Ted Talk Ideas

The TED Talk I would like to give would be either regarding implicit racial biases, female empowerment, or social change. The idea that I would like to be known for as a thought leader is using my personal experiences as a bouncing board to bring positive social change. This ties into my leadership because I would like to be an empathetic leader and someone that is focused on the betterment of humanity.

My first idea is speaking about racial biases and colorism, and how that implicitly impacts self confidence and willingness to speak out. I would speak about my experience being a Muslim-American girl and seeing people discriminate based on the color of your skin. It is important to make others aware of how this impacts their peers, and encouraging others to have an open mind. I would also illustrate the importance of diversity of thought and background in the workplace and the basis for creating innovation. I believe in leadership that includes and values everyone is the future of successful business.

My second idea for a TED Talk would be talking about my own experience feeling singled out working in a team with all males. Women constantly face the imposter syndrome and feel the need to change who they are to feel part of a team, while that should not be the face. I would mention some pressing statistics of how few women are able to take on leadership roles as a direct result of gender biases and making it almost impossible for women to climb up the corporate ladder. I would speak about my passion for gender equity in the workforce and pushing to empower other females as the only way to push forward with this historical issue.

My ideas for bringing social change would stem from witnessing first hand how much not only people in underdeveloped countries need assistance, but also those less fortunate in our communities. While we may be so focused on small problems in our own lives, I want to commit to creating big, positive change in your lifetime — and giving back more to the world than you take from it.