TEDx Talk
Dr Alison Edgar MBE gave her TEDx talk, How to change before it is too late, at TEDxSwansea in 2023. It is about metathesiophobia, the fear of change, what it does to the decisions people and companies make, and the lesson she took from watching Yellow Pages miss the internet.
Watch: How to change before it is too late
What is the talk about?
Metathesiophobia is the fear of change, and Alison’s argument is that it shapes far more decisions than anyone admits, in people and in whole organisations. The talk looks at what that fear does to judgement, why waiting for certainty is usually the riskiest option, and what happens to the people and companies who jump in early.
The evidence is her own. Alison was a top performer at Yellow Pages, one of the biggest companies of its day, when the internet arrived. She had a front-row seat as the business hesitated, and a lack of psychological safety meant nobody spoke up while there was still time to change. The talk is about making sure your team does.
Book it as a keynote
The TEDx talk is the seed of one of Alison’s four keynotes, How to Change Before It’s Too Late, which she rewrites for each audience: a company mid-transformation, a conference that needs an after-dinner talk with a point, or a leadership team that can feel the ground shifting. The other three talks are on the Talks page, and the Yellow Pages chapter is told in full in Alison’s story.
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