TEDx Exeter: the art of the possible
The art of the possible. Not a phrase you necessarily expect to hear on your typical Friday in the office. But this wasn’t a typical Friday and, along with some of our clients and friends, we had left the office behind for the day.
On April 5th 2019, as part of our commitment to supporting innovation, new ideas and continuous self-improvement, Egremont Group were one of the sponsors of TEDxExeter. We’re so proud to have supported the event since its inception in 2011. Over the years it has come to be considered the number one TEDx event in Europe. Tickets for the event sold out within ten minutes of going on sale.
For those of us lucky enough to have tickets, as well as those watching via livestream from all over the world, it was a thought-provoking day. Nigel Watson, Group Director of Information Services at Northumbrian Water and the organiser of their Innovation Festival reflected that the day was “truly inspiring and uplifting in equal measure”.
The stories and insights reflected on themes including creativity, collaboration, courage, and simply what it is to be human. All of the talks are now available to watch on TEDxExeter’s YouTube channel.
Below we share our team’s perspectives on two of the day’s talks that gave us particular food for thought.
Jess Pepperell and Izzy Clarkson
“We could see that this system was broken, and we were determined to fix it”
Jess and Izzy spoke about taking part in the National Citizen Service and how they left their comfort zones, faced the fear, formed friendships, and ultimately worked with their team to come up with a simple but effective solution to encourage food bank donations in supermarkets. Their concept has helped to feed a million families nationwide.
“I know most of our clients who attended this talk were really struck by how incredible it was to hear about two young people looking at a problem with clean eyes and determination to come up with such a simple and obvious answer, when so many others had missed it completely. These two young women were able to focus on the key problems facing foodbanks really quickly and create an elegant solution that was easily scalable. And they were able to tell their story to a large crowd in an engaging, powerful way. They are an inspiration to us.”
Sean Connolly, CEO
“civility is the difference between ok and great”
Chris Turner is the founder of Civility Saves Lives, which aims to raise awareness of the power of civility in Healthcare. The room fell silent as he described the way that incivility can impact performance and risk lives in the sector. And while most of us don’t have day-jobs which involve life-or-death stakes, there was an air of reflection in the room as the audience considered the parallels with experiences of their own and the impact we might have (or not) without even knowing it.
“This was one of my favourite talks, a very simple message with a powerful impact. Chris’s personal and relatable storytelling style created an instant connection with his message, it made me reflect on the potential impact I could have by making seemingly small changes. Remembering to put people at the heart of our interactions and experiences is so important in driving successful performance: for us as individuals, as a team here at EG, and for our clients as they work towards their goals.”
Hannah Crossley – Principal
So. Maybe the art of the possible should form part of a typical Friday in (or out) of the office more often?
It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. But it’s important to take time out to challenge our own thinking every now and then. We came away energised with new ideas and approaches for work and home.
We work side by side with clients to identify and break through the barriers holding them back from meeting their goals and to design creative solutions with real sustainable impact.
What is the art of the possible for you and your company?
To find out more please get in touch / +44 (0) 20 7298 7878
