The video reflects on a viral incident of a person falling from a bike in Bali, highlighting a societal observation. While many may choose to record or overlook someone in need, Balinese people often display promptness in offering help. This situation sparks a broader discussion on the diminishing values of kindness and consideration among individuals, particularly evident in traffic chaos following the COVID-19 pandemic when social connections were disrupted.

The speaker shares a personal journey through the world of hospitality, emphasizing how crucial genuine interaction and kindness are for human connection. Drawing from experiences in both personal and professional realms, the speaker reveals the transformative power of hospitality in promoting relationships, care, and understanding. With anecdotes about uplifting actions in the hospitality industry, the narrative inspires viewers to embrace kindness as a way of life.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. viral [ˈvaɪrəl] - (adjective) - Relating to or involving the rapid spread of information, typically shared through social networks. - Synonyms: (spreading, contagious, infectious)

The other day, a friend sent me a video on Instagram and perhaps you've seen it as well as it was going viral.

2. reception [rɪˈsepʃən] - (noun) - The act of receiving or welcoming people, commonly associated with hospitality. - Synonyms: (welcome, acceptance, greeting)

The dictionary definition of hospitality is the friendly and generous reception of guests, visitors and strangers.

3. caring [ˈkɛərɪŋ] - (adjective) - Displaying kindness and concern for others. - Synonyms: (compassionate, kind, considerate)

My second C concept is caring.

4. remarkable [rɪˈmɑːrkəbl] - (adjective) - Worthy of attention due to being unusual or extraordinary. - Synonyms: (extraordinary, notable, outstanding)

So we told the team in charge of creating remarkable experiences for the guests in this hotel

5. concept [ˈkɒnsept] - (noun) - An idea or abstract principle. - Synonyms: (idea, notion, thought)

I connect with the concept of generous behavior, and I believe we need to embrace a mindset of kindness, generosity, and welcoming others

6. transactional [trænˈzækʃənəl] - (adjective) - Relating to the conduct of exchanges, typically involving money. - Synonyms: (dealing, commercial, financial)

Service is transactional, trading one thing for another. But hospitality, hospitality is transformational.

7. transcends [trænˈsɛndz] - (verb) - To exceed or go beyond usual limits. - Synonyms: (exceed, surpass, outstrip)

Connection goes beyond language. It's universal. It transcends all differences.

8. iconic [aɪˈkɒnɪk] - (adjective) - Widely recognized and well-established. - Synonyms: (emblematic, legendary, symbol)

We chose the song we are Family. We are family.

9. embrace [ɪmˈbreɪs] - (verb) - To accept or support willingly and enthusiastically. - Synonyms: (accept, adopt, welcome)

I connect with the concept of generous behavior, and I believe we need to embrace a mindset of kindness, generosity, and welcoming others

10. transformational [ˌtrænsfɔːrˈmeɪʃənl] - (adjective) - Relating to a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance. - Synonyms: (innovative, revolutionary, groundbreaking)

But hospitality, hospitality is transformational. It's about relationships and connections.

Hospitality - The Key to a Kinder World - Evelyn Vargas - TEDxHasanuddin University

The other day, a friend sent me a video on Instagram and perhaps you've seen it as well as it was going viral. It's someone falling off their bike in Bali. It's an accident. Someone has fallen onto the rice field. They are full of mud, head to toes. As I watch this video, I realize, wait a minute, someone is actually recording this video instead of helping the person on the ground. And this is something that unfortunately happens very often in Bali. Now what I discovered here is that Indonesian people are usually the ones running to help the person on the ground.

I always wonder, why are these kind of videos going viral? Someone stops to record a video or even records it while they are driving. Instead of stopping, dropping the phone and running to help. Do you notice this? That people are not always nice and kind to each other? Maybe after the fact of COVID when we couldn't connect with each other, we kind of forgot how to do it. In traffic, people don't let other people in. It's chaos, madness. For what? To get ahead five seconds. Do you notice this? It doesn't need to be this way, does it?

Here in Indonesia, I've discovered that when you give a smile to someone, they will smile back. And even more Indonesian people welcome you with the warmest, greatest welcome ever. It's like people here know how to connect with each other. So what I've discovered and experienced is the solution to connect with each other is hospitality. The dictionary definition of hospitality is the friendly and generous reception of guests, visitors and strangers. I connect with the concept of generous behavior, and I believe we need to embrace a mindset of kindness, generosity, and welcoming others.

So how do I know this? Well, I know this firsthand because for all of my adult life, I've been working in the hospitality industry. And as a child back in Peru, we live much like you do here. Our house was the gathering place for celebrations with family and friends. And those celebrations, full of sharing, of food and dancing, happen very often. My family taught me how to be nice, kind and welcoming others. Maybe that's why I spend my life being kind and welcoming others. It is definitely why I chose this industry.

Some people call it the service industry. I don't. Service and hospitality are not the same thing. Service is transactional, trading one thing for another. But hospitality, hospitality is transformational. It's about relationships and connections. And I truly believe that this is the mindset, that it is key to a kinder world. So what can you do to embrace a hospitality mindset and culture in your life? I have four key points for you and they all start with the letter C.

First is curiosity. When I arrived here to Indonesia, I came from working in fancy hotels and venues in Spain. I learned a lot of rules and standards that did not apply here. Even my clothes were all wrong for the island. I realized that my approach was not the right one for the place and the time. If only I had been curious and asked questions even before I got here. To find out how things work here, to find out how we greet and how we communicate, how important are any kind of celebrations and even traffic, driving, commuting. Everything is different here. And I love it here. One reason I get to celebrate at least three New Years every single year.

