Top Topic: TED Talks

By now it is very likely that you’ve heard of TED Talks and maybe you’ve even listened to a few that you’ve stumbled upon, but did you know they actually began in 1984? Shocking, I know.

TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, typically in the form of short, powerful talks. It was originally a conference where Technology, Entertainment, and Design converged, thus T.E.D.  TED began posting videos online of those presentations in 2006.  Today, TED covers almost any topic you can name from science to business to global issues.

In this article, we will list seven of our favorite TED Talks along with the most captivating quote from each.  If you are reading this on our print newsletter, head on over to our website www.aiprops.com/top-topic-ted-talks/ for the digital version containing clickable links.

1. TED Talk: Where good ideas come from

By Steven Johnson

Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_where_good_ideas_come_from

Filmed July 2010

Total Views: 3,505,130

Our favorite quote:

“We take ideas from other people, from people we’ve learned from, from people we run into in the coffee shop, and we stitch them together into new forms and we create something new. That’s really where innovation happens.”

2. TED Talk: Got a meeting? Take a walk

By Nilofer Merchant

Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/nilofer_merchant_got_a_meeting_take_a_walk

Filmed February 2013

Total Views: 2,310,841

Our favorite quote:

“First, there’s this amazing thing about actually getting out of the box that leads to out-of-the-box thinking.  Whether it’s nature or the exercise itself, it certainly works.”

3. TED Talk: How to make stress your friend

By Kelly McGonigal

Link:https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

Filmed June 2013

Total Views: 11,540,837

Our favorite quote:

“People who experienced a lot of stress but did not view stress as harmful were no more likely to die. In fact, they had the lowest risk of dying of anyone in the study, including people who had relatively little stress.”

4. TED Talk: The happy secret to better work

By Shawn Achor

Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work

Filmed May 2011

Total Views: 13,679,451

Our favorite quote:

“We’re finding it’s not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.”

 5. TED Talk: The puzzle of motivation

By Dan Pink

Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation

Filmed June 2009

Total Views: 16,162,097

Our favorite quote:

“The good news is that the scientists who’ve been studying motivation have given us this new approach. It’s built much more around intrinsic motivation. Around the desire to do things because they matter, because we like it, they’re interesting, or part of something important. And to my mind, that new operating system for our businesses revolves around three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose.”

6. TED Talk: How to speak so that people want to listen

By Julian Treasure

Link:https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen

Filmed February 2013

Total Views: 13,209,498

Our favorite quote:

“The human voice: It’s the instrument we all play. It’s the most powerful sound in the world, probably. It’s the only one that can start a war or say “I love you.” And yet many people have the experience that when they speak, people don’t listen to them. And why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make change in the world?”

7. TED Talk: Why we do what we do

By Tony Robbins

Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/tony_robbins_asks_why_we_do_what_we_do

Filmed June 2006

Total Views: 17,385,483

Our favorite quote:

“What is your motive for action? What is it that drives you in your life today? Not 10 years ago. Are you running the same pattern? Because I believe that the invisible force of internal drive, activated, is the most important thing. I’m here because I believe emotion is the force of life. All of us here have great minds. Most of us here have great minds, right? We all know how to think. With our minds we can rationalize anything. We can make anything happen.”