INTERVIEW WITH DEL

Can you tell us more about the idea behind your talk and how the theme ‘movement’ inspired you? 

“Across the world, we are facing some of the biggest challenges that have ever confronted humanity. Not only are we facing a climate emergency, but there are social, economic, food and energy challenges to overcome too. For me, this is where movement comes in. We need to mobilise people and the way we are in society to work towards change, but I think hypocrisy puts a brake on this movement.

“People often dismiss a valid and interesting argument if they feel the person is being inconsistent with their own actions and similarly, we feel unable to speak out with our thoughts and ideas if we know our actions haven’t always reflected our opinion. 

“We’ve got to this place in society where hypocrisy is a definitive way of undermining someone else’s moral position, but the thing is, we can drive change and we can want to make a difference, even if our actions aren’t 100% in keeping with the best approach. We need to own our thoughts and opinions, the important thing is recognising that we want to do more.

“I really want to talk about how being a hypocrite can actually enable positive change and how it’s not something to hide.” 

Why are you so passionate about this topic? 

“I’ve always enjoyed the contrast of recognising there are lots of different ways to look at a problem and over the years I’ve realised that we don’t have to resolve our actions before we can present our opinions to the world. 

“However, there is a balance to be struck and hypocrisy shouldn’t be an excuse, you can be your authentic self but you can’t sit back and just wait for other people to deliver the changes you voice. We can all be judgmental, which is the downside of the argument, but the upside is that by recognising there are inconsistencies and perhaps contradictions in your own view, you can create a tension that empowers and drives your own actions.”

“I want people to listen more, speak out more and critically do more. I believe embracing hypocrisy can help us achieve that”.

Why do you think it’s important to talk about this and what do you think the audience will gain from listening? 

“In some ways, I’m surprised we haven’t talked about this more as a society because I do think it puts a brake on social progress. It prevents us from moving through major issues at a faster pace and for some of the world challenges we’re facing, we don’t have the luxury of time. We have to deploy every means we can to solve water scarcity, food shortages, conflict and the climate crisis. I think it’s important to talk about because if we don’t explore it, I think we’re going to miss an opportunity to enable movement. 

“I hope the people who hear my talk gain a different lens on a problem they know quite well. I want them to feel drawn to take action, feel confident to reflect, and think about their own hypocrisy. Additionally, I’m striving for people to feel freedom and empowerment to own their hypocrisy and advocate for what they want in the world, even if it’s a standard they feel they can’t achieve.” 

How has your TEDxAberdeen journey been so far and what are you most looking forward to? 

“It’s been great. I’ve been genuinely overwhelmed by the amount of support available, especially from Derrick and Bob. Derrick has spent so much time in this space, so to get guidance and feedback from him has been amazing. In particular, the detailed process we’re going through to make it a story with real impact is incredible. 

“Focusing on the training side, I’m really looking forward to seeing how I can develop my ability to persuasively argue my point and present my talk in the best way possible. With the support I’ve been getting, it’s only going to grow and strengthen and that’s really exciting. 

“I also can’t wait for the day itself. Being part of a team, who collectively want to share inspiring ideas is such a unique and powerful feeling. I’m really interested to see what happens as a result, our thoughts, opinions and stories could lead to audience members taking action or making huge strides in personal growth and that’s very motivational.” 

Finally, what does TEDxAberdeen 2022 mean to you?

“To me, there’s no greater privilege in life than being presented with an attentive audience for a subject you feel passionate about. 

“I think best when I articulate my opinion out loud, reading the people I’m talking to, sometimes I even surprise myself by a view I didn’t know I had. So for me, having an audience is really important to my cognitive process. 

“There’s an element of responsibility that comes with people giving you their time, so I feel incredibly lucky to have the chance to speak to a large group of people who are curious and interested in hearing other people’s ideas. This opportunity means a lot, it truly is a very rare privilege.”