Dustin Hogan teaches Public Speaking and Electronic Music at BrainBoost. He has helped many students find their words, but students aren?t the only benefactors of Justin?s skills.
On October 24th 2014 two of my mentors asked if I would help them organize the 2015 TEDxStanleyPark event. After some deliberation I agreed and jumped in with both feet! I knew I would learn a lot and have many breakthroughs and even some breakdowns. But as much as I thought, ?I knew,? the truth is that I had no idea! It was transformational beyond belief.
I was brought on to help coach and develop 2 of the speakers, organize the entertaining acts throughout the day, write some original music for the transitions and also coordinate a last minute addition of video mapping performance. It was a full plate but I felt lucky because it allowed me to see the event through many different sets of eyes.
Over 7 months we had 5 grueling rehearsals, hundreds of emails, hundreds of hours working with the speakers to rewrite, revise and make their message and delivery crystal clear. Our goal was to make the event legendary. We wanted the talks to be of such high quality that they truly had the power to create a planetary shift. 5 of the 13 talks received full standing ovations with many of the other talks receiving partial standing ovations – a result of the hard work all the speakers and the entire team put into crafting world-class talks. ?
This process wasn?t without roadblocks. People disagreed, tempers bubbled over and things changes. I developed more confidence and patience as I had to find my voice and speak up, and also tend to the needs of speakers, performers and other team members.
On the day of the event, seeing a team of almost 50 ensuring a smooth running operation was nothing short of spectacular. It was a sellout day with 450 smiling guests. The talks moved us to tears, filled us with laughter and shifted many of our limiting beliefs. I have been encouraged to develop my TEDx talk for submission next year but only time will tell if I hit the stage in 2016 or in the future.
Onstage or backstage, I will be involved in TEDxStanleyPark 2016. We are moving to a bigger venue that seats over 2500 people, and I look forward to the challenges and growth that will come from stepping it up. I encourage everyone to attend TEDxStanleyPark 2016; it is an experience that is worth its weight in gold!
– Dustin Hogan