This past Saturday, the annual TEDxManchester event took place in the city’s Bridgewater Hall. A range of topics were covered by a total of 12 speakers (and 1 ukulele band), with the day split into three sessions. Registration opened as early as 8:30am, as thousands flocked to obtain their signature red lanyards before the talks began at 10:30.
The first block of talks saw five guest speakers give talks in their field of expertise. Opening the day was sustainable financial economist Alex Edmans, who explored the adaptations of business models not just for efficiency, but also for purpose. He explained his theory of the Pie-growing Mindset, which believes that financial surplus should be invested to ‘grow the pie for everyone’ as opposed to being divided up.
Following this, immunologist Jenna Macciochi talked about the way we approach immunity, and how it should be broken down into factors rather than viewed holistically. She examined the components that affect our immune function, such as environmental factors, sleep, diet and gut health, and social interactions. Imagined as dials that can be adjusted, the talk focused on how we can make small adjustments to our lifestyle to increase our immune response. Next up was evolutionary humanist Nichola Raihani, detailing how the idea of the typical nuclear family has evolved over time, and how various other species differ from the human way of child-rearing.
The most interesting talk of the day, however, came from jurassic scientist Dean Lomax. Now, as a lover of all things geological, I am most certainly biassed – but who doesn’t love a good dinosaur?! The talk recounted the story of a recent discovery of a prehistoric sea dragon, also known as the Ichthyosaur. The fossil was found in early 2021 by staff at Rutland nature reserve, as routine maintenance lowered the water levels, in turn exposing the top of some fossilised vertebrae. The staff contacted Lomax, who spent two weeks with his team meticulously extracting the fossil, who identified the ichthyosaur as the largest and most complete skeleton of an ancient marine reptile on record. Excitingly, the fossil will eventually be displayed back on the discovery site in Rutland for public viewing.
The day progressed with another talk, this time from author Oliver Burkeman, who explored the levity and the power that patience can hold. He explained that technology and the modern world have created friction between what we want to happen, and what is actually happening; we have a constant need to try and control time by speeding things up. It is with great discomfort that we must actually relearn the art of patience, and how to utilise it to avoid burnout. During the lunch recess, the speakers held a book signing for all of their respective books in the foyer, offering the opportunity to chat about the contents of the talks and snap some photographs.
Opening the second block of talks, experimental psychologist Charles Spence inspected the ways in which we can alter our lives by changing the sensory environment in which we live and work. This includes changes in temperature, sounds, scents and colours, and in particular detailed a study in which supermarket customers were influenced by the music played in the shop. On the days that the shop played French music, sales in French wines increased – and the same with German music, Italian music, and so on. It was very interesting to hear how easily influenced we are, even on a subconscious level.
Science journalist Helen Pilcher encouraged the crowd to think small, describing how her curious mind collaborated with the removal of her intestinal tumour to inspire research into the tiny inventions that changed the world without any of the acclimation. From the significance of the paperclip to the washer that helped us win the war, she celebrated the miniscule and overlooked with her talk.
Another highlight of the day was the talk given by author Tahmima Anam, who received a standing ovation and whooping applause after her talk on misogyny in the workplace. It was the kind of talk that warranted input from the crowd such as ‘amen!’ and ‘yes!’, as the audience couldn’t contain their vociferous agreement enough. Every single woman in the crowd was nodding ferociously, hanging on her every word, as she implored us to harness the power of silence and practise our ‘resting bitch face’ in order to command the respect we deserve.
A nice little break up in the day was provided with a performance from Ukebox, a ukulele band dead-set on proving that ukulele bands can be taken seriously (without taking themselves seriously at all). They performed an excellent 80s pop medley that had the crowd singing and clapping along, as well as an original song, ‘Data Roaming’, inspired by a member of the band’s great incurred cost after failing to turn off cellular roaming whilst abroad.
Overall, the day contained some incredible, inspiring, and thought provoking talks from professionals across many fields. Whilst there were too many amazing talks to detail everything in this article, it was a fantastic experience, and something that has been on my bucket list for a very long time. I’m eager to get myself to more TEDx events in the future, as the day left me feeling energised and educated. If you want to get in on the action for yourself, you can find out more about TEDx events near you here.
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