“Events like TEDx remind us how to listen and engage in constructive debate.”

This year’s theme is: “Changing Perspectives.” What led you to choose this theme? 

Maëlle Goubert:  We took the time to really reflect so that, together as a team, we could come up with a shared idea.
When we ultimately settled on a topic, what pleased us most was that it resonated differently with each of us: it made one of us think of changing careers, for another it was more about changing methods, and for another, it was something entirely different. Another idea we had was “changing perceptions,” but we felt the term “perception” was more ambiguous. Whereas changing perspectives conjures up ideas of horizons to be explored… For example, for me, changing perspectives necessarily involved artistic perspectives (photography, drawing, etc.)—I thought it would be exciting to get out of our academic world and try a new frame of reference! The least that can be said is that this approach has offered us a way of accessing other “worlds” that definitely aren’t part of our normal curriculum. 

Marie Francisco: We wanted to bring different ideas together in harmony, so we needed to choose a broad enough topic to interest the largest possible audience—that was at the back of all of our minds. 
For me, this theme was all about changing approaches and objectives.During our brainstorming sessions, it made me think of one person in particular, the urban planning architect Marc Verdier, who I had met while working on a student project in Nancy last year, and who had just blown us all away with the approach to things he encouraged us to adopt. As a teacher, he told us that he encouraged his students to not hesitate to adopt a utopian vision when designing their projects—not so much with the idea of actually turning reality into a utopia, but instead trying to get as close as possible to it: changing things, bit by bit, to move society forward. But how can you make people truly eager for change? That’s why I thought a lot about him for this year’s TEDx.

M.G.: And she talked to us about him so much that I’m sure it had something to do with us choosing this theme! (Laughing) 

Can you tell us a little more about the program? Who are the speakers? 

M.F.: Eight TED talks are scheduled for the evening, with an intermission/cocktail dinner after the first four talks and a dessert buffet after the last four. The idea is to offer an opportunity for speakers and audience members to meet and talk in a convivial setting. The talks will shine a spotlight on a selection of enlightening speakers from a variety of backgrounds. Attendees will get to hear Khaked Miloudi, a former prisoner who is now a poet, tell his story. They will also hear Lili-Mouillard-Lample, a student completing a dual master’s degree program at AgroParisTech and Sciences Po Paris, offer insight into women’s self-censorship. Other speakers include urban planning architect Marc Verdier, artist Renald Zapata, and biotech startup cofounder Eden Banon-Lagrange.

It takes organization to hold this kind of event. How does your team work? 

M.F.: Maëlle, Alice, and I are part of the “Organizing Team” (I’m President; Maëlle is VP, and Alice is treasurer). We are sort of like the project coordinators. Our job is to make sure everything runs smoothly. Then there’s a “Sponsors Team” that is responsible for finding partners, and a “Logistics Team” that handles the buffets and video recording (both teams are run by Bastien, Eldin, Héloïse, and Léonie). The “Publicity Team” (Lisa and Manon), which is responsible for publicizing and getting the word out about the event, also works closely with the “Speakers Team” (Alexis, Bastien, and Manon), who create and maintain ties with all of our speakers (reminders, appointments for media training, etc.).  
We also work with Layla, who has coached the speakers since the very first TEDxAgroParisTech. We rely a lot on her, because she has the most insight into how the event has been prepared over the years.

M.G.: The most important thing? Communication. It’s essential! We organize weekly meetings to allow us to forge ahead together, as a team. We communicate a lot with one another, and we’ve come to realize just how important this is. I would also add that there’s the “Eco-Event Team,” which I’m responsible for. The goal is to make the event as environmentally responsible as we can to earn the Ecofest label. 

Why did you choose to take part in an organization like this one? What has it taught you, and would you like for it to teach you? 

M.G.: I’ve spent a lot of time watching TEDx talks because I find the format interesting. These events allow us to promote dialogue by sparking debate while encouraging open-mindedness and empathy, which is made possible by the fact that it isn’t hard to identify with what each speaker is saying. These are key values for our society. It also teaches us how to listen, because for 15 minutes, you have to listen to what someone else is saying before going on to engage in debate. 
What has it taught me personally? I wanted to take part in a unique interpersonal experience, and I got all that and more! And it’s also worth noting that it has been a fairly good professional experience, too (making compromises, listening to others, managing teams, etc.). 

 M.F.: I agree, it put us in real-life situations: how do you manage a project, or manage a team? We are responsible for the cohesiveness of the group. It means that we have had to learn to be attentive to our teams to help meet their needs and find solutions when necessary. It’s excellent practice! And I also agree with what was said in terms of interpersonal experience: there are people who we had already met last year, but who, thanks to TEDxAgroParisTech, we have now really gotten to know, and that’s so great. 
If you want to know everything, I accidentally discovered TEDx talks when I came along with a friend for last year’s seventh annual event, and it was a revelation for me! I was just absolutely drawn in by the speakers and their talks. It was great—you could see the team from last year thoroughly enjoying themselves as they presented the talks. There was a real feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie.  

I wanted to be a part of that, so I signed up this year. To conclude: give yourself the chance to be drawn in—come to our event next Thursday evening!