TED Talks etc.
Some of the best from this fantastic treasure trove of fascinating ideas, mostly brilliantly presented.
WANT TO GET GOOD AT SOMETHING? GET A COACH
Atul Gawande
A great example of how to use story within presentations.
Gawande makes a persuasive argument for the importance of lifelong learning and the value that a coach can bring. You won’t be surprised to learn that I wholeheartedly agree with him.
WARNING: This talk uses graphic imagery of newborn babies that could be upsetting.
16 mins
WHY ECONOMIC GROWTH IS THE WRONG OBJECTIVE
Kate Raworth
An economist with positions at both Oxford and Cambridge, Raworth is the author of ‘Doughnut Economics’ in which she argues that we need to rethink global economics to meet the twin challenges of the climate emergency and making sure all people have an acceptable minimum.
She’s a good speaker with a really important message.
16 mins
‘KNOWING IS OBSOLETE’
Sugatra Mistra
An inspiring talk arguing that the education system is designed to produce cogs in a bureaucratic and administrative machine which is no longer how the world works. Instead we should harness the natural curiosity of children to power their learning.
22 mins
THE BEST STATS YOU’VE EVER SEEN
Hans Rosling
The late, great global-health expert and statistician extraordiniare.
Highly entertaining and absorbing education about the distribution of wealth, health and other fundamentals across the world, with some real surprises. Really challenged my notions of how the rest of the world lives
19 mins
COULD YOUR LANGUAGE AFFECT YOUR SAVINGS BEHAVIOUR?
Keith Chen
Chen’s research suggests that the way languages are constructed affects how we think about the future and therefore how we behave in relation to it. An intriguing premise and a really good example of how to present data in an engaging and accessible way
12 mins
THE PRICE OF SHAME
Monica Lewinsky
A superb talk from a surprising source. Technically it’s brilliant in its structure, pacing, engagement, clarity, use of pauses, etc.
But it’s also thoughtful, vulnerable, angry, moving, reflective and impassioned. It reminds you that the reason Lewinsky was close to the president in the first place was because she is exceptionally smart and an interesting thinker.
22 mins
HOW GREAT LEADERS INSPIRE ACTION
Simon Sinek
Sinek’s Golden Circle places ‘why?’ at the heart of everything.
He comes from a marketing background and it shows, but his mantra “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” holds true for leaders as much as advertisers. It’s a brilliant, low-fi articulation of a brilliant idea, even if his delivery is slightly annoying.
18 mins
THE PUZZLE OF MOTIVATION
Dan Pink
Research shows that when a task involves creative or analytical thinking, paying people more actually worsens their performance. Pink contrasts the extrinsic motivation of reward/punishment with intrinsic motivation – people’s innate desire to do things well, to learn and to have autonomy - all of which offer much more powerful incentives.
TBH I find his delivery a little irritating. If you do too, you might prefer this RS Animate version where an artist draws whilst he speaks
18 mins
DO SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY?
Ken Robinson
The single most watched TED talk of all time on the need for creativity and how our education system stifles it. Thought-provoking, profound, compassionate and very funny.
19 mins