Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Feeling fine: Unique north-east use of word to feature in TEDxAberdeen talks about the region

The first speakers for the inaugural TEDx Aberdeen event have been announced, including BrewDog president David McDowall.

Newcomers to the north-east can find themselves baffled by many quirks of the local dialect.

But the peculiarly Aberdonian use of the word “fine” is one that can take the most getting used to, and the unique expression will feature in a new talk on human greetings as part of the highly anticipated forthcoming TEDx event.

In most places the word “fine” refers to something that is OK, nothing to complain nor to write home about.

But in Aberdeen, especially when emphasised as “affa fine”, it takes on a far more positive meaning.

And never is this more fitting than when referring to a cake as a “fine piece”.

Picture shows; Graeme Gordon.

Entrepreneur Graeme Gordon will delve into the matter when he headlines Aberdeen’s first ever TEDx event – alongside nine other inspirational speakers.

As we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, the region’s recovery has never been more important and the talks are aimed at sparking conversations and igniting change in our community.

Topics across science, media and culture will all be explored as part of a roster of ideas which will take centre stage at the Aberdeen Arts Centre on July 31.

Bringing 100 people together under one roof, the event will unlock new secrets within forensic science  as well as explore ways of using artificial intelligence to improve sustainability in the agri-food sector.

Tackling climate change through the power of learning, to challenging our consumption of news and the perception of truth are also on the agenda.

Already announced

Previously announced speakers include Sam Stephen, actor and dancer; Youssra Bennadji, school student; and Dave McDowell, Chairman and COO of Brewdog.

But now the full list of guests can be revealed.

Elisa Doucette, TEDx Aberdeen programme curator.
Elisa Doucette, TEDx Aberdeen programme curator.

Elisa Doucette, TEDxAberdeen programme curator said: “TEDx events are unique in the way they are organised, curated and attended.

“They are all about the ideas and the power of those ideas to change lives and ultimately the world.

“A TEDx programme consists of a series of short and inspiring talks on a diverse range of topics and perspectives.

“These talks, up to 18 minutes long, are designed to challenge current thinking or introduce new concepts linked together by a theme – our theme is ‘new ways of seeing old things’.”

TEDxAberdeen speaker Bethany Galley

Bethany Galley is a student and photographer who will share her experience of her photography project Through the Lens which empowered children to tell their story of the favelas in Brazil rather than just adults.

Climate change

Pete Tipler is sales and marketing director at Xodus Group.

TEDxAberdeen speaker Pete Tipler

His talk focuses on the using learning to unlock the climate change conundrum.

He said: “We all know that our house is on fire. And we need to act more quickly, to responsibly bring about lasting change to our planet.

“Why not transform the way we harness minds for workplace learning to focus on what really matters? Every person entering the professional workforce for the first time spends their first year learning behavioural and analytical skills.

“That’s 2,000 hours of learning. Imagine if that time was spent learning the same skills but on world-saving projects.

“Actually, imagine if we could create a movement in Aberdeen that sees every graduate spend their first year on addressing climate challenges…I’m excited to share this idea because the opportunity is massive.”

Georgios Leontidis is interim director of data and artificial intelligence at Aberdeen University.

TEDxAberdeen speaker Georgios Leontidis

Georgios will talk about how the technology, data and artificial intelligence we are using in our daily lives, in one form or another, can contribute to our sustainable future.

Communities risk of being forgotten

Jonathan Christie, is CEO of charity The Cabrach Trust. He will talk about communities at risk of being forgotten.

Exploring the importance of being disruptive, Jonathon will share how a small group of likeminded individuals can turn the tide on community decline.

Lorna Dawson is a forensic scientist at the James Hutton Institute and will uncover secrets of the soil and explain how new methods in forensics can assist in cold case investigations.

Tim Wigham, head of performance at Exceed will talk about mastering moodset.

TEDxAberdeen speaker Tim Wigham

The concept of ‘mood’ is known to most.

However, the significance of mood in helping to master a mission, is massively underestimated.

He said: “I am excited to be talking about this at TEDxAberdeen because this city has given me so much since moving here 10 years ago, and I feel that many in this part of the world underplay their potential.

“Moodset is a way to inspire excellence and I want to share ideas on this with fellow Aberdonians.”

Turning old ideas into new

Chris Moule is head of innovation and entrepreneurship at Robert Gordon University. He will talk about  “Recombinant Innovation” – the converting of old ideas into new ones and adapting them from one context to another.

For example taking the wheel and the suitcase to become the wheeled suitcase and the creation of truly innovative cultures which foster open-source innovation.

He said: “Progress does not run out: it accumulates. We can all be innovators by combining old and existing ideas in new ways.”

Graeme Gordon’s talk will be about the most basic, probably most frequent and most important of human interactions – our greetings and our responses.

A TED x Aberdeen event will be held in July.

He’ll explore most common greeting response, and perhaps the most used word in Aberdeen – “fine”.

Graeme said: “Being accepted to speak at TEDxAberdeen is an amazing privilege and like many people, not just in Aberdeen, the last 12 months have been anything but fine.

“I am relishing the opportunity to be in an actual room with real people sharing energy the ideas and the talks together. This is especially exciting for me to be part of TEDx in my home city.”

Preparing for the big day

In preparation for the event, each speaker will now embark on a coaching programme with local business mentors Bob Keiller and Derrick Thomson.

Bob and Derrick will support the speakers as they refine, hone and practice their talks ensuring they are all TEDx ready.

TEDx Licensee Moray Barber.

TEDxAberdeen licensee and co-host, Moray Barber added: “While its been difficult narrowing down our speaker applications – we could easily have filled three days – we have chosen a range of surprising, engaging and unexpected ideas for our first event.”

For more information on TEDxAberdeen, visit: www.tedxaberdeen.com