Alan Bec is a man of many hats! He has studied, lived and breathed being an information designer, educator in psychology, international coach and interviewer of interesting people. He's a Fellowship Councillor for the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Commerce and Manufacturing in the South West, a member of the International Time Perspective Network, member of the Spiritualist National Union and a husband, father and grandfather. Oh and an inventor!

His passion for life and people has propelled him around the world, working across many different markets and sectors including automotive; pharmaceuticals; food & drink; design and brand insight agencies; outdoor event management; the Institute of Directors and NGO’s in education, organisations, the environment and society. 

He finds being human very interesting, he likes to think that there is much more to life than being a 'defecting piece of meat living a pointless existence'! It is for this reason he has always been disruptive. He says, "I cant help seeking to find compassion, meaning and purpose in what ever it is I am doing."

But his spirited and fun loving journey was disrupted abruptly when he contracted Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2011. The effect and devastation this had on his self-identity, family and social status changed everything. Whilst learning to come to terms with the reality of this very debilitating and fluctuating disease, he found himself learning something new: what it’s like to experience 'Social Death'.

Isolated, house bound, bed ridden, struggling to walk and think straight or do just the very basic ‘taken for grated’ tasks in life - he felt like he was on his own. No amount of positivity could shake this off. 

But, one night he had a remarkable dream, involving numbers as a way of communicating his ill-being. This dramatic and clear dream clarified that human beings, as clever as we are, are fundamentally symbolic interactionists. Just by displaying numbers we can change the way we all communicate with each other.

The next morning, the Wellbeing Indicator Badge ® - the WIB ® was born.

In his TEDxBristol talk he‘ll be sharing what it’s been like to live with fluctuating chronic ill health, how he found a disruptive healing solution by talking in numbers, and why you don't have to be ill to improve communication using this method.

He says, "Communicating in numbers is simple yet profound. Numbers hold the power to transform self and others through shared understanding, interaction and compassion. We can all bring our numbers to life, and enhance wellbeing at home, work and in our community. What do I mean by displaying a 3? and what does 7 mean? but more importantly, what number are you?"