The time for sharing innovations and ideas has been easy in this technology-driven world. One thing positive has been the Non-profit organization, TED.
TED is a platform for motivational speakers and amazing leaders. They take part to share their ideas with the live audience as well as the YouTube audience.
This list includes 20 of the best TED talks of all time. The videos on their channel have pulled in millions of views over the decade.
TED holds these conferences twice a year with leaders from all around the world. Out of an overwhelming number of videos, we’ll only pick the 20 best TED talk videos.
Don’t we all want to get inspired or motivated by someone to do something? This list will give you a different outlook on life. You will feel a little lighter and breathe a little better.
Without wasting your time, here are the 20 best TED talks of all time.
20 Best TED talks of all time
1. How great leaders inspire action – Simon Sinek
Simon is an author, optimist, and inspirational speaker. He believes in a bright future for all of us and our power to create it together.
He identifies the fascinating trend among the world’s most successful leaders and organizations. He discusses how they all think, act and communicate the exact same way.
Simon believes that every inspiring leader begins with the ‘why,’ then the ‘how,’ and finally the ‘what.’ He devoted his life to sharing his thoughts and wants to inspire people to do the things that drive them.
According to Sinek, a true leader is someone we follow because we want to, not because we have to.
2. Inside the mind of a master procrastinator- Tim Urban
Urban’s TED talk is among the most popular ones ever. The ‘Wait But Why’ founder presents us with entertaining and encouraging information.
In this TED talk, he discusses one of the major problems we face daily, Procrastination. He believes there’s an interaction between the conscious and the unconscious mind.
Urban’s research led him to believe both minds have a rational decision-maker in them. The difference is the presence of the instant gratification monkey, a metaphor he uses to describe a procrastinator.
He wants us to think hard about the goals and dreams we’re procrastinating on before time runs out.
3. What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness- Robert Waldinger
Robert Waldinger is an American psychologist and professor at Harvard.
He discusses his research on adult development that uncovered secrets to happiness.
He believes his study is down to three main lessons, Social connections are good for us, The quality of relationships is greater than the quantity, and Quality relationships protect our body and brain.
Healthy, strong relationships, according to Robert, are the core of happiness. It helps and protects us from discontent and delays mental and physical degradations.
4. The next outbreak? We’re not ready – Bill Gates.
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, gives us an interesting insight into his TED talk. This transpired after the events of the global Ebola outbreak.
He talks about another future pandemic and what we plan on doing to prevent it. How prepared we should be, from vaccinations to health workers. The ability to mobilize manpower in an instant to reduce the effects.
This particular topic hits home because of the devastating effects COVID-19 has had on us. The fact that this was six years ago and we were still not prepared speaks volumes.
As we near the end of this pandemic, we hope we can prevent another one from happening again.
5. Your elusive creative genius – Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the impossible tasks that society expects of artists. The doubts and immense fear that they have about their occupation.
Her research takes her back to ancient Greece and Rome. She believes most of the artists back then had a spirit that assisted them in their work. They’re referred to as a ‘Daemon’ or ‘genius.’
This language evolved throughout the Renaissance, distorting egos and creating unmanageable expectations. The artist was responsible for their critics, and it has been killing them for 500 years.
Gilbert wanted to help creative people manage the inherent emotional risks of creativity. She wanted to explore and release the inner genius we all own.
6. The power of introverts – Susan Cain
Susan Cain is an author who has also worked as a corporate lawyer and a consultant.
Cain talks about how introverts provide amazing qualities and abilities. She believes that they should acknowledge their trait rather than get shunned.
Susan discusses how our current society’s structured towards extroverts. It, she argues, stops introverts from realizing their full potential.
Where we lie on the introvert-extrovert spectrum is the most crucial component of our personalities. Susan feels that our personalities are as essential as our gender and race in shaping our lives.
7. How to make stress your friend – Kelly McGonigal
Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist at Stanford University. For years she believed that stress was the common denominator.
She turned stress into an enemy but later realized stress itself wasn’t the problem. It’s about people who experienced stress but did not view it as harmful were no more likely to die.
She gives us an insight into the study of stress and how to reprogram our thoughts to make them healthier. She believed it was more of a belief that affected people rather than the stress alone.
8. Your body language may shape who you are – Amy Cuddy
Amy Cuddy is a social psychologist, and she teaches at a competitive business school.
Amy’s TED talk on Body language is the second most popular TED talk in history. She became interested in non-verbal expressions of power and dominance.
Amy believes in how the human body reciprocates how they feel when they’re around people. She tells us how we can read someone’s body language in only a few seconds.
Her TED talk is a powerful insight into how the body of the individual work in a certain situation.
9. Philosophy for a happy life – Sam Berns
Sam Berns was an activist and the subject of a documentary called ‘Life according to Sam.’
Sam begins his TED talk with a story about the difficulties he had to face during high school. The disease he had been born with, Progeria, presented many challenges for him.
Sam talks about his philosophies and how it has three essential parts. “Surround yourself with people you want to be around,” “Be Ok with what you can’t do, because there is so much you can do,” and “Keep Moving forward.”
He presented a wonderful insight into how his mind was authentic and positive.
Sam passed away in 2014, but his TED talk will be forever engraved in our minds forever.
10. What does it take to change a mind – Lucinda Beaman
Lucinda Beaman works as a fact check editor at The Conversation in Australia.
She believes people find it difficult to change their opinions even when confronted with conflicting data.
Beaman talks about how we are subjects to confirmation bias and motivated reasoning. How we’re a lot more open to accepting facts from people we’re close with than the ones, we’re not.
She believes, changing a mind with your own mind or someone else’s will not happen on the spot.
11. What reality are you creating for yourself? – Issac Lidsky
Author and speaker Issac Lidsky discusses how reality is not something perceived. Rather, it’s something you create in your mind.
