What’s your favorite TED talk? As ZN has long been a proud supporter of TED, we asked the ZN team to share their personal favorites. And as we’ve always believed in the importance of sharing ideas and demonstrating innovation, we’d like to know: what talk did you enjoy the most? Share it with us in the comment box below.
Hans Rosling: The best stats you’ve ever seen
“There is no doubt that Hans Rosling’s talks on issues concerning global health are informative and inspiring. However, aside from his expertise, I think he actually changed the way people think about data and how to communicate it. He makes statistics approachable, captivating and, dare I say it, fun.” – Jeremy Thomas
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
“Perhaps not very original, but my favorite is still Simon Sinek’s talk on the golden circle.This is my favorite because although the concept is simple, it is very powerful and changed the way I look at marketing communication.You don’t need to agree with Simon Sinek to appreciate the clip. Like other great concepts it inspires communicators to come up with their own versions of the model. What’s your take on it?” – Tom Michiels
“I think it is very inspiring and opens your mind to how to inspire and be inspired…” – Martina O’Regan
Benjamin Bratton: New Perspectives – What’s Wrong with TED Talks?
“I believe very strongly that we need to stay critical and keep asking questions about anything. Even the great things that happen to us or around us. So that’s why this is my favorite TED talk. And we may smirk at the fact he delivers this speech at TEDx… a dose of irony there. Nevertheless, this IS thinking out of the box in the ocean of inspirational, futuristic, problem-solving talks that promise us eradication of poverty, racism, endless creativity to name a few recipes for universal happiness and economic prosperity.” – Kristine Smukste
Sally Kohn: Let’s try emotional correctness
“What I like is the topic addressed, personal approach (sharing personal information) put into wider perspective, and the humor Sally Kohn uses to get her point across.” – Karmen Špiljak
“This talk really touched me…. Like so many TED talks, one person has the insight to remind us of some common sense thinking that we can all incorporate into our lives from now. “First do no harm” comes to mind.” – Helen Dunnett
Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are
“It’s a very inspiring talk about how “power posing” can have an impact on our chances for success. I also like one of the messages shared on this talk that suggests “not to fake it ‘til you make it but to fake it ‘til you become it.” – Julian Salazar
JJ Abrams: Mystery Box
“Besides just being an amazing speech, Abrams reminds me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. That surprises come in life and when they do, we should embrace them and work them into our favor. It also reminds me that I don’t NEED to know everything about everything to make things happen and I should embrace learning as I produce.” – Ronnie Moore
Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story
“I like it because it really brings some ideas and examples about how to break stereotypes and seeing people for who they truly are, and not just based on a “single story.” – Julian Salazar
“I read a lot of Enid Blyton books as a child so I have always had a fascination for picnics, ginger ale, and toffee. Growing up in the Philippines, this wasn’t the reality… but that didn’t stop me from being obsessed with those things! So when I saw this talk, I was laughing because I could relate to everything that she was saying. It reminded me how each of us is responsible for telling our stories and writing our histories. That the written word is so powerful, it can shape the way people perceive themselves and the world around them.” – Danielle Miller
Martin Seligman: The new era of positive psychology
“I like this video because it talks about happiness from a systematic and scientifically-solid (psychology) perspective.” – Luc Chomé
Tom Thum: Beatbox brilliance
“TED is not just about inspiring and life changing talks, but it’s also about introducing you to ideas and practices that you don’t normally read or listen too. With that, I selected this Tom Thum beatboxing video from his talk at TEDxSydney – I never imagined that you could come up with so many tunes with just your mouth!” – Jerick Parrone
Esther Perel: The secret to desire in a long term relationship
“The energy of that speaker and her straight, no BS talk is what I like about this video.” – Luc Chomé
David Allen: The art of stress free productivity
“I found this TED talk by David Allen very inspiring – “Getting things done” is about being appropriately engaged with what’s going on. And how crisis forces us to behave in ways that allow us to get out of the situation. His example is a powerful one – of navigating in a storm and how being meaningfully engaged in the outcome (surviving) helps him find the calm in his crisis. The same thing applies to every life situation.” – Alba Pérez Grandi
Philip Weiss: Rethinking thinking
Our line up wouldn’t be complete without plugging one of our very own. Philip Weiss at TEDxGateway focused on the concept of Hyperthinking and how it applies to Break Dengue (connecting patients, governments, NGOs, doctors, the pharmaceutical industry so that they can work together to stop dengue).
