SEO: Univ. of Md.

Hosts TED creator Wurman

TED Talk creator reminds students it is okay to fail
Wurman provides university students innovative tips for success
By: Sarah Matzelle
Technology. Education. Design: The building blocks of TED and the drive behind
its creator, Richard Saul Wurman. Approximately 150 students gathered Oct. 21 at the
Adele Stamp Student Union to hear Wurman present The Next Great Solutions to Our
Worlds Social Challenges, part of the Voices of Social Change series at the university.
This series invites captivating storytellers to share their experiences as active
members of society. Wurman drew from lessons he learned building the TED empire to
enlighten students toward their own professional and personal success.
Wurman, who is best known for his TED talks, does not let his past successes
define him. He sold TED in 1984, 18 years after its creation, and kept moving forward.
Since TED, Wurman has published 83 books and has organized conferences around the
world with A-list scholars and celebrities including Yo-Yo Ma, a world-renowned cellist,
and David Cross, a famous New York Times columnist.

Terror drives innovation

You are not doing enough, Wurman said, if you do not vacillate between
confidence and terror. He remains uninterested in spreading ideas, but passionate about
doing good work throughout his life.

I can sell anything because I dont know anything; I am ignorant, Wurman said.
He believes that the terror of not knowing is his friend and that comfort is not. With
this mindset, Wurman has allowed himself to both try and fail. The key to success, he
said, is accepting that you are going to fail.
Wurman, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, said our education system is
maligned because we learn from the top down, not the bottom up.
The education system in this country does not foster innovation because of its
focus on memorization, Wurman said. If
learning is remembering what youre
interested in, and you havent remembered
anything about it, then you havent learned it.
The definition of intelligence, Wurman said,
is to start by making oneself ignorant and
Richard Wurman gives provides helpful
insight to the confused college
students of Maryland.
Photo Source: www.thewashingtonpost.com

asking the right questions.

Be someone who surrounds

themselves with people who you think are more intelligent that you are, he said.

Life tips from a professional

Wurmans talk blew away students of this university, many of whom were
previously familiar with TED talks.
I wasnt sure where the talk was going in the beginning, but after listening to the
stories of his success stories, it really calmed me down about where I was headed in life,
said Jason Queen, a sophomore government and politics major.
Queen and other students emerged with a surplus of helpful tips.

Chloe Leshner, a senior journalism major, admired Wurmans success. Its been
driven in our minds that we need to reach success the second we get out of college; he
made me comfortable with the fact that I can fail, Leshner said
Wurman, a big believer in being innovative with each coming day says, Why do
something if youve done it before? A motto everyone can live by.
###

SEO: TED creator Wurman highlights accomplishments

Innovative living: TED creator propels own success
Wurmans ideals help create TEDx, TEDMED and many others
By: Sarah Matzelle
My life begins today.
A motto by which TED creator Richard Wurman lives by each day.
Called the Father of Information Architecture, Wurman addressed students at
the university not only about his status as an informational pioneer, but his personal,
existential victories.
Wurman focuses on living a forward-looking life and on
realizing his

innovative ideas. Even when he was the CEO of TED

Talks, Wurman considered his position a mere hobby.

Richard Wurman has various

conferences that he began on his own.
Photo source: Google

Since selling TED, Wurman has created the EG

conference, a conference for brilliant innovators;

TEDMED, a conference where speakers inspire thinking that leads to a healthier world;
and the WWW suite of gatherings, which convene the worlds greatest, most intellectual
minds to create intellectual jazz. He also established Access, a self-mapped travel
system.
Wurman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with the highest honors
and received the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt
museum's National Design Awards, among other successes.
Wurmans greatest achievement, however, lies in his personal success.
For more information visit his website www.wurman.com.
###

SEO: TED creator Wurman to speak at Adele Stamp

Student Union
Richard Wurman to speak to Univ. of Md. students
The next speaker in Voices of Change series comes to
Stamp
By: Sarah Matzelle
Richard Wurman, the innovative mind behind TED talks, will
speak at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, in the Grand Ballroom of the
Adele Stamp Student Union and open to the public.
Wurmans talk, The Next Great Solutions to our Worlds Social
Challenges will focus on the challenges students face throughout life.
He will be the next speaker in the Voices of Social Changes series, here
at the university, which introduces impactful leaders experiences to
students.
For more information, contact Director of the National
Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs and Assistant Director of Adele
Stamp Student Union, Craig Slack at cslack@umd.edu or STAMP events
at 301-314-7168 or stampevents@umd.edu.
###

Mainbar
Word Count
SEO
character
count
Words
per
sentence
Shortest sentence
Longest sentence
Shortest graf
Longest graf
Sentence
per
paragraph
Passive voice
Grade Level

First Edit
530
37 characters
17.7 words
6 words
42 words
11 words
93 words
2.1 sentences
3%
9.4

Mainbar
497
37
characters
16.8 words

Sidebar
194
46 characters

6 words
42 words
10 words
65 words
1.9
sentences
3%
9.7

4 words
45 words
4 words
53 words
1.2 sentences

Advancer

16.9 words

0%
11.9

Cut: 33 words| 9%
Mainbar
These are from first graf (expletive)
Cut weak linking verbs such as is and misplaced modifiers.
is not personally interested replaced with remains uninterested

Contribute:
Mainbar
Replace A substantial amount with an actual number in first graf.
Sidebar
Replacing This is the motto with A motto by which.
Added explainers of conferences to lessen confusion.
Advancer
Added if the conference was open to the public

Clean Up:
Mainbar
Remove expletive from first sentence.
Move comma into quotation

Collaborate
Mainbar
Make intro graf two paragraphs as instructed by RT.

 Added visual and caption relevant to story as instructed by RT.

Sidebar
Added visual as instructed by TA #2 and RT.
Added FMI as instructed by RT.
Synopsis A#2
Type of Story: Reporting on a speech/conference
I used sections in my story in order to space the information into different
components that made sense.
I used a summary lead for the mainbar, summarizing the main points of the story
and answering the 5Ws
For the sidebar I used a Build-on-a-Quote lead because I used a strong direct
quote from the speaker to gage my audiences attention. The sidebar then goes to
explain Wurmans accomplishments.
For the advancer I also used a summary lead summarizing the important details
the audience needs to know regarding the speech.
Key Story Elements:
FORK: I used fork throughout my story by repeating key words throughout. The
key words notes in my SEO head were notable used throughout to keep continuity
strong for the reader.
Varying the pace: For each document, I varied the pace within my sentences. My
words-per-sentence fluctuates throughout each document going from short to long
sentences.
Ending: I used a quote-kicker for the mainbar, to end the story in a strong,
thought-provoking manner.
Focus/Theme:
The theme of this story is focused around Richard Wurmans success stories and
his ideals on reaching success in an innovative way.
Nut sentence: Wurman drew from lessons he learned building the TED empire to
enlighten students toward their own professional and personal success.
News Values:
Human Interest: Students should be interested in the tips that Wurman shared
regarding his success.
Prominence: Wurman is a world-renowned scholar that people want to read
about.
Target Audience:
Undergraduate and graduate students at the university because it is an
interesting piece that shows you can be successful strictly by being innovative.