11 Of The Most Popular TED Talks You Need To Watch
It’s no secret I’m a massive fan of TED Talks, but it wasn’t until recently that I realised I tend to watch more of the ‘hidden’ talks when I get into a spiral of TED Talk binge watching (it’s so easy to do).
So I set out to watch all of the most popular TED Talks and oh my gosh they are amazing.
Seriously. You have to watch them.
There’s a reason why these TED Talks have millions upon millions of views EACH!.
Some have more views than there are people in the country I live in. That’s kinda huge.
So grab a coffee, settle in and get comfy for this amazing binge session of TED Talks.
Or, if you can’t watch them all now, save this page, pin it for later or save to your home screen of your phone so you can watch whenever you get a chance. So. Good.
Also, download our Free Mini Life Planner so you can take notes and harness your inspiration as you go:
1 – Sir Ken Robinson – Do Schools Kill Creativity?
This is just an interesting talk even if you don’t have children who are of school age (or will be going to school).
As someone who doesn’t consider themselves to be creative, it made me wonder why I lost that creative spark I once had when I was at school.
But I did realise that my writing is my creativity, but not all adults have a creative outlet.
And it makes me worried that my son, who is a creative little soul, could one day lose that while being forced to fit the education mould.
You can understand why this talk is one of the most popular TED Talks of all time (and remains to be one of the most highly viewed talks).
It really challenges the way we look at modern education systems and makes us wonder what we could be doing better.
2 – Tony Robbins – Why We Do What We Do
I absolutely love Tony Robbins. I am a massive fan and could listen to what this man has to say and absorb every single word, every single day.
He is captivating and to be honest, one of my favourite points in this talk is where he identifies himself as ‘The Why Guy’.
The guy who challenges you to question why you do what you do.
Your why, and your understanding of your why is essential to your self confidence.
Knowing not only who you are and what you do – but why you do it makes you more sure of your place in this world.
This is the new and updated version of his video (in 2020 – the original was filmed back in 2012).
Find His Book Here – Awaken The Giant Within
3 – Amy Cuddy – Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are
Start thinking about your body actions and how the way you use your body language to convey who you are and how you position yourself in this world.
Your body actions have a huge impact in so many areas of your life, far deeper than you would initially think.
We are also influenced by our own body language and the non-verbal expressions of power and dominance vs the expressions when you’re feeling powerless and how we make ourselves smaller. So incredibly interesting.
Find her book here – Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self To Your Biggest Challenges
4 – James Veitch – This Is What Happens When You Reply To Spam Email
Oh my gosh, seriously, this is so funny. Most of us have wondered at some point what would happen if we replied to those annoying spam emails we get every single day.
Not all TED Talks need to deeply challenge your thinking, some are just great entertainment and this is one of them, hence why it’s one of the most popular TED Talks ever.
5 – Simon Sinek – How Great Leaders Inspire Action
Simon Sinek is such a fascinating person to listen to.
While this talk might get you thinking about the companies you purchase from and why you make purchases, when you listen to it, think about how you structure your own why.
Your ‘why’ isn’t a new concept for many people, as seen by #2 in this list.
So with two of the top 5 TED Talks focusing on your ‘why’ it seems like this might be a big key to understanding ourselves and our roles in this world.
Find His Book Here – How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action
6 – Tim Urban – Inside The Mind Of A Master Procrastinator
Hands up all the procrastinators out there?
Yeah, me too.
I’ve always been this way, for as long as I can remember.
I wrote all of my high school assignments like this, I write my blog posts like this, and I do everything last minute (just ask my husband, he agrees).
It’s not because I’m lazy, trust me, I’m not. It’s more that it’s literally how my brain works, and it’s good to know I’m not the only one (and neither are you!).
The thing I love the most about this talk is that it’s not just a ‘stop procrastinating and get the work done’ talk. It’s actually really insightful to see how the mind of a procrastinator works.
7 – Brené Brown – The Power Of Vulnerability
Possibly one of the most popular TED talks of all time, this talk questions whether or not you believe you are worthy, asks why and how we numb our emotions and why vulnerability is so important.
One of my favourite messages is the need to treat ourselves kindly in order to practice compassion – because unless we are compassionate with ourselves we cannot be compassionate with others.
Find her book here – The Gifts of Imperfection
8 – Cameron Russell – Looks Aren’t Everything. Believe Me. I’m A Model
Pay attention to the first 30 seconds of this talk and see how quickly your perception of Cameron changes, it’s amazing.
We’ve all, at some stage, judged someone based on their looks.
And, we’ve all, at some stage, been judged on our looks.
But looks aren’t everything.
This is a shorter talk that packs a whole lot of thought and might make you question yourself next time you go to judge someone or next time you’re feeling judged.
9 – Dan Pink – The Puzzle Of Motivation
Ever decided you’d reward yourself with something once a task is done, thinking that the motivation of the reward will make you work harder and faster?
Did the reward actually work for you?
There might be a bit of science behind it, because I know for me it doesn’t work and science says I’m not alone.
I love that even though this talk, and a lot of the TED Talks are targeted specifically towards business, we can actually apply a lot of them to our own personal lives too.
This talk absolutely blew my mind. It goes against logic and what we’ve always been taught and I love it!
10 – Apollo Robbins – The Art Of Misdirection
There are a handful of TED Talks that absolutely draw me in from the first few seconds and I feel like I literally can’t look away.
This is one of those talks, and perhaps it’s because it’s given by one of the worlds best pickpocketers but it is incredibly interesting.
How many things do you pay attention to in your day to day lives? We see so much, but how much of that information do we take in?
I promise by the time you get to the end of this TED Talk you’ll want to go back and watch it again. It’s so good.
Find His Show Here – Reel Magic
11 – Pamela Meyer – How To Spot A Liar
This is one of the first TED Talks I ever watched and I still love it.
On any given day we are lied to between 10 and 200 times. That’s incredible.
Lying costs businesses billions of dollars and has a major impact on the economy.
Lying is a killer of marriages, and we all lie. Every single person. Deception in some way, shape or form.
Want to learn how you can spot a lie? This talk will show you some of the ways. It’s highly entertaining and interesting.
Find Her Book Here – Liespotting: Proven Techniques To Detect Deception
Sometimes we just want to watch TED Talks to be enlightened and entertained.
While I usually watch TED Talks to find out more information about a specific topic, sometimes it’s great to just sit and watch the most popular TED Talks, the ones other’s have enjoyed and are so good to watch.
Check out these other TED Talks posts to find some more amazing TED Talks to add to your playlist:
15 Of The Best TED Talks About Marriage, Relationships and Love
9 TED Talks For Women To Inspire and Empower You
9 Must Watch TED Talks For Parents
9 Powerful TED Talks To Boost Your Confidence
