Sources of Inspiration: My Favourite TED Presentations

Nick — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:50:33 +0000

I personally adore everything which gives me inspiration. Being inspired is an enjoyable experience in itself and may also lead to new and potentially useful ideas.

Therefore, I was delighted to find out about TED, an organization which holds an annual four-day conference for top speakers to share their ideas on almost any topic (motivated by three US $100,000 prizes). Most presentations are limited to 15-20 minutes, which ensures that the speakers stick to the key messages.

Attending this event requires an invitation and a US$6,000 fee (the prize money has to come from somewhere), so it is great that TED posts all the presentations online for free viewing.

Below please find a selection of what I consider to be “must-see” presentations:

Ken Robinson: How schools kill creativity

Click here to view the embedded video.
Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

Click here to view the embedded video.
Benjamin Zander: On Music and Passion

Click here to view the embedded video.

(For more information on how to enjoy classical music please have a look at this blog post)
Marc Pachter: The Art of The Interview

Click here to view the embedded video.
Dan Buettner: How to live to be 100+

Click here to view the embedded video.
Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man

Click here to view the embedded video.
VS Ramachandran on your mind

Click here to view the embedded video.
Murray Gell-Mann on beauty and truth in physics

Click here to view the embedded video.
Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight

Click here to view the embedded video.
Thulasiraj Ravilla: How low-cost eye care can be world-class

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other presentations I enjoyed watching (among many others):

Did I miss any?

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Sources of Inspiration: My Favourite TED Presentations