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TEDxSunValley-The Back Story
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Sunday, September 17, 2017
 

STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Narda Pitkethly caught her breath as she opened the email.

“Oh no! What have I done!?” she exclaimed, breaking into tears.

The letter informed her that she had been accepted as a speaker in the second annual TEDxSunValley, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Sun Valley Opera House.

And therein began the agony and the odyssey.

The 15 speakers who will take the stage this week have spent nearly three months in speech making boot camp, their speeches consuming every waking thought. Now, with six days to go, they have mere hours to polish and memorize the words that have made the cut.

Given her tremendous fear of speaking in public, Pitkethly applied to TEDxSunValley only at the urging of friends. Answering the submission questions about the topic she’d like to discuss and why she felt qualified to speak about it was easy enough.

Still, looking over the timeline that TEDxSunValley founders Aimee Christensen and Kim Castellano had provided with their acceptance email seemed overwhelming. But, the TED team assured her they would hold her hand all the way to the edge of the stage.

“I knew I had an idea worth spreading and needed to step into my fear,” she said.

Many of those who attended last year’s inaugural TEDxSunValley had expected to find, simply, a podium on stage and, maybe, a screen for speakers to show a few images.

They were blown away to find a stage that had been transformed by giant TEDxSunValley lettering, colorful purple bunting and a yellow ring representing the sun in recognition of the setting. And they were treated to a performance that was every bit as entertaining as it was informative.

The road to Saturday’s TEDxSunValley started on July 10 when the chosen met as a group for the first of several workshops. There, Lexi Praggastis, Courtney Hamilton and Aimee Christensen gave them some tips for how to structure their script.  

In subsequent meetings speakers got feedback from coaches and one another as they shared their work. And they received suggestions for how to improve their visuals.

Pitkethly first outlined a speech about the problem of illiteracy in the United States. Then she reshaped it to talk about why the problem exists and her solution at the coaches’ recommendation.And at their bequest, she added a story.

Ken Lewis helped her cut out every unneeded word so she could get the speech under nine minutes.

Actress Patsy Wygle showed her how to stand, where to put her hands and how to speak with confidence.

Erica Linson gave her several exercises to help quell the butterflies in her stomach, such as feeling her feet on the floor, creating a connection from the base of her spine to the center of the earth and creating and destroying a mental symbol of her anxiety to let it transform.

“I’ve probably made changes every other day,” said Pitkethly. “And the speaker meetings have lessened my fear of speaking in front of an audience without notes.”

Pitkethly says her speech out loud the moment she wakes up every morning. As soon as dinner’s over she retreats to the bathroom to say it in front of the mirror before crawling into bed at 8 where she reads and rereads the script.

She’s reserved the lecture room at Community Library nearly every day in hopes she could entice at least one person to listen to her speech. And she rented the theater at Community Campus for friends to hear her.

Fred Burmester quit work during the month of September so he could accompany her on hikes where she could practice her speech. And he built a podium for her so she could try the speech out before the local Toastmasters.

“My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest that night. I thought I was going to pass out,” said Pitkethly. “But I remembered my breathing and visual exercises and I got through.”

Some of those at Toastmasters found themselves so caught up in her presentation that they said the illustrative words that crossed the screen right along with Pitkethly. A couple cried as they watched a short video depicting the joy of a young boy learning to read after teachers had told his parents he might never learn to do so.

And others who had heard her how she used Japanese symbols to teach English- and Spanish-speaking people how to read before said they had never heard it as clear and concise as it was that night.

“I’m amazed at my brain’s ability to memorize,” beamed Pitkethly. “I have not stretched it this much since college—and that was years ago. I’ve learned more about who I am by stepping forward and facing my fear than I could have believed.”

As Saturday nears, Pitkethly says she has the script down pat in her head. But she has never yet been able to get out every single word perfectly. And that’s tough for a perfectionist.

“But the work sessions have been insightful. And the feedback from the other speakers has been priceless in developing my idea worth spreading,” she said. “I am more than hopeful. I am excited. I am so proud of this talk that a team has created. I will be a successful delivery woman of a message for our community.”

IF YOU GO…

This year’s speakers include Dale Bates, Cody Lee, Deborah Brosnana, Kevin Cahill, Pirie Grossman, Todd Mitchem, Gerry Moffatt, Nadia Novik, Terry O’Connor, Narda Pitkethly, Annie Pokorny, Kate Riley, Paul Shapiro, Jody Stanislaw and Hayley Stuart.

They will focus on a broad range of topics including the importance of human and animal relationships,  innovative approaches to mental health and how to handle life’s transitions.

Tickets for TEDxSunValley are going fast but are available, said Aimee Christensen. Every attendee will receive a gift bag full of gifts, including a half-price day ski pass on Baldy.

Those who buy VIP tickets for reserved seating up front will allow organizers to offer scholarships to those who could not otherwise participate.

Tickets can be purchased at http://TEDxSunValley.com. Those who would like to volunteer or sponsor the event can find more information on the website.

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