Theme: What Next?

Have you ever wondered where we are going? What is next in terms of culture, technology, or education. Well TEDxTelford is hoping to open up our minds with a view on What Next? 12 Live speakers 4 carefully chosen TED talks and a slap up lunch await those who love the TEDx experience on 21 September 2019. The speakers should hope to answer some of the questions in the minds of the audience in the room and the online audience globally that will see the speakers in their individual TEDx videos.

None of us really know what the future holds, whether it’s the effects of climate change, war or population growth. But we might make an educated guess about where we are going and what that might be like to live with – this is all about the future, whether dystopian or utopian or somewhere in between.

Telford Innovation Campus Conference Centre
University of Wolverhampton, Shifnal Road, Priorslee
Telford, Shropshire, TF2 9FT
United Kingdom

Antoinette Dale Henderson

Speaker, Executive Coach & Author of Leading with Gravitas

The world has changed since 2017. A vacuum has been left wide open post #MeToo. In this new normal, women are beginning to harness their power to challenge disparity and sexism, men are questioning their own assumptions about appropriate behaviour and organisations are waking up to the potential of true equality. But none of this is happening quickly enough. As we learn to navigate this new world, we need to define a new kind of success based purely on merit, take inspiration from people who’ve had the strength to channel their power, even though they knew it may attract criticism or worse. The new power dynamic doesn’t have to be a battle, or a walkover. Through sharing stories of her own and others’ experiences, Antoinette aims to inspire people to choose a new way of thinking and behaving, where there is equality for all. “We need to be brave and unleash our own potential, opening doors for others to do the same. We need to power up. The time is now.”

Bev Hepting

Professional Trainer & Coach

The future is already here, and we currently spend a lot of time talking to devices and having them reply back to us. I have seen coaches moving into using 3D devices to help people speak in front of an audience that really isn’t there and good speakers understand the process of getting your audience to listen to you. This talk will explore how Artificial Intelligence will impact on the public speaker of the future. Does a speaker need to be on stage or can they stay at home in the slippers while the audience is scattered around the world? What does a live event look like if we are using AI in all it’s forms to create an event. Will speaking become something that loses its emotional touch and people lose the ability to question and debate. But is this something we really want. To lose the ability to engage through speaking directly to someone who can react to all the nuances that speech involves.

Bret Freeman

Corporate Storyteller, Key Note Speaker, TEDx Speaker & Coach, Training Specialist, & Human Potentialist

Mind Control is Everywhere! In today’s always on, social media hungry, digitally driven world, we are faced with more information from more sources than ever before. In fact, according to a recent study, the average person across their lifespan will spend almost 7 years engaging with social media. Our “news feeds” are full of information designed to keep us plugged in and to influence the way we think. We are bombarded daily with everything from kitten videos to political statements to news from around the world. What we don’t necessarily realise is, with continuous exposure comes continuous influence and all of these sources of input have both conscious and unconscious effects on our minds. In this talk, Bret will explain some of the key principles behind what he calls the “Incremental Mindshift” and discuss new strategies to enable each of us to take charge of our thoughts and emotions, and in fact help us guard against mind control!

Claire Wilson

Clinical Director CHEW Initiatives | Speaker | Trainer | Author All about Children, Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Everyone knows that our children are struggling. The levels of children with significant mental health challenges are unprecedented; never before have so many schools spoken out about the lack of provision for these children. For those of us living or working with them it can feel like a hopeless, overwhelming situation. Our children need help & there are not enough qualified professionals our children can access. With the current system starting to struggle under the levels of demand, isn’t it time to explore another way forward?Based in the science of Polyvagal Theory & neuroception, this talk will explore what kind of support our children need from us & what we can do to help them so they don’t struggle alone.Through her extensive study and professional experience Claire will offer insight on what we normal people – parents, family & teachers – CAN do to help to change the story of our children’s mental health.

Craig McVoy

Consultant, Speaker & No 1 Best Selling Author specialising in Customer, Product & Marketing Strategy

In today’s world money can buy you pretty much anything you want; a beautiful home or car. But there is one thing that money can’t buy you yet & that’s time – the most precious commodity in a 24/7 world. We crave experiences to be faster & more convenient, to complete those mundane tasks in our lives. But at the same time, we want others to be engaging, personalised & entertaining when we have time to enjoy them. We all get the same 24hrs in a day, so we constantly look for ways in which we can reduce the time spent doing the things that we have to do. So that we can spend more time doing the things we love to do. Once time is gone, it is lost forever. Can advancements in technology give us the one thing that money can’t buy? Or will it remove any emotional connection we have to brands, so we choose them based purely on convenience? n this talk we’ll take a look at the shift of loyalty, Its connection to pleasure & understand why those who give us more time, end up winning our loyalty.

Emma Roscoe

Helping education & care providers promote the wellbeing & positive mental health of their employees through resilience workshops. |Stress Management | Mindfulness | Mental Health First Aid

Challenges and change are an inevitable part of life and whilst much of the future is uncertain, our capability to live life on our own terms doesn’t have to be. Often, we can’t control what happens to us, but we always, always have choice in how we respond and who we choose to become. As we look to the future how do we emotionally equip ourselves for what is still unknown? This talk shines a light on the importance personal resilience and taking responsibility has in overcoming adversity. It considers the pivotal role schools could play in fostering the ability of children and young people to bounce back, as resilience becomes a growing consideration within education. Through frank insights and reflections into her own experiences of becoming resilient the hard way, Emma shares her thoughts on how things can be different for the adolescents of generations to come. Whatever the future holds.

