Speaking at TEDxHagerstownWomen

If you or someone you know belongs on the TEDxHagerstownWomen stage, we want to hear from you! Learn more about speaking at TED, then use the speaker nomination form to tell us why you would be well-matched to the TEDxHagerstownWomen stage. 

How are speakers selected? TEDxHagerstownWomen speakers are selected by a curatorial team who seek to amplify women's ideas and innovations. We invite prominent experts, artists, activists and many others to attend and present our signature TEDx Talks in their areas of research and expertise.

We search year-round for speakers who will inform and inspire, surprise and delight.  TEDxHagerstownWomen seeks to identify emerging artists, scientists, thinkers, and doers, introducing them to the TEDx and local community.

TEDx Talks cover a vast array of topics across a variety of areas. If you’ve identified a unique issue that you are passionate about, the TEDx platform can be a perfect place to share it.

The TEDxHagerstownWomen curatorial team is looking for women and girls in Washington County who have an idea, discovery, innovation, research, or a narrative to share on the TEDx stage.

A common misperception is that only the most experienced, animated, and successful speakers get to the TEDxHagerstownWomen stage. We are looking for ALL women at every stage in their lives. We intentionally select speakers from different professional fields, backgrounds, ages, and experiences with authentic and original ideas. If you have an idea you want to share, we strongly encourage you to apply!

Perhaps you have identified a challenge or problem that is important to you. The difference between a speech on this subject and a TEDx Talk is that TEDx speakers present an issue and propose possible solutions. Keep in mind, TEDx Talks cannot promote a commercial agenda, political agendas or inflammatory rhetoric, religious agendas, or bad science.  For more information, read the TEDx Content Guidelines.

There are seven different types of talks that will help you to create an outline for your TEDx Talk, however there is no prescriptive approach or formula for creating a TEDx Talk. We want to hear your story and your voice! This is what makes each talk so engaging and unique.

To begin, think of a great, well-formed and original idea for your TEDx Talk. A great idea for a talk is:

• Something that’s new and surprising; an idea or invention that your audience has never heard about.
• A great basic idea (that your audience has maybe already heard) with a compelling new argument behind it that challenges beliefs and perspectives.

Remember, you will have 18 minutes for your TEDx Talk but the typical TEDx Talk is about 7 minutes in length.

Take a look at the types of talks below. Do any seem like a good fit for your idea? You will have a chance to select from this list when you make your submission.

The BIG IDEA

The talks that make one or two solid points, and it’s important.
Examples: Bryan Stevenson, Onora O’Neill, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

THE SMALL IDEA

These talks are not about one big, world-changing idea, but instead a very engaging take on an interesting topic.
Examples: Mary Roach, Joe Smith, Charlie Todd

THE TECH DEMO

An onstage look at some ingenious new invention that the speaker was a part of creating.
Examples: Tan Le, Markus Fischer, Raffaello D’Andrea

THE PERFORMANCE

Music, dance, magic, puppetry, or some other performance that will captivate your audience.
Examples: Usman Riaz + Preston Reed, Arthur Benjamin, Pilobolus

THE ARTIST’S STATEMENT

In these talks, artists showcase their art and explain the meaning and process behind what they create.
Examples: Raghava KK, Liu Bolin, Aparna Rao

THE ‘DAZZLE WITH WONDER'

These talks are mainly about the amazement of science and discovery.
Examples: Yoav Medan, Marcus Byrne, Janna Levin

THE ‘ISSUE’ TALK

These talks expose your audience to an issue that they may not otherwise know much about.
Examples: Rodrigo Canales, Lawrence Lessig, Rose George