TEDxWinnipeg photo essay

June 7, 2017 - 2:28pm - by Alyson Shane

Yesterday was TEDxWinnipeg.

It was amazing. It was a whirlwind. It was so much more than my tired, fried-out brain can describe right now.

Instead, here's a photo essay:

Of course I woke up at 4:45AM

a full hour before my alarm was supposed to go off

as evidenced by my unimpressed post-shower face (was I even awake then?)

Much better.

Does that look like the face of a girl who got 5hrs sleep? I hope not.

Luckily I was able to pull myself together within a reasonable time frame.

Winnipeg looked gorgeous during my bike ride to the convention centre, of course.

I left a bit early so I could bike there slowly and collect my thoughts and feelings

and to try and get in a little "me time" before a whirlwind day.

I got there for 7:15AM and the space was largely empty except for the volunteers and organizers running around getting everything ready.

We took a bunch of group shots of all the speakers, organizers, tech peeps, and etc before the crowds started milling in, and then it was ready to go!

There were a bunch of fun activities for guests to do, including this fun board which I kept coming back to look at throughout the day.

I was busy as heck, but I managed to squeeze in a few selfies with some lovely people before the day got started.

TEDxWinnipeg people unite!

That's me with Ed, Mike, and Dr. Joel above, and Rana and I below:

This guy was an amazing support, of course.

Halfway through the morning Brent pulled me aside to let me know he had something for me:

It was a vintage AOL trial disc! Anyone remember these?

My talk touched on my high school years spent using the "Trial" button on our NetZero install because my parents refused to pay to get dial-up internet at home (don't even get me started on that gong show), so this little trinket was super thoughtful and hilarious. Thanks so much, Brent!

(Side note: I'm so thankful for high speed internet)

Then it was back into the swing of things.

I spent most of my day with two of my fellow presenters, Jon and Andrea, hanging out, watching the talks, rehearsing together, and trying not to be too nervous about everything.

I spent a lot of time in the green room backstage, but I made sure to make it into the crowd for Jon and Rana's talks. We'd spent so much time rehearsing together that I really needed to be in the crowd to experience their talks.

Spoiler alert: they both knocked it out of the park. I was in tears!

Before I knew it, it was my turn to present.

Photos via Heather Hinam, Doug McArthur, and The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

What can I say about speaking?

It was intense. It was exhilarating. It was fun and stressful and amazing.

I was nervous leading up to my talk and was so worried that I was going to forget something, or flub my lines, or, well... anything!

But I'm pleased to say that I nailed it. I did better than I could have expected and I'll be sharing more thoughts on my experience in an upcoming post for the TEDxWinnipeg website (so stay tuned for that).

Then it was over!

I posed for a few quick snaps at the end of the day (this is my speaker buddy, Amanda, who was an incredible help and support throughout the entire process) before heading out.

I was utterly wiped after such an emotional, busy, and exhilarating day.

(But not too tired to go for pizza and drinks at my favourite local pizza joint Super Deluxe Pizza.)

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go and sleep for a week.

Want more info about my TEDxWinnipeg expeirence? Check out my blog post series on the TEDxWinnipeg website what it was like to be selected as a speaker, and preparing to present my talk.

Update: the TEDxWinnipeg live stream is still up! My talk is around 3:20:10 in the 'Afternoon Talks' section.

My TEDxWinnipeg Experience, part 3

May 31, 2017 - 9:48pm - by Alyson Shane

It's almost here! TEDxWinnipeg is just a few short days away, and I'm putting the final touches on my talk and cramming in as much rehearsal time as possible.

Putting this talk together was fun and challenging, both on a personal and professional level. It was hard (and worthwhile) to find a way to tell my story and illustrate how the digital communities I found online helped me overcame a wealth of personal issues in my youth to grow into the person that I am today, and to illustrate how digital communities throughout the internet continue to have the same positive effects on people all over the globe.

I've also been lucky enough to be able to share my experience in detail as I work through my talk and prepare for the big day. You can find my first post here, and if you missed my second post, you can find it here.

Below is an excerpt from my third and final post in the series:

My talk is about digital communities who come together to support one another, and in the process of preparing to speak I’ve found a wider, extended family with the TEDx speakers and organizers in my daily life. The irony is not lost on me, I assure you.

I’m a writer, and writing is a solitary pursuit, so I’m used to sitting alone and plugging away at my keyboard in silence, and the prospect of working on a talk on my own didn’t faze me at first.

But working on a TEDx talk is hard work, and having someone I can message with questions, concerns and frustrations who is as embedded in their experience as I am has really helped me stay focused and on track, especially in moments when I doubt my message or my own abilities.

You can read the rest of the third instalment here.

It's been an incredibly humbling and eye-opening experience to work alongside the other presenters and watch as their talks come together, and I can't wait to see everyone on June 6th!

My TEDx Speaking Experience, Part I

March 23, 2017 - 6:52pm - by Alyson Shane

(Image via TEDxWinnipeg)

Recently I announced that I had been selected as a speaker at this year's TEDxWinnipeg event. This was amazing news to share, but prior to applying to speak I had a lot of unanswered questions:

What was the application process like?

What would happen if I was selected as a speaker?

How would I prepare to deliver my talk in front of a room full of hundreds of people?

What kinds of supports were in place to help me hone my talk and meet TEDx standards?

... and so on. The questions seemed endless.

With this in mind, I was thrilled when the TEDxWinnipeg social team contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in a series of posts about my experience. As a writer and a advocate of knowledge-sharing, this felt like the perfect opportunity to share what I'm learning as I go through this process, as well as the challenges and hurdles come with being selected to speak at a TEDx event.

Below is an exert from my first post in the series:

I’m a writer, and I own a digital marketing agency, so I spend a lot of time thinking about how people interact online. I’ve also been deeply influenced by the people I’ve met online throughout my life, and wanted to speak to those experiences and share them with the audience.

That being said, a good talk isn’t just about telling your own story; it’s about sharing information and ideas with your audience, so I made sure that my talk also focused on the positive power of digital communities in broader, less personal examples, as well. Because while a compelling story is great, a good TEDx talk needs to also introduce an idea or concept, because the talks are about sharing ideas, not just stories.

Check out the rest of my blog post about being a TEDxWinnipeg speaker here.