The student-run event was a celebration of hope and positivity
By Ibraheem Lodhi, Photographer
Speaker Noorey Shin. Source: Ibraheem Lodhi
On January 31st, TEDxUofT held its flagship event—an annual conference where a selection of accomplished speakers from various fields gather at Isabel Bader Theatre to share their ideas. The brief for a TED talk is simple: put forth a novel idea, challenge people’s beliefs, and present compelling arguments and calls to action (paraphrased from TED’s speaker guide). When I arrived, the air outside was crisp and the sky was clear. It seemed the perfect day for an auspicious event like this. The theatre was alive with activity. None of the speakers had made appearances yet, but the attendees were already milling around, discussing the speakers they were looking forward to.
The chairs of TEDxUofT, Alyssa and Kahlen, opened the event. Their air of professionalism set the tone for what was to come. The first performance was from TBA Live, a U of T acapella group. In a space that is usually centred on formal conversations and ideas, the inclusion of performance art lent a strong sense of warmth and humanity to the event. The emcees, Ananiya and Aleeza, introduced each speaker with care and sprinkled jokes between talks, infusing the event with lightheartedness.
The talks themselves were all excellent. TED’s rigorous speaker guidelines state, “Can I go over 18 minutes? No—it wouldn’t be a TEDx Talk.” They tell you to avoid using bullet points in slides. They tell you to rehearse until you know your speech in and out, but not so much that it sounds memorized. They even tell you not to shift your weight from one leg to another while you’re speaking—TED talkers pace across the stage instead. Every speaker at Amplify exemplified these guidelines. The speeches were tight and engaging, and none of them were read from a script. They were expressive and passionate about their topics, and their energy was contagious.
When the first speaker, Dr. Bobby Yanagawa, took the stage, the gravity of the moment settled on me. After years of watching TED talks online, at home, and on long drives, I had arrived here, at the pinnacle of public speaking. Watching my fellow students rise to the occasion was deeply inspiring.
Having worked in backstage and audiovisual roles for years, I find myself picking apart the AV setup of any public speaking event I attend. The AV of TEDxUofT was immaculate—the speakers’ voices were strong and clear, never cutting out. They glowed under the spotlight, but not so much as to strain the eyes. There was no glare from the projector to distract from the speaker. On the stage, a red shag carpet dampened their footsteps, eliminating distractions, and the confidence monitors were elegantly draped in black fabric, almost invisible. The entire conference had an impressive level of polish.
The theme that ran through all of the speeches was hope, a refreshing sentiment amid constant negativity. The second speaker, Might Gouta, asserted that optimism is the most logical perspective in life, and broke down the supporting arguments. The fourth speaker, Lindsy Matthews, told the story of her battles with cancer, developing resilience, and coping with unexpected struggles, but also realizing that resilience is a finite resource. She taught the ideal way to support people who are struggling—not to remind them that they are strong and inspiring, but to listen and offer support.
After the intermission, Tahira Rajwani, a local artist, gave a spoken word poetry performance. Rajwani spoke with torrents of emotion about the diasporic experience, and the struggle to retain one’s own culture and language against the pressure to assimilate. She lovingly detailed her complicated relationship with the city of Toronto, and her journey to make it her home. I have often enjoyed spoken word performances because they make me uncomfortable, and hers had the same effect, with their piercing candor.
The rest of the speeches continued to reinforce the sense of hope. Senator Marilou McPhedran shared her efforts to bring the voices of youth into politics, and to make it more accessible. Professor Adam Stoehr of Rotman Management presented a model for making one’s life happier and more fulfilling, called Sunshine and Rainbows. The conference drew to a close with a wonderful performance from Junoon, U of T’s Bollywood dance troupe.
With all of the despair in the world I find dominating my attention lately, the TEDxUofT conference was a welcome ray of light. Each speaker lived up to the famed reputation of TED talks. The passion of the students that run this initiative was on full display. All of the volunteers were eager to talk to me about the organization and their future events, such as one this March. After the talks, I left the conference with new knowledge of how to instill my life with more optimism and hope.
The Event in Photos by Ibraheem Lodhi:
