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After the success of last year’s event in the Casa del Cordón, this year will see a mix of local, national and international experts bring their visions and ideas to the revamped Palacio Europa

Vocabulary. Read and check you understand this before you read and listen to the article:

to take place: to occur, to happen

held (to hold): to arrange, to organise

to blend: to mix, to combine

growth: increase, expansion 

to revamp: to give a new and improved image or structure

to feature: an important or significant aspect of something

world-renowned: to be famous internationally

to overcome: to resolve a difficult situation or problem

goals: objectives, ambitions, desires, aims

own: personal

Have you ever heard of TED.com? It’s a great website for watching short videos of great presentations made by experts from all over the world on a wide variety of fascinating topics. It’s free and you can watch the videos in English with English subtitles (other languages are available). You can even download them to watch later.

TEDx events are locally-organised events that take place all over the world and on April 16th there will be one here in Vitoria-Gasteiz – TEDx AlmendraMedieval. This is the second consecutive year that Vitoria has held a TEDx event and this year the title is “Shake it, Mix it!” which reflects the organisers desire to show us how mixing, blending and being open to new ideas can bring innovation, transformation and growth to all aspects of life.

This year’s event will be at the newly revamped Palacio Europa and features 12 talks as well as 3 performances. One of the performances will be by a very special trio composed of comedian Jose Mota, comedy writer, actor and motivational speaker Mago More and Eduardo Anitua, the world-renowned surgeon and researcher whose biotechnology firm BTI is based in Vitoria. Together they will bring a mix of science and humour to the proceedings. Another will be by the Auzodanza and Koldo Mitxelena dance groups, also from Gasteiz.

TED talks are no longer than 18 minutes and describe a very specific subject in an interesting and entertaining manner. Those who attend the TEDx AlmendraMedieval event this year will hear about such diverse topics as nanotechnology, internet activism, exhuming common graves from the Spanish Civil War, our personal responsibility for the environment, addictions, bullying, the future of education and the digital transformation of newspapers. There will also be personal stories of overcoming obstacles to achieve our goals.

Speakers will come from all over the world to be at the Palacio Europa but perhaps the most emotional presentations will come from local people. Local chef Asier Urbina will talk about how competing in triathlons has helped him overcome health problems. Double world rhythmic gymnastics champion Tania Lamarca will show us how sporting values can help us in both our personal lives and in business through her own experiences as a successful international athlete.

Four of the 12 talks will be in English so the event is a great way to practice your listening skills 😉

Find out more information and how to get tickets at the TEDx AlmendraMedieval website, on Facebook or on Twitter. And click here for images of previous events.

“Let’s chat about that!

• Have you ever used the ted.com website to watch videos in English?
• If you have: What did you watch? Was it interesting? Do you think the website is useful?
• Do you think Vitoria (or your city) benefits from events like this? If so, in what way?
• Some of the speakers and performers are from Vitoria. What do you know about Tania Lamarca, Asier Urbina, Eduardo Anitua and Auzodanza?
• Do you think you could give a talk about your own personal experiences that would help or inspire other people? Don’t be shy!
• Think about what people have helped or inspired you during your life. Describe them briefly and explain how they influenced you.

Write your answers and send them by email to your ECP coach.

Why not record your voice too? Listen to yourself speak and identify what you have to improve on 🙂