The TEDxGrandForks Open Mic Night was meant to find one final speaker for the February event showcasing lectures on diverse topics.
But spectators' votes were so close they picked two.
Out of the nine speakers who shared two-minute previews of their TED talks in Fire Hall Theatre Friday, Barry Striegel and Tamarah Gehlen will move on to speak at the full TEDxGrandForks event at the Empire Arts Center Feb. 7.
TEDx events are local spin-offs of the international TED organization, which presents "TED Talks," or short speeches on "ideas worth spreading," often focusing on innovation.
Striegel's talk, "Cowpreneurs: Lessons from a Pasture Classroom in Opportunity Recognition, Risk and Reward," garnered laughs and applause from the audience of about 35 Friday as the speaker briefly shared what his experiences working with cattle have taught him.
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"I watched cows teach their calves to go under fences," Striegel said. "The fence is a perception."
And how does that apply to classrooms? "Most of our classrooms have fences around them," Striegel said.
As Striegel was about to make his point, he was cut off by the two-minute time limit -- leaving the audience waiting for February.
Preview
Gehlen's talk, "Hanging Up the Cape: Overcoming Superwoman Syndrome," will share 12 truths to uproot the common view of beauty bringing success.
She introduced herself as "pleasantly plump, well-rounded, and yes, even the F-word: fat." She said too many people, men and women, are "fat-shaming" themselves.
"You can't do that," Gehlen said. People need to "live and learn and judge on concepts of character," she said.
The other talk previews also received applause and laughter from the audience, including Jill Bitker's talk about using fear as motivation, Sheila Swenson's about "Raising a Healthy Kid" and Lorenzo Serna's about his experiences working on Occupy Wall Street.
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Becca Grandstrand, one of the TEDxGrandForks organizers and emcee for the open mic, said the vote was very close.
After the winners were announced, TEDxGrandForks tickets went on sale.
The open mic night was only "a small taste of the TEDx spirit," Grandstrand said.
The full event will also feature Dave Batcheller of software company Appareo System speaking on corporate development, former assistant secretary of the Navy and consultant Carolyn H. Becraft speaking about leadership, Cedars-Sinai cardiologist Timothy Henry on interventional cardiology, actor Mark J. Lindquist on entertainment and entrepreneurship, designer Anna Hovet on fashion and entrepreneurship, and teacher Diana Laufenberg on experimental education.
On the Web: www.tedxgrandforks.com .
Call Haley at (701) 780-1102; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1102; or send email to chaley@gfherald.com .