Hollie Whittles

Helping empower businesses through inspirational workshops | TEDx Speaker | Trainer | Consultant | Marketing | Goals | Business Strategy | Social Media | Web

nvestment in the arts is an increasing topic for discussion as core academic subjects are often given preference. This talk aims to highlight how learning a musical instrument can benefit your cognitive development and help to develop the skills needed to be successful in the world of work. Through Hollie’s experience of blending her passion for music with running her own company, she shares her thoughts on how utilising the arts can not only benefit your mind but also your business.

Katie Woodland

Psychologist & Coach

In the past decade the number of people struggling with mental illness in the Western world has more than doubled. As those individuals struggling to find a semblance of light in an otherwise dark existence tumble ever further down the rabbit hole, the cost to their health not to mention, societies purse-strings, increases exponentially. Katie shares insight from both her own personal experiences and those of her clients as she makes the case for entrepreneurship as the silver bullet in the fight against an ever-increasing mental health crisis. As a psychologist turned business coach, she reveals the often-ignored truths about why mental illness occurs as well as the very real opportunity which only entrepreneurship provides to create a life full of freedom, purpose and joy for all. It’s time to discover whether entrepreneurship is the missing link in your quest to building a life full of everlasting fulfilment.

Matthew Tolley

Energy Consultant at Future Tech Eco Systems Ltd

Governments worldwide have committed to a target of reducing Carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. European countries are aiming to go further and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. But the actions governments are collectively taking don’t look like they will be enough to meet their own targets. Matthew Tolley’s talk shows how you can, with your individual choices, have the power to reduce your carbon footprint from around 12 tonnes per year to 2.5 tonnes per year, with little or no lifestyle compromises, and without waiting for governments or businesses to take action. All the steps are simple, actionable and nearly all of them will save money too. Matthew is a qualified Energy Efficiency Assessor for domestic and non-domestic (commercial) buildings. His business helps schools, charities and businesses in particular to save money by shifting to energy saving technologies, focusing on measures with have a payback period of less than 2 years.

Merisha Stevenson

Director | Broadcast Journalist & Presenter | TEDx Speaker | Senior Project Manager | Property & Strategist | Coach

What’s next for creating personal wealth & financial sustainability? Human beings are wired for stories, & we all have one; but how you tell it moving forward, will define your ability to create your own unique sustainable personal economy. Whether it’s to guide clientele towards your business or ensure that your C.V stands out above the rest, controlling your narrative is now imperative to how people engage with you & your offering. You may know that people buy into stories, before they buy into us: historically the way to tell those stories was the job of image consultants, marketeers & brand specialists. But no more, it’s down to you now. So, by the end of this talk you will understand the key essentials to how you tell your story that not only engages people & makes them want to do business with you; but also makes them form part of your tribe, leading to sustainability. After all, your vibe attracts your tribe. What does your vibe say about you?

Paul Crick

Evidence Led Marketer | Professional Executive Coach | Facilitator | TEDx Speaker | Consultant | #MG100

By most measures, many would agree that our current model of leadership in our organisations, institutions & communities appears to be broken. The complexity & intransigence of our current problems – from economic degradation to violently divisive rhetoric to economic disparity & beyond defy easy or pat solutions. We know that the level of thinking that got us to where we are is not the level of thinking now needed. If we are going to make it to the other side of this mess, we need more leaders from all walks of life who embody the commitment, courage & capacity to fight for a liveable future on behalf of all sentient beings. Paul shares a series of counterintuitive insights drawn from his experiences as a management consultant & his own personal quest to understand himself, what it means to become the leaders we need today & how to encourage them to lead at the next level. The answers we are seeking, as you will hear, are much closer to home than you might think.

Scott McArthur

Speaker | Multidisciplinary Thinker | Writer | Storyteller

There is a new economy developing, one based on our most fundamental resource – time – and it is called “The attention economy”. Our lives have become increasingly busy as a consequence of global communications, marketing, the internet and social media. I believe we are increasingly surrounded by “weapons of mass distraction” and that this digital bombardment is seriously disrupting how we spend our time and our ability to focus on what’s important. This talk will begin by explaining the biological basis of the attention economy, speculate on the power of technology to enrich and sabotage our lives and make a prediction; that the time is fast approaching when organisations vying for our attention will be left with no choice but to pay us to watch their commercials. The talk will end by suggesting how concerned parents, organisations and children may be able to improve their relationship with technology and time.

Teresa Boughey

TEDx Speaker | Diversity & Inclusion Thought Leader | Bestselling Author| Non-Executive Director| Media Commentator| CEO

Diversity and Inclusion isn’t the latest business fad. It’s not a tick box exercise and it won’t go away! Creating an Inclusive culture should be at the top of the leadership agenda, yet many companies appear to get lost in the rhetoric of inclusion and diversity, launching stand-alone initiatives and mandating training to all in the hope these are enough to bring about change. This is when Diversity Fatigue starts to set in. Leaders become tired of promoting initiatives that fail to gain traction, and resentment builds amongst managers and employees. This TEDx talk aims to share 5 key steps for helping leaders to overcome and move beyond diversity fatigue and create an inclusive workplace culture and how leadership actions can make the workplace better for its people. So, become the envy of your competitors and discover how to overcome and move beyond Diversity Fatigue.

Tony Brassington

Author, Owner, Mind and Achievement

Easter Island holds numerous parallels with our time. We can learn many lessons from the short history of Easter Island, lessons that we may ignore at our own peril. They say that history repeats itself, and there is a lot of evidence to support that claim, but it does not have to be that way; surely if we did truly learn some of the many lessons from the mistakes of history, and become more aware of some of our all too predictable human short-comings, then we would be in a much better place to create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all of mankind.