ST. CLOUD -- TED Talks have become an internet sensation over the past several years, but next Thursday you will have a chance to be a part of a TED event live and in person.

TEDxStCloud will be held at the Paramount Theatre in downtown St. Cloud. The "x" stands for an independently organized event.

Organizer Brian Hart says they will follow the same trademark rules that have made the national talks so popular.

The maximum length for a TED Talk, or a TEDx Talk, is 18 minutes.  But, what we've found is even shorter talks do better in terms of how much they get shared online after the fact.  Ten to 12 minutes seems to be the sweet spot where people will download and watch a talk.

Hart says all their speakers will also stand in the trademark red circle, and their speeches will all be recorded and downloaded to the TEDx website.

The speakers include St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson, Mighty Axe Hops co-founder Eric Sannerud and Terebinth Refuge director CeCe Terlouw.   The other speakers are Beth Berila the director of Gender and women's studies at St. Cloud State University, Mark Gill the coordinator of the visualization lab at SCSU, and Jolene Singh a surgeon at St. Cloud Hospital.

Hart says they've all been working with a professional coach to perfect their speech.

The event on Thursday starts at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are still available.

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