A rare genetic illness left Issac completely blind at the age of 25. That did not stop him from being the best that he could be.
He came to the realization that what we see is neither universal truth nor objective reality. It’s a one-of-a-kind, personalized virtual world created by our brain.
He believes we have the ability to change reality with great and empowering outcomes.
Issac challenges us to let go of all the assumptions, excuses, and fears we have. He wants us to be the creators of our own reality.
12. The happy secret to better work -Shawn Achor
Harvard psychologist Shawn Achor’s TED talk is both fast-moving and entertaining. He discusses positive psychology and how it works.
Achor states that the formula we have for success and happiness is backward.
He believes that by increasing our positivity, our brain experiences happiness. Shawn explains how this improves our intelligence, creativity, and energy.
To get a competitive advantage, Achor discusses how we may retrain our minds to become happier.
This 12-minute video is thought-provoking, amusing, and an anecdote to the brain. A must-watch for anyone trying to take a break from all the stress. It’s a terrific way to start off your week.
13. The 3 A’s of awesome – Neil Pasricha
Neil’s career took off after his famed blog, where he wrote a thousand awesome things he was grateful for.
His “3 A’s of awesome” consists of a good attitude, a great level of awareness, and an authentic personality. He talks about the importance of the three A’s and how they aided him in his development.
Neil believes that if we apply the three A’s to our lives, we’ll be able to live an amazing life. He wants us to make the most out of life, the motto he lives by.
His TED talk is among the top ten most inspiring videos on the channel.
14. The puzzle of motivation – Dan Pink
Dan Pink, a career analyst, examines the puzzle of motivation in this TED talk.
According to Dan, traditional rewards aren’t always effective. He believes that business leaders may put his study to use in their companies.
Dan thinks incentives dull the thinking and block the creativity of the individuals. Human motivation, as well as the dynamics of intrinsic motivators, are reduced.
Intrinsic motivation, he says, is what we like and what matters to us, a motivation for desire. To achieve high performance and efficiency, he urges us to focus on our intrinsic motivators.
15. Why do good leaders make you feel safe? – Simon Sinek
Simon makes another appearance on our list. In this, he talks about the trust and foundation between an employer and an employee.
He talks about the differences between good leaders and most leaders.
He illustrates how amazing things can happen when a leader chooses to focus on the employee’s safety. But the complete opposite is if the leader exhibits no apathy.
Simon believes a good leader always has a cohesive organization behind him.
Simon’s 14-minute TED talk is an excellent approach to learning the principles of leadership. ‘Leadership is a choice, not a rank,’ as Simon puts it.
16. The key to success? Grit – Angela Lee Duckworth
The ex-consultant turned professor, Angela, explains the key to success in her TED talk.
Duckworth’s research discovered that one trait was a strong predictor of success, grit. She believes that grit allows us to persevere in the face of adversity and adhere to our goals no matter what.
Duckworth says grit is more of a marathon than a sprint. You need to keep on working hard till the future you saw will become the present you will live.
She believes that by incorporating grit into the educational system, we will be able to achieve success. Her 6-minute talk will broaden your thinking and provide you with a new perspective.
17. Listen, learn Then lead – Stanley McChrystal
Stanley, a former four-star general in the US military, talks about the effectiveness of good leadership.
We can create a sense of shared purpose, according to Stanley. He believes we can achieve this by listening, learning, and dealing with the possibility of failure.
Stanley talks about the top 8 leadership qualities in this TED talk. His experiences came from the time he was working in the military.
He believes that a leader isn’t good because they are correct. He thinks a good leader is someone who is willing to learn and trust others.
18. Dare to disagree – Margaret Heffernan
She starts off by telling the audience a story about a fantastic doctor at Oxford, Alice Stewart.
Dr. Alice conducted a study into the increased rates of childhood malignancies. She came to the conclusion that children who died were the result of their mothers being x-rayed while pregnant. As a result of her research, x-rays on pregnant women were discontinued.
Her partnership with statistician George Knael, according to Heffernan, was the reason. They were a perfect match for one another.
Constructive conflict, according to Heffernan, sharpened the pair’s thinking. They didn’t just echo each other’s ideas; they also discussed and offered constructive criticism.
19. How to spot a liar – Pamela Meyer
Pamela Meyers ‘How to spot a liar’ is one of the 15 most popular TED talks of all time. She believes people are exposed to between 10 and 200 lies per day.
Pamela demonstrates the demeanor and “hotspots” utilized by individuals trained to recognize deception.
Pamela talks about detecting white lies, dirty techniques, and other types of deception. She believes lies have the potential to damage countries and cost corporations billions.
She discusses the differences between liars and honest individuals. Unlike liars, who are selfish and self-centered, honest people often wish to help you.
20. The orchestra in my mouth – Tom Thum
Tom Thum is an Australian beatboxer and a YouTuber.
He transforms the Sydney Opera House into a sensuous jazz club. He wows the crowd with his incredible talent and performance. He demonstrates how an unconventional craft can attract a wide range of audiences.
In his TED talk, he shows how adaptable the human throat is. He believes he can bring people together and express feelings through his beatboxing.
Despite his profession, Tom had an impact on the lives of the audience members with this message. His 15-minute talk became the most-watched TED talk of all time.
Conclusion
Don’t you feel motivated? Don’t you want to take part or be a part of it?
We had a good time researching about these speakers and leaders. The topics they talk about are amazing. The knowledge and awareness they spread through their videos are priceless.
It’s prime-time wisdom on YouTube, and it’s free. We filtered it down to 20 of the best TED talks of all time.
If anything, you can start your own TED ideas and spread them. Who knows! You could be on our list of 20 best TED talks of all time in the next edition.
