Roger Ebert Finds His Voice

I just came across a TEDTalk that Roger Ebert gave back in April. It's extraordinary. Ebert, as you might not know, has been left unable to talk or to eat solid foods after complications during surgery to treat cancer in his salivary gland about five years ago. The TEDTalk he wrote was actually read by the computer voice he uses and by his wife, Chaz, by educator John Hunter, and by Dean Ornish, M.D.

In addition to being an interesting story told with skill and sensitivity, Ebert's presentation offers a few relevant points for planners: Don't be afraid to shake up the way you deliver information; understand the importance of your participants' voices (in every sense of the word); and give some thought as to just what virtual and hybrid platforms are bringing to attendees who simply can't join your in-person meeting. "I feel as if my blog, my email, Twitter, and Facebook have given me a substitute for everyday conversation," Ebert said. "They aren't an improvement, but they're the best I can do. They give me a way to speak."

McSweeney's Takes Aim at TED

If you don't know by now (which apparently many people don't!), the independent publishing company McSweeney's, founded by author Dave Eggers, has a bunch of hilarious content on its website — or "Internet Tendency," as the company cheekily puts it.  Best of all are its "Lists," which incredibly are archived — together on one long, long page — all the way back to 1999.

Anyway, here's a great meetings-related one I read yesterday, gently tweaking the super-popular TED Talks, and also the oftentimes labored, over-serious titles for various conference educational sessions:

TED Talks Throughout History

By John Cafiero

Have We Been Worshiping the Wrong Sacred Tree?

The Wheel Will Change the Way We Live Forever, Once We Turn It on Its Side and Attach It to Something, But What?

Global Initiatives for Making God Less Angry

How "Coins" Are Revolutionizing Bartering

Dragon Lairs, Leprechaun Hoards, and Other Promising Sources of Wealth in the New Economy 

Great stuff.  Click here for the full list, with four more hilarious fake TED Talk titles.

Bonus info: In doing research for this post, I discovered that Eggers actually won a TED Prize in 2008 for his public-school advocacy work.  Read more about the prize and Eggers' passion for schools here.

Context and Content

In her excellent post yesterday about a recent TEDTalk by TED founder Chris Anderson, Barbara Palmer wrote: "That serious magic, it seems to me, occurs between the speaker and his immediate audience. Would TEDTalks be as popular as they are without TED conferences?" It's a good question -- with implications for hybrid meetings (as Barbara pointed out), and also for the nature of conferences themselves, because it makes you -- okay, me -- think about whether they're defined more by their programming or by their format. In other words, content or context?