And Oh what a night! The first ever TEDx Lewisham. A night of Love and Empowerment.

As the speakers’ coach for the first ever TEDx Lewisham, I sat in the audience like a proud parent, listening to the very best version of every speech. It was magical.

The essentials of speeches that make a difference were evident.

Confidence

They were CONFIDENT speakers. They prepared thoroughly. They’d practised alone, in front of family and friends, in front of each other. Over and over. Not a trace of nerves; not a shaky voice to be heard, not even in their opening sentences.

And all seamlessly woven together by our loving and empowering host, ‘Ronke Kokoruwe. Confident speakers are, indeed, frequent speakers, and it showed.

Connection

The CONNECTION between speakers and audience was palpable:

🔴 It was a community event and every speaker lives in Lewisham

🔴 They spoke about real issues that affect us all, that we all care about

🔴 Speaker and audience interacted in that sweetspot where relevant meets relatable

🔴 We embodied diversity. Diverse ideas. Diverse speakers – gender, age, ethnicity, disabled people, work sector… Diverse audience, incl the 3-year-old there to support his mum 😊

🔴 And, sealing the connection, storytelling that was vulnerable, humorous, emotive, had you crying one moment and laughing the next, was warm and inviting, relevant and, above all, memorable

People will be retelling those stories for years and remembering how they made them think and feel.

Change

TED. #ideasworthspreading. As John F Kennedy said, “The only reason to give a speech is to CHANGE the world.”

Every speech was alive with a vision and a clear message to change hearts and minds, change how we now think, feel and act in our own lives.

Every speaker was seen, heard and made an impact.

All directed and curated by the energetic, empowering and caring Rachel Onikosi. She set the bar high and the team brought home the gold!