In this guide, we will be covering what you can do to make sure your day goes as positive as possible, what you can do to pick yourself up after a stressful day, and the importance of a day plan so you can feel great after a long day of work.

Diversity: Not all people work the same job

Before we get into this guide it is important to know that not all people work the same job. We all have different professions and each job has its pros and cons in terms of how well you can manage your life inside of work. For example, it may be a lot harder/easier for someone in fast food to manage certain aspects of their life over a person who is in an office environment.

That is life, we all have a different position in society and it is important that we learn how to adapt to the jobs we work in so we can live and function with clarity.

It is also important to note that we shouldn’t make excuses for why we can’t improve our mental health, blaming it on our profession or lack of support. Anyone can improve aspects in their life in an effort to feel better. Although there may not be any help right in front of you to aid with your problems, all it takes is a little effort and all of your answers will be there.

Mental Health Services:

• Family or Friends
• Colleagues or Managers
• Hospital or Psychiatrists
• A Mental Health Helpline

It is vital to not only know your ways of help but to think about them often. A great way of managing this specifically is by thinking to yourself often if you need to consult someone about how you feel and if you need it then going to find that support is the next best thing.

Preparation, Routine, Execution

There are three things that you need to keep in mind daily in order to manage your mental health problems. These three things are:

Preparation

If you are never prepared for your day then you will always live with a sense of uncertainty and that is where a lot of mental health conditions begin, notably anxiety and depression.

All it takes is 15 minutes every day to plan what you are going to be doing the next day. There is no need to be afraid of detailing your day and If something happens which throws you off your plan then there is no need to worry. You can always replan the day again whether that be mentally or physically.

There is a famous Sun Tzu quote “Every battle is won before it is ever fought” from his book “the art of war”. This quote doesn’t just apply to war, It also applies very well to real-life scenarios and thus makes it an Important quote to remember for life.

Routine

The next thing which is important to keep a positive attitude towards work is routine. As human creatures we are historically “routine machines” and running a routine can help you automate your life thus making it easier to live with yourself. 

It is also important to have a healthy routine in life. It is unhealthy to bring drinking beer into your morning routine but you should focus more on doing something like cutting out your alarm clock as done by Jeff Bezos and more.

Execution

The last but most important part of your life is execution. When completing actions, whether it is as simple as laying your bed to completing a big task at work you should always execute your task properly. This doesn’t just mean that you need to do everything perfectly because that is not how life works at all. We all make mistakes, so we should thrive on them. Be as confident as possible with every action you take in your life and complete tasks with intent. Give yourself a meaning to wake up every morning and get ready.

Mental Health Help

Mental Health Helplines (UK)

Samaritans | www.samaritans.org | 116 123

Mind | www.mind.org.uk | 0300 123 3393

Rethink | www.rethink.org | 0300 5000 927

Papyrus | www.papyrus-uk.org | 0800 068 4141

Mental Health Helplines (US)

MHA | www.mhanational.org | 1-800-273-8255

SAMHSA | https://www.samhsa.gov | 1-877-726-4727

The post A TedX Guide to improving mental health at work appeared first on TEDx Doncaster.

TEDx Doncaster works with some of the finest public and motivational speakers in South Yorkshire, combining the knowledge of our illustrious speakers and organisers, we’re delighted to offer tips on how you can become a motivational speaker.

How to Start a Career as a Motivational Speaker

The thought of standing on stage in front of a sea of unfamiliar faces might seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, there are key strategies that you can follow to start, enhance and maintain your public speaking career.

Highlight Your Area of Expertise 

What are your strongest areas? Think about what your deepest passions are and create an idea about how you can make them unique. Doing this will help you outline the key factors that you’ll talk about during speeches.

If you’re passionate about your local community and have a deep-rooted personal connection to your hometown then this would be an excellent area of expertise to focus on.

You could even narrow it down further and appeal to a more niche demographic. For example, you could combine your knowledge of local culture with a sector you’ve worked in. You could harness knowledge from both areas and present an elegant speech on industry in your area.

Identify Your Target Audience

Now that figuring out the finer details of your speech are out of the way, you can start to think about your target audience. Asking questions such as what age are the people who need to hear this message, what they do for a living and where they are from are all excellent areas to gather important information.

Once you’ve defined your audience, you’ll feel a lot more confident in delivering a great speech. This derives from our fears of the unknown and once you’ve got some need-to-know information on those sitting in front of you, you’ll know exactly what to say and what not to say.

Gain Some Important Motivational Speaking Skills

So, you know your audience and you’ve got a clear idea of what you’re going to say. But do you know how you’re going to execute your speech?

Practice is essential and teaching yourself how to structure and articulate your speech is even more important.

