Here’s the first in the series of small tidbits from my TEDxChennai experience.
The invitation to TEDindia at Mysore was a godsend. I got to witness for real what a world class conference is and how it should be organized. Their attention to detail was astonishing.
What Scored for TEDindia: There’s no doubt that TEDindia will rank amongst the best conferences I have attended in my life. The reason why I absolutely loved it is not just about outstanding speakers but has to do with outstanding participants. Almost every person who I had met has achieved something to be proud of or is a person very high up in the corporate rung. This was the biggest lesson we took from TEDindia and applied it to TEDxChennai. We started to focus heavily on selecting great people.
Losing My Appetite: I skipped both breakfast and lunch on the day. The exact thing not to do as an event organizer. This is a syndrome I’ve had for long. I lose my appetite completely hours before a talk. I survived the entire day on 3 cans of RedBull which I had asked my wife to buy.
The RedBull Guilt: The next day morning, my wife became emotional. She read in the news that a man had died because he had consumed 3 cans of RedBull to survive a night shift. He had died of heart attack induced by excess of stimulants. That man could very well have been me.. or so my wife thought and inflicted on herself the guilt.
The Toilet Time: I also have a psychological habit. 20 minutes before my talk, I lock myself in the toilet, switch off my mobile, close my eyes, imagine the crowd in front of me and mentally run through the talk. I never prepare for my talk days in advance. It’s that 20 minutes.
Now, if I talk crap, you know where it comes from! 😉