My second C concept is caring. My husband works in the hospitality industry as well. He's a chef. And not long ago he told me a story that I want to share with you because I believe he truly embraces the concept of caring. My husband is very particular. Not always one of those horrible yelling boss chefs, but he's particular. One day he was called at a table of a guest who was wearing a mask and no one could understand what he wanted. Now my husband found out that this guest had no teeth because he was in an accident. None of the other restaurants around the area wanted to accommodate the order because he couldn't chew, but he wanted to try nice food. Now my husband, even though he was busy, he cared. He made time to prepare the specific food that the guest was required so that he could enjoy nice food. The guy was so happy, my husband told me he jumped out of his chair and hugged me right there in front of everyone. And this guess came back a couple of times after that. caring really matters.

My third C concept is a special one because it contains two Cs. It's what I call creative courtesy. It's the story that made me fall in love with the possibilities of experiencing the power of hospitality. It was my first big job in the hospitality industry at a five star hotel. In the room service area, we had a standard. Every order would come up with a specific setup. Cutlery, napkins, salt and pepper, and a small glass filled with jelly beans. Yes, jelly beans. Or sometimes gummy bears or candies. We had more than 500 rooms in this hotel, so you can imagine how busy we were. It was really fun.

One particular room would always call to ask for more jelly beans because they loved them. As we worked alongside the minibar team, they discovered that the guests were consuming gummy bears also from the minibar, every single day. And even the housekeeping team when they were cleaning the room, they would find empty bags of gummy bears, candies, and jelly beans in the trash can. So we told the team in charge of creating remarkable experiences for the guests in this hotel. Yes, we had a team just for that. And they came up with the idea of filling their hot tub in the room with jelly beans. Now, this was crazy, out of our minds, and we loved it. We all worked together as a team, and we find the right moment to set up the surprise. When the guests were not in the room, we left a note. The guests were shocked and amazed. They felt seen, cared for, special, as if they were the only guests at this massive hotel. They told everyone on social media, and they joined the loyal program when they checked out. Now, every time I tell this story or I reminisce with friends, we all get that fussy feeling and smile. That's the power that hospitality has for everyone who experiences.

I know that this was something pretty big, but it taught me to find opportunities, even the small ones, to show people how much we care for them and to do so in a unique way. That, to me, is creative courtesy. Now, my last C word is the one that embraces all the other words. And it's also the essence of hospitality connection. Connection goes beyond language. It's universal. It transcends all differences.

A few years ago, I was a manager at a hotel in Ibiza in Spain. The job was supposed to be fun. We were on a party island. But little did I know that there was a challenge waiting for me. My new team were all women, all of them older than me by many years, and I was their manager. I knew that I needed to find ways to connect with them. They were mostly mothers who just wanted to come to work seven to three, do their jobs and go back home to live their lives. And they were pretty good at their jobs.

Among all the differences between us, I knew I needed to find ways to connect with them, both at work and on a personal level. I didn't want to be just a manager and tell them what to do. I wanted to move them from inspiration. I remember back in Peru, music was really important. I actually learned some English from some of those 70s 80s disco music. That was my favorite kind of music. And these women also love that kind of music. I found a connection even more. One of the core values of this hotel was music.

So I came up with the idea of creating a sort of a flash mob. In order to present it to the guests, we had to practice. So we spent time together bonding and having fun. We chose the song we are Family. We are family. So the day of the show arrived. We performed right before the buffet breakfast was about to finish. The result? The guests loved it. They all joined. Our team grew stronger and even other teams at the hotel came to watch. They all took videos. Even now, years after, I'm still in touch with them. That's how strong our connection and relationship was. And it still is.

I value connection and friendship. Working with young teams now in Indonesia, I emphasize how important is to build and find connection, to help the person on the ground, rather to take a video of them. And this is why I love living here and why I love what I do. My house is always open for friends and family who wants to come and visit. And believe me, when you live in Bali, everyone wants to come and visit you. I came here six years ago and it was my husband's idea to come here. Now, if you have a partner or you had one, you can relate to the idea of going along with something your partner chose and decided. It was really challenging.

Far away from my family and friends, new language, new culture. But it all changed when I started applying those concepts of hospitality to my life and business. Hospitality has been transformational for me. You may be wondering why, and I can tell you that hospitality has opened up the world to me. I see the impact of the hospitality mindset and culture everywhere around the world. And the best part are the relationships that I've made over the years with colleagues and even with guests. And the best relationship I've ever created was 14 years ago, backing my first big job in hospitality at that hotel of the jelly bean story, where I met the love of my life, my husband.

And we've been working in the hospitality industry since then, non stop. So what can you do today to infuse hospitality in your life? Well, first you can open your eyes. Hospitality is already happening. People are smiling at you. Smile back. Someone allows you to pass in traffic. Thank them. Let yourself be inspired from what's already happening. Next, start small. Find the little things that you can do for other people. You don't have to fill up a hot tub with jelly beans. It's about being curious, caring, and using creative courtesy to connect with others.

Take action. Finally realize that there's a bigger purpose for our small acts. Our future depends on kindness. So we must connect with each other. Hospitality was, and it's still transformational for me and I know that it can be transformational for you. This is a choice and I truly hope you make it one step at a time. You'll be creating a ripple effect. And you'll be making this world a better, kinder, more generous place with hospitality.

Thank you.

Hospitality, Kindness, Connection, Global, Inspiration, Culture, Tedx Talks