There are hundreds of TED Talks available to watch online, these are a great source of knowledge and shared learning, and if you pay close attention you can see the characteristics that make a strong public speaker. You can use the techniques featured in these talks to your advantage by adding them to your arsenal of motivational speaking weaponry.

You should consider taking external public speaking classes to improve your skills even further. There are a range of courses available that can help you better understand your communication skills and teach you how to overcome that rush of overwhelming nervousness you may experience before stepping into the spotlight.

The post 3 Tips For Becoming a Motivational Speaker appeared first on TEDx Doncaster.

If you find it difficult to stand up in front of a crowd and take their imaginations by storm with a mesmerising speech, don’t worry you are far from alone. 

However, help is on the way for even the most anxious people. In this article, we’re going to discuss how you can become a new and improved public speaker with the very best advice from TED experts and TEDx Doncaster.

So without further ado, lets begin.

Public Speaking Success Comes From Knowing Your Audience

This does not mean that you need to have a personal rapport with everyone in the room, it does in fact mean that you should know some key factors about the audience. If you know who they are, what they want and what they need to know then you will be able to focus on your speech more effectively, hone in on relevant details and deliver the information people want to hear.

Having a fundamental understanding of your audience allows you to determine which fragments of content appeal to the audience. For example, do you need to be data focused or should you focus on sharing inspirational stories? 

This might mean you have room to introduce props to your speech, whether that be a few slides to back up data or some weird and wacky toys to accompany your tales of adventure. Just make sure that it holds relevance.

Good Public Speaking Means Practice, Practice and Practice Some More

Grab a hold of your hairbrush and go and stand in front of the mirror, don’t leave until you’ve got your lines ingrained into your mind. Practicing in advance is one of the most important steps in giving a great presentation or speech, even the head of TED says so.

Simply transferring the words from inside your head to our in the open is enough to build your confidence, by the time it comes to performing on stage the words will roll off your tongue. 

It also helps if you have someone to practise in front of, this can help break down that initial fear of performance anxiety so grab your mum, your brother, a friend or a complete stranger and drown them with words.

Practicing your speech slowly is another technique used by public speakers – this will teach you how to control the tempo of your speech as well as practicing with and without your notes so that when the time comes, you have the ability to gaze into the audience and occasionally make eye contact with the audience.

Prepare For a Successful Demonstration

Once you feel comfortable with the content in your speech, you’ll need to prepare yourself and the audience for the moment of truth. 

Many public speakers advise taking a glass of water out with you on stage. Stage fright can take away your ability to even breath and having a sip of water can help you regain focus on the task at hand. 

It is advised that you take some notes to accompany your speech, this will help you keep on track. A trick of the trade is to use a font that is big enough to read while holding the paper away from your face – the last thing your audience wants to see if you bury your head into a page of notes, it takes away from the authenticity of a speech.

Give your audience the chance to digest your speech by concentrating on speaking slowly. You rarely hear any complaints about speakers proceeding to slowly, on the other hand, speakers who rush through their speech seem to leave their guests feeling dissatisfied.

Another pro tip, ask your friends and family to coordinate their seating arrangements so that you can notice them during the presentation. Seeing a smile from a loved one can be enough to reassure you that you’re doing great.

If all else fails, just picture everyone naked.

The post TEDx Doncaster Guide to Great Public Speaking appeared first on TEDx Doncaster.

In this article we’ll look at some of the core reasons why individuals across the world sign up to become motivational speakers, the perks of the job and how to apply.

Why Become a Motivational Speaker?

 A career in motivational speaking can be highly rewarding. Helping others through tough situations, educating the masses and constantly evolving your personal portfolio of knowledge along the way are just a fragment of the benefits intertwined with motivational speaking.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you to apply to speak, motivational speakers can inspire generations of people that possess a hunger to learn. If you believe that you have a talent for public speaking, and have incredible tales and stories worth sharing then apply to speak today!

Motivational Speakers are Always Evolving 

Each motivational speaker has a message that they seek to spread. Whether it relates to the tech industry, owning a farm or simply waking up in the morning, your job is to share your passion, your story and your vision with others.

Motivational speakers find satisfaction in their work by evoking emotion in their audiences, an emotion strong enough to make people want to change their habits. Speakers are often thanked for their help in getting people to give up smoking, strive for a better career path and find a new sense of self belief.

Along the way, you’ll see the ways in which your message resonates with different audiences. With this, you’ll be able to see the different effects it has and if the message needs to be adapted to help further people’s horizons. As well as adapting your methods, you get to learn about the lives you are changing, hearing first-hand how your insights have helped improve living and professional situations.

