TEDx's excellent adventure

Another departure from the traditional 18-minute TED talk: Orlando's talks are mostly under 12 minutes. This allows the flow of ideas to shift more quickly and eliminates the stress of any talk going on for longer than the audience is engaged by it.

The Caseys worked with this year's speakers for months, involving late rehearsals and surprising thought evolutions. Although TED throws the bulk of its weight behind the ideas that come from its stages, it's the person behind the idea who Jenny thinks should be the real point of interest.

"Part of the process of developing the talk is trying to move the speaker to the point where they're going to connect intimately with the audience," Jenny says. "We are trying to provide a talk that sort of encapsulates a really intriguing idea. But the presentation is really about … a chance to connect with the person who has that idea."

This distinction is perhaps the most poignant when considering the looming question many have regarding TED-mania: What happens when we run out of things to say? Jenny's answer is as honest as it is ominous: We stop talking. The TED brand and its progeny may not always have a place in popular society. But tell that to a diehard TEDhead, and you might as well be talking to the wall.

TEDxOrlando

1-6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13

Garden Theatre

160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden

407-877-4736

tedxorlando.com

$75

2012 TEDxOrlando Speakers

Chris Castro: humanitarian
co-founder of UCF's IDEAS; youth delegate for the National Wildlife Federation; recipient of White House Champions of Change award

Ian Cole: strategist, marketer and maker
vice president at Starwood Vacation Ownership; co-organizer of Orlando Mini Maker Faire; active in Longwood hackerspace FamiLAB

Scott Gass: zoologist
director of Zoological Communications and Interpretation at SeaWorld; avid snorkeler

Jonathon Gosier: software developer
senior TED fellow; founder and product director at MetaLayer.com; designer and inventor

Wae Nelson: publisher and horticulturalist
former aerospace engineer; publisher of Florida Gardening magazine; advocates biochar, a technique that enriches soil and sequesters carbon

Mary Nichols: radio, mixtape and club DJ
writer on music of the African diaspora; founder of syndicated Fuse Box Radio Broadcast

Amy O'Rourke: gerontologist, entrepreneur
advocate for the elderly and their families

Amy Selikoff: teacher, athlete
teaches seventh grade; competes in roller derby

Eddie Selover: marketing communications expert
organizer and host of PechaKucha Orlando

Karen Tilstra: innovation expert
co-founder and director of Florida Hospital's Innovation Lab; owner of eclectic pets

Brian Uzzi: professor of leadership at Kellogg School of Management
uses social network analysis and complexity theory to understand outstanding achievement in business, science and art

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