Commute Time Training: My Favourite Ted Talks

TED Talks have become a hugely successful way to learn about a whole host of topics and ideas from some of the world’s most influential speakers.

And you can get even more out of learning when you’re doing it during a time that you otherwise might not really be taking advantage of. Commuting time.

These are five of my favourite TED Talks that you can listen to on your daily commute. While TED Talks may not be the ideal format for learning technical skills, they do provide real ways that you can improve your soft skills that can lead to genuine improvements in your work life or general quality of life.

Simon Sinek – How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Simon Sinek discusses his simple yet powerful leadership model based on the importance of understanding “why” great leaders and companies do things. Included in his examples are companies like Apple as well as inspiring leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers.

Brene Brown – The Power of Vulnerability

Brene Brown’s TED Talk has now been viewed more than 11 million times. This gives you an idea of the impact it has had on people all over the world. The talk covers tips on how to become more self aware by embracing your emotions as well as how to become more effective in your life by striving for excellence rather than perfection.

Nigel Marsh – How to Make Work-Life Balance Work

Work-life balance is a term you hear thrown around all the time these days but it doesn’t mean that people really know how to make it work for them. Nigel Marsh’s points out that work-life balance isn’t something that you should look to your employer to help set for you. Instead it needs to be something that you set yourself based on your ideal day that balances family time, personal time, and productivity.

Shawn Achor – The Happy Secret to Better Work

Psychologist Shawn Achor believes that many people wrongly think that working hard will lead to personal happiness when in fact it really works the other way round. His insightful and often humourous talk argues that in fact it is finding happiness that actually inspires us to be more productive.

Jason Shen – Looking for a Job? Highlight your Ability, not Your Experience

Jason Shen’s ideas stem from his belief that very few people end up working in jobs that line up with their initial academic studies or past experiences. This is reflected by the fact that Shen studied biology at university yet ended up becoming a product manager at a tech company. Instead of focusing on traditional metrics, Shen believes that employees as well as employers should focus on developing and recognising high-level abilities and finding good fits with company cultures, which is what really results in people becoming innovative high performers.

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