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Will Dible for TEDxOkoboji's 1st Annual Conference

November 18th, 2019 | Meet the Speakers

Will Dible

"Blurring the Boundaries"

1st Annual TEDxOkoboji Conference // 22 November 2019

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As the day of the TEDx event nears, the emotional roller coaster continues. In each of these days leading up to the talk, I have gone from nervousness, to excitement, to dread, to jubilation and every emotion in-between.  It honestly reminds me of the Maya Angelou quote, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, compassion, some humor, and some style.” This has been the process of preparation for this talk. I don’t want to just survive the talk with little chance of the idea spreading.  Instead, I want the idea to thrive. And to do that, Ryan and I have to approach the talk with passion.    
 
This process leading up to the talk has been very intense.  Consistent practice and revamping of the speech has led to what, I hope, is a clear and concise message of that one “idea worth spreading.”  It is amazing how much thought had to go into each word and the continual revision to determine if the message will truly be understood.  And, further, that the message will be one that resonates with the audience. Throughout, this process has been about feedback, in-depth coaching, more feedback, revision, and even more feedback.  It is coaching and learning at its finest. 
 
The process itself is set up for success. In the week prior to TEDx, I had a conversation with my son’s teacher that clarified this whole process. She started by congratulating me. I honestly thought she was congratulating me about my wife and I expecting another child.  Instead, she said, “I see your TEDx talk is coming up.”  She had no idea I was giving a talk until it came up on social media.  But her final statement was the clincher. “It is so awesome to me that everyday people are the ones doing these talks. It never really hit me until I realized you were one of the presenters. I just can’t get over that.” I think she hit the nail on the head. Ideas worth spreading come from those “everyday people” and the support provided by the organizers, coaches, and other speakers helps give shape to how those ideas can be spread. 
 
This ability to share this joint idea is an amazing blessing.  The emotions that I have felt throughout this process stem from my hope that our message of collaboration can influence even one person who listens to the talk.  I feel that this coaching and process has made me as prepared as I can be and all I can do is wait to see if our passion allows our idea to not just survive–but to thrive. 

Will Dible for TEDxOkoboji's 1st Annual Conference

September 4th, 2019 | Meet the Speakers

Will Dible

"Blurring the Boundaries"

1st Annual TEDxOkoboji Conference // 22 November 2019

Twitter

It started with a thought, a vision, and a big “What if?”  I have been an avid follower of TED Talks since shortly after the advent of their online postings in 2006.  I have been inspired, encouraged, and challenged by TED Talks throughout my professional career. When I had this shared idea, I thought, “What if?”  What if this idea is worth spreading? What if I can help inspire others as I have been inspired? And so, Ryan and I threw our hats into the ring, and that “What if?” became a reality. We became truly blessed to be chosen to speak at TEDxOkoboji.

What did that mean for me?  That meant excitement and loads upon loads of nerves.  With the support and affirmation of our idea, now comes the planning.  How can we articulate this idea with our passion in a way that truly reaches those across our country?  How can we exemplify what our idea of cross community collaboration truly looks like?   

I am hopeful that we can show how even little steps towards this idea make a huge impact, and how this idea can truly change communities and education.

1st Annual TEDxOkoboji Conference // Friday November 22, 2019

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