Over time, you’ll start to develop new skills in the way you teach, and in the way you deliver a speech. Understanding which speaking tips work and which do not are essential developmental ideas that allow motivational speakers to grow.

Motivational Speaking is a Satisfying Career Path

The most successful motivational speakers are founded upon and cemented by subjects that they are truly passionate about. If you decide to present a speech to an audience regarding a subject that has no place in your heart, your audience will see right through your story and perceive it as nothing more than a hollow tale.

Speakers who are adept within their fields tend to get paid a satisfactory sum, and gain access to the best opportunities available.

5 TEDx Application Tips

These killer tips are used by speakers to increase their chances of getting noticed and accepted by TEDx organisers :

1. Have Your Speech Ready Before You Apply

Having a prepared speech will make a huge difference to the process of your application. If you have an idea of what you’re going to tap about or -better yet- what your message is going to be, it makes the application easier to fill and you’ll find that your focus is spent on expression rather than trying to come up with ideas.

TEDx events tend to choose speeches that relate to innovative ideas, social change and unique personal stories.

2. Make Your Title Stand Out 

Imagine seeing an event advertised as “Research Findings”. A title under this moniker is almost a certain guarantee to turn people away. The best way to entice your audience is with a juicy title, something intriguing, cool and interesting.

3. Be Clear, But Be Concise 

Your idea might be wonderful, but can you portray that idea coherently in a short number of words? TEDx applications require all of your brilliant ideas to be explained in 300 characters, which is around the 85 word mark. 

4. Outlining Your Speech

You may be required to outline your speech when you apply to speak. What this means is that a bullet point type format is required to summarise the main points of your speech. This helps the organisers understand the ebb and flow, transition and delivery of your speech.

TEDx receives hundreds of applications, many of which repeat the same content formats. By creating an outline, you’re answering the organiser’s questions right at the very beginning.

5. Know Your Favourite TED Talks

A regular question in the TEDx application form prompts applicants to list their favourite TED Talk with a description of why they value it. By searching the hundreds of TED Talks available, you can discover which ones resonate with you.

Ready to Apply?

TEDx and TEDx Doncaster are always on the lookout for talented individuals who have a passion for public speaking. If you have innovative ideas, thought provoking stories and life changing advice then fill out one of our application forms.

The post How to Apply to be a Motivational Speaker appeared first on TEDx Doncaster.

It’s important to avoid promotion of products or people at TED talks, as their main function should be to inspire, not sell. By following these strict rules, TEDx events can provide wisdom to the town in which they are located and isn’t just seen as a gimmick to promote and sell products. TED has always had the vision that technology and knowledge can be combined in order to expand the horizons and minds of all kinds of people. We need to honour this, and therefore, rules must be followed. Read our latest article surrounding naming and branding below

Naming

TED events can concern a topic of your choice, though there are limits. TED talks usually encompass a topic that has significant meaning, such as the human condition, climate change and technological advancement. With TEDx, your events are targeted at the communities in a specific town. For example, we are named TEDxDoncaster because that’s where we’re located. All TEDx brands should be named in association with their audience, but there are a list of instances that your events cannot be named after. 

You must always refer to the event in your branding, for example, on logos or in copy. You should avoid referring to your event as simply “TEDx.” TED should always be capitalised with the “x” non-capitalised. This is enforced in order to keep the events uniform and in line with TED guidelines, but you have more freedom with your content!

Branding

When communicating the details of your event, you should always make clear that it is on brand with TEDx, not TED. Although they’re the same in theory, TEDx applies simply to the cities and towns of which it is targeted. You should avoid communicating that “TED is coming to my city,” as the TEDx brand is the staple. You are an organiser of a TEDx event, not an employee, and that should be made clear. Your TEDx logo should be used in place of the traditional TED logo, and all other individuals involved in the organisation of the event should follow these guidelines too.

You should also avoid co-branding with your TEDx event; this is in the same ballpark as content. No other organisation, whether it be commercial or non-profit, should be associated with the TEDx branding. Your event is entirely your own, and although you are allowed sponsors, you cannot thank external organisations for the structure and order of the event.

Your TEDx event is bound to be an insightful and exciting event, full of knowledge and opinions that set out to influence and inspire. If you would like to volunteer with us, please get in touch today by filling out our online form.

The post TEDx Rules; Naming and Branding your Event appeared first on TEDx Doncaster.

Here at TEDxDoncaster, we aim to do just that. By providing an array of viewpoints and lived experiences to the people of the local community, you are giving education and a sense of growth to people across the town. Some people are stuck in their ways, so encouraging them to listen to other people’s viewpoints can broaden their horizons and allow them to gain vital experience. Read our article below to see how you can organise your own TED event today.

