I’ll be away traveling and speaking for the rest of the month, so it seems like a good time to take a bit of a holiday from my blog (a blogiday?). I’ll be back in November.
So for your delectation in my absence, here are a few of my favourite TED Talks. Enjoy!
Brené Brown: The Power of Vulnerability. The powerful and self-deprecating talk that spawned a book, indeed a movement. Brené studies emotions such as courage, shame and courage, and why we need them.
Jill Bolte Taylor: My Stroke of Insight. A brain scientist gets a unique opportunity to study the brain – her own brain – when she suffers a massive stroke. Her blow-by-blow account of the experience is surprisingly funny.
Amy Cuddy: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are. How you can use the feedback from body to brain to boost your confidence. Invaluable advice for public speakers and anybody else facing a nerve-wracking situation – especially women, who usually don’t get the chance to use this “unladylike” body language.
Nancy Duarte: The Secret Structure of Great Talks. Fabulous information for anybody who wants to maximise the impact of their public speaking. The book is great too.
Thandie Newton: Embracing Otherness, Embracing Myself. A poignant and self-reflective story of a mixed race actress who struggled to be herself. Wonderful, sweet stuff.
Janine Shepherd: A Broken Body Isn’t A Broken Person. An incredible and inspiring story of resilience after a life-changing accident robbed Janine of her chance at an Olympic medal.
Shaun Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work. In all honesty, I can’t really remember what he says about work, but I can remember all the jokes. One of the funniest TED talks ever!
Ash Beckham: We’re All Hiding Something. Let’s Find the Courage to Open Up. A memorable, feisty talk about finding the courage to come out of the closet, and how we all have our “closets”.
David Eagleman: Can We Create New Senses For Humans? A neuroscientist presents an astonishing new device that translates sensory signals into a different medium to replace or augment missing senses. Astonishing!
Graham Hill: Less Stuff, More Happiness. The founder of Treehugger speaks out in praise of minimalism and the “edited life”.
Rory Sutherland: Life Lessons from an Ad Man. Rory blows the whistle on the advertising industry. A fascinating psychological insight into the way we see something being more important than the thing itself.
Barry Schwartz: The Paradox of Choice. Surprising truths about choice actually not making us happier or more free.
Benjamin Zander: The Transformative Power of Classical Music. A conductor educates us on how to listen meaningfully to classical music, and provides a lot of laughs along the way.
Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement. In 3 minutes. Very funny and insightful.
I know there are a load more great talks that I haven’t included here. Maybe you’ve done one? (Oh, hang on, I have! Here’s mine.) Please post a link to yours or your favourites and share the love!