Many of you are probably fans of TEDTalks, the pithy online videos of outstanding presentations. TED is a non-profit organization whose initial focus was on “ideas worth spreading” in three arenas – Technology, Entertainment, and Design, hence TED. Their scope has expanded greatly since their start in 1984. A new program called TEDx provides guidelines for local, self-organized events based on the TED model. Here in the wine country, a team of volunteer leaders organized TEDxSonomaCounty. Many of the organizers are associated with Sonoma Country Day School, where the event was held. The first local TEDx Conference took place on June 16, 2012.

Food for Thought ~

The theme for the symposium was “A Sense of Place.” This topic was addressed by a dozen speakers from a myriad of perspectives. I was delighted to have been there in person, as this is a subject that has long captured my imagination. I have observed the vastly different attitudes, and subsequently different behaviors, people have about the “places” that matter to us ~ where we live, where we’re from, how we relate to the land, our surroundings, the natural and the built environments, our homes and our places of work.

Question for the day ~

What comes up for you as you consider this issue? As a leader, how does a sense of place relate to your work and to your organization?

Happily, TEDxSonomaCounty recently posted videos of their speakers on YouTube. You may want to start with the list of speakers on their website; click here to see which ones might be of particular interest to you. From there you can go to their YouTube channel to watch your picks, or watch them all! Here’s the link.

For me, the TEDx Conference was thought-provoking, educational and inspiring. It was great to attend this inaugural event, and I’m very pleased to share it with you.

Mary