prior to our conversation, I was having a talk with a vice-principal at one of the schools in Hong Kong. We got carried away in our discussion about supporting and coaching youth, when he also mentioned TED and specifically Dave Eggers talking at TED. Dave was TED prize winner in 2008, when he gave his talk on Once Upon a School.

I know other people who are big fans of TED, and I thought it would be worthwhile sharing the resource with the readers of this blog.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader and now includes science, business, the arts and the global issues facing our world.

The annual conference is held in Long Beach, and now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 200 talks are available on the website. As they say at TED:

“We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.”

So do I, and as you know, this site is dedicated to making the global village a better place for all of us.

Next week, another TED prize winner is coming to Hong Kong. Bill Clinton won the prize in 2007, and he is taking the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to Hong Kong to have the first meeting outside of the USA. It is a chance for Asia’s most influential leaders to come together and take action to address the most pressing issues in this part of the world.

I have been given an opportunity to volunteer and work at the event. It is a an exciting opportunity to get closer to the action, and support the leaders taking part in the event.

"How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

- Anne Frank

What are you doing?

If you need some good ideas, check out TED. Enjoy!

Keep Inspiring!

Happy Days

Coach Bay