The under-appreciated skill of story-listening | Charlotte Simpson | TEDxBollington

In her early career Charlotte spent much of her time listening to the experiences of others. As a journalist she met fascinating people with dramatic stories but only after leaving the profession did she discover the true joy of story-listening. Her talk may cause you to re-evaluate your own listening skills and question where you choose to place your attention.

Charlotte Simpson has a MA in English from Cambridge University and a second master’s in creative writing. She has written throughout her life, and now applies these skills in her work as a celebrant. More recently, Charlotte was a BBC producer for Radio Four and volunteer for the Samaritans.

This talk was delivered at TEDxBollington on 16 June 2019 and was curated by Sara Knowles. The theme was ‘The Art of Connection’ and is inspired by Bollington’s community - it draws upon how we connect with others, the landscape, our past, present and future. Connections and contrasts inspire and define us as a community. Our speakers convey the art of connection through diverse forms such as communication, design, science, mindfulness, mental health and wellbeing through to the environment and technology.
Charlotte creates unique, story-led ceremonies to celebrate rites of passage. In her talk she will explore how we can craft and tell our own life stories and explores the themes of legacy, storytelling and learning. Charlotte has an MA in English from Cambridge University and a second masters in creative writing. She has written throughout her life; from plays, poems, short stories and picture books to copywriting and journalism and now applies these skills in her work as a celebrant. During her long journey to discover her vocation in celebrancy, Charlotte ran a youth theatre in a remote Ecuadorian village and taught maths and sex education to inmates at two high-security London prisons. More recently, before taking a career break to have children, Charlotte was a BBC producer - mainly working on factual programmes for Radio Four. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at

TEDxTalks,English,Education,Aging,Communication,Death,Life,Mental health,Self improvement,