Pick and Name and Apply for a License

First and foremost, all events need to begin with TEDx followed by the town or city you are hosting from, for instance, TEDxDoncaster. Your name should focus around the town you’re hosting from, showcasing local ideas to let other communities know why you’re taking the stage on a global platform. This also allows the local community to engage with the event, as it relates to them personally and can help in garnering attention or the event. It could be named after a particular area in the town that citizens will find meaningful. There are certain topics that the event cannot be named after, such as countries or location nicknames. The full list can be found here.

Before you get your license, your event must be named, and you must have read the rules and chosen an event type. These can range from standard events to studio and university ones. Each event will require a different license, which you will need to apply for.

The Basics

Once you’ve named your event and chosen the type you’re looking to host, there are other factors you need to consider. First of all, make sure you apply early. It’s better to start planning your event months in advance, as you’ll need a minimum of three months to plan the event after your license has been approved. TEDx application processes can also take up to eight weeks, but after this, you will have a whole 12 months to organise your event!

It’s then time to start planning the event from start to finish. Who will be speaking? What topics will you cover? How long will each speaker have? There are numerous things to consider when planning a TEDx event, so it’s much better to be organised and have a solid plan. Consider what the world could discover from your community, and what local issues have yet to be discussed. Also, make sure there’s enough diversity in your speakers to spark conversation in a range of viewpoints.

Resources

If you’re organising an event and would like advice from other event organisers with experience, you can join the collaborative learning hub, which can be found here. Each event is different, and so are your audience. You need to make sure that the resources and activities are suitable to their tastes and preferences. By following the link above, you can find resources for all kinds of events.

Here at TEDxDoncaster, we are dedicated to bringing different voices and viewpoints to Doncaster, and giving the town a chance to advertise itself on a global platform. If you would like more information, please visit us here.

The post Preparing to Host a TEDx Event appeared first on TEDx Doncaster.

At TEDx talks, there are a range of topics up for discussion; human rights, life skills, lived experiences plus more discussion points that aren’t off-limits. However, when it comes to content, there are certain rules everyone must follow in order to present information in an ethical way. Everyone should follow the content guidelines, and you should aim to avoid divisive talks. Read on to find out what you should keep in mind when planning to make a TED talk. 

Talking Science? Make Sure it’s Factual

Of course, we all have freedom of speech and are entitled to our own opinions. Here at TEDxDoncaster, we fully believe in sharing your experiences and thoughts with a wider audience, but when it comes to scientific claims, there needs to be an element of objectivity and fact. Our platforms encourage the spread of scientific advances that are backed by research, and all information being broadcast should have been fact-checked. 

Speakers should avoid misusing scientific language and making false claims, as this can be damaging to the local community and their perceptions. When signing up to speak at a TEDx event and discussing scientific content; always make sure the content is accurate, and not based upon false information. 

Avoid Topics That Can Cause “Us vs. Them” Conversations

TEDx talks will never follow a political agenda, and we always advise our guest speakers to respect that. Talks can be thought-provoking and engaging without feeling the need to cause conflict amongst listeners. Talks should avoid presenting “inflammatory political or religious agendas” and should never set out to ridicule or insult a specific person or group of people.

Here at TEDxDoncaster, we aim to build communities and allow them to experience new points-of-view, not divide or alienate them. All talks should be fair, and their aim should be to educate and enlighten, not cause unresolvable tension.

No Promotion of Commercial Products

Fancy promoting your new book, business or general product? TED talks are not the place to do this. Although you may want to advertise your product or service, and it may be an exceptional idea, TED talks are designed for the purpose of providing invigorating discussions and experiences. 

Talks may only feature technology or product demonstrations that back up an idea presented in a talk. TED is never used as an advertisement platform, only for interesting topics and thought-provoking narratives that can influence and shape a person’s mind. Here at TEDxDoncaster, we plan to host a range of talks and events aimed at invigorating the minds of the people of Doncaster, with the idea that knowledge really is power.

Avoid Copyrighted Material

All talks must be completely your own and they must not be plagiarised from any existing content out there. If you plan on using third-party material, you must inform the guests beforehand, and get express permission from the original creator of the material. There are some special permissions you need in order to use copyrighted material; specifically aimed at making sure the talk is legal and above board. 

You can view TEDx’s copyright guidelines in order to take you through the whole process before you begin your talk. Here at TEDxDoncaster, we believe in providing everyone with a platform to discuss engaging topics and help the community gain a broader perspective. However, there needs to be limits and rules in place to ensure a fair environment. Feel like getting involved? Visit us here to present your vision or perspective to the people of Doncaster.

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