Monica Lewinsky's Ted Talk on bullying was heard round the world. That's the POWER of Ted. Where ordinary folks just like you and I can spread ideas and shape a better future for millions who are tuned in.
Good Morning Folks,
As someone who has produced and attended all kinds of conferences throughout my career, I can certainly attest to the fact that nothing can beat the power of a captivating, exciting motivational speaker, These men and women are true storie tellers and their stories leave you inspired and have a lasting impact that can create positive changes in your life.
Problem is bearing witness to such speeches was once the province of the very top executives or sales people and for those presenting them came with an enormous cost in fees, travel and hospitality that surrounds the event.
Thats why I became fascinated with Ted and as I started the blog I wanted to share the best of the talks i was finding myself. For in 18 minutes or less online you could go in knowing nothing about a topic and leave being able to communicate it to others and apply it to your life or work in a way that was truly enriching. Best of all Ted Talks are free and they count on bloggers like us to spread the messages around the world. Some talks I watch and wonder whether someone who takes a night course gets as much back in a seminar of learning than one of these talks can ingrain in minutes.
On the piece that follow, Charlie Rose explains, "It has become a place where big ideas find a global audience. It is known simply as TED. And TED Talks are little presentations that anyone can watch online for free. There are TED Talks on almost every subject you can imagine: building your own nuclear reactor; stopping cyberbullies; exploring Antarctica; a better way to tie your shoes. But what sets TED Talks apart is that the big ideas are wrapped up in personal stories and they're mostly from people you have never heard of before. And it is those stories that have captured the imaginations of tens of millions of viewers around the world. Giving a TED Talk can be life-changing even if some speakers don't always realize what they're getting into
The story of TED began with a small conference in the 1980s where bold new ideas were presented about technology, entertainment and design -TED for short. Anderson was a successful magazine publisher. He attended his first TED conference in 1998 and fell in love with what he heard there and so he bought TED -- and turned it into a nonprofit organization.
In 2006, as something of an experiment, he put a handful of conference talks online. The reaction was almost immediate.
Chris Anderson: We started to get emails that said things like, "I'm sitting at my computer screen crying."
Charlie Rose: An emotional connection.
Chris Anderson: And a passionate connection. Like, these talks had got inside people's heads and changed them.
One talk that put Ted on the map was a brain scientist talking about bearing witness to her own stroke.
[Jill Bolte Taylor: So, this is a real human brain...]
One of the earliest TED Talks posted was literally about what was going on inside the head of neurobiologist Jill Bolte Taylor.
[Jill Bolte Taylor Then I realized, "Oh my gosh! I'm having a stroke! I'm having a stroke" And the next thing my brain says to me is, "Wow! This is so cool! This is so cool! How many brain scientists have the opportunity to study their own brain from the inside out?" (laughter)]
Taylor's talk went viral and soon, Internet users couldn't get enough of Ted Talks.A million views turned into a billion and now it is an Internet phenomenon. There are all sorts of TED conferences being held around the world daily.TED started its own website, TED.com. It has 2,000 talks on just about every subject imaginable.
Have a look and simply click the bottom right corner square with the arrows coming out of each end to expand on the screen, or view on CBS HERE.
To get your own talk posted on Ted there is a long and difficult audition and mentoring process as shown in the piece. About 60-70 talks are given live at the annual conference, not all of which make the final cut online where 2,000 18-minute of less talks live. But if the talk is a success, careers can be launched, books sold and in the case of justice-seeking attorney, Bryan Stevenson, millions of dollars raised.
Bryan Stevenson: It was scheduled two weeks before I had an argument at the U.S. Supreme Court. And I told one of my young staffers, somebody named TED wanted me to come and do a TED Talk and I told them no. And my staffer went crazy. Said, "What are you talking about? You have to do a TED Talk." Says Stevenson, "I think the challenge is getting people who consume all of this wonderful stuff that TED provides to not just be consumers, but to take what they learn and know and hear and turn it into some kind of action that may be a little uncomfortable, that may be a little inconvenient, but will absolutely be transformative to making these great ideas really ideas that not only spread but create a greater world."
So OK who wants to join me on trying out for Ted Talks?
Thanks for listening and have a GREAT Day,
Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer
Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.
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