How TEDx got to Lakeland
October 15, 2018
TEDx events are about individuals sharing their perspectives and ideas. Theater and speech professor Charlie Krebs organized a TEDx event for Lakeland University, and he shared the process of setting up the event, the meaning behind the occasion and his goals.
Last April, Krebs found a ticket to a local TEDx event at a middle school in De Pere. He was asked to speak at the event, as well. The kids he spoke to blew him away. He was impressed by how bright they were. Soon after, he got a call from someone in Oshkosh to speak at their school, as well.
Around this time, Krebs applied to get Lakeland a license so the school could host a TEDx event, which was approved. He met with the dean to work out the details of the TEDx event and then put together a committee of faculty members to plan the presentation.
Lakeland received 30 applications from people who were interested in speaking at the event, and narrowed it down to about 17 people. Of those 17 people, 11 speakers were chosen based on their individual one-minute videos explaining what they wanted to discuss at the TEDx.
Over the summer, Krebs met with the speakers three to six times for coaching. He focused on the purpose of their topics to help them improve. This TEDx event’s theme was “The Other Side,” which focused on the unobvious side of an issue. Krebs made sure every speaker’s discussion was aligned with this theme.
Kreb’s ultimate goal for the event was to help Lakeland students and faculty shine. He wanted them to feel special sharing their unique ideas on a stage in front of a large audience. There were only two student speakers this year, but Krebs hopes to have more students speak in the future.
Krebs explained that students and faculty can gain a lot from this event since TEDx is all about ideas worth spreading. The speakers chose a wide variety of topics to discuss including personal development, and ways that society can be better.
