- Mitch Harrison
- Davison, MI
- United States
This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »
I need a TED icebreaker video! How do I get someone hooked?
I strongly feel like exposing high school and college students could really change our future, because we are the future. I find, however, showing someone a video with someone talking about statistics or dependence on oil doesn't particularly peak the interest of most of my fellow students. I need a talk that is exciting or up-beat or something! I want to get my generation's foot in the TED door. Maybe we can start spreading all of these "ideas worth spreading"!
Topics:
TED future inspiring youth
Emily Watson
Astra Singh 20+
Of the TED Talks that I shared with my students these are a few that they found either inspirational, interesting, amazing, funny, thought-provoking.
Sunni Brown – Doodler, unite!
http://www.ted.com/talks/sunni_brown.html
Neil Pasricha – The 3 A’s of Awesome
http://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome.html
Charlie Todd – The shared experience of absurdity
http://www.ted.com/talks/charlie_todd_the_shared_experience_of_absurdity.html
Julian Treasure – 5 Ways to listen better
http://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better.html
Eric Whitacre – A virtual choir 2000 voices strong
http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_a_virtual_choir_2_000_voices_strong.html
I hope this is helpful to you.
Kind regards,
Astra
Rosalind Thieme
Brian Cox 20+
However, one of my favorites is: "Are We Born to Run?" by Christopher McDougall.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/christopher_mcdougall_are_we_born_to_run.html
It's human, it's relevant, and it's pretty "out there." Even if you don't believe the message, it gets you thinking.
Richard Horowitz
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/theo_jansen_creates_new_creatures.html
Pavels Jelisejevs
http://www.ted.com/talks/marco_tempest_the_magic_of_truth_and_lies_on_ipods.html
Colin South
Both inspirational, and quite humorous.
It's why I signed up to TED!
Don Wesley 50+
"More is most often Less"
"Ancient" Don [From the Silent Generation]
Sabin Muntean 30+
Don Wesley 50+
"Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" from the play "The Secret Garden."
A hint - Plant today and harvest at the end of the season! She grew beauty and joy and wonder and the need and patience for more.
I know more. Find me later and I'll reveal more, about creating for a very complex society.
Find the ladder and avoid the snakes from the game "Snakes and ladders"
I hope you are getting curious. Good!
"Ancient" Don [From the Silent Generation]
Derek Young 30+
I found that one of these two videos will hook most people.
http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/pamela_meyer_how_to_spot_a_liar.html
Hope this has helped. =)
Ricky Thompson
Failing that 'Rives'. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/rives_on_4_a_m.html
Or, if you wanna go sure-fire, Steven Levitt. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/steven_levitt_analyzes_crack_economics.html
or, also sure-fire, Chris Abani. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/chris_abani_muses_on_humanity.html
Jimmy Strobl 30+
I've found that peoples attention span are a bit short. So what I do with my friends that have these short attention spans is that I show the the shorter TED Talks that I'm sure will interest and amaze them, it's also all about knowing your audience. and choosing the appropriate time for the appropriate Talk.
I've been thinking a lot lately about how I first got hooked on TED and I recently remembered that I started with the shorter Talks that were also humerus. Providing instant satisfaction for people that are not really accustomed to viewing learning as fun may be key here.
Further more, spreading TED Talks to the appropriate social media platform channels is also really good for opening peoples eyes to TED.
For example I shared the Talk http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/bill_doyle_treating_cancer_with_electric_fields.html both on some Cancer groups on Facebook and Tweeted the Talk with #Cancer. I've done the same for http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html spreading it to the Swedish teacher unions' Facebook page and so on.
I've also used the "A Taste of TED" video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m8YaW6JBZQ on a lecture I had on social media for some politicians here in my home town, It's a good summary of what TED is.
Ashley Conway 10+
Enrico Petrucco 20+
http://blog.ted.com/2012/03/03/ted2012-mashup-its-time-for-ted/
Alternatively, show someone something that conflicts with their beliefs or knowledge and that person probably won't be able to help themself from making a profile just to comment...
Choose a tag
http://www.ted.com/talks/tags
Then find something hard to accept at face value
For non-conformists, I might recommend one of the following:
http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_the_myth_of_violence.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_asks_are_we_in_control_of_our_own_decisions.html
Or for novelty-seekers:
http://www.ted.com/talks/charlie_todd_the_shared_experience_of_absurdity.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html
Don Wesley 50+
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BvsX03LOMhI
Don [From the Silent Generation]
Tomáš Ochodek
edit: I just noticed someone already reccomended it, so it's not just my impression of him.
Aja Bogdanoff 20+
I'd think anything by Ken Robinson would be a big hit with high schoolers! :) And another favorite of mine is Brene Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability": http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html . I think Brene's laid-back speaking style and insights into what it means to be human would make it pretty interesting and relevant for teenagers.
You could also take a look at some of our Theme pages, like "How We Learn": http://www.ted.com/themes/how_we_learn.html , lots of good stuff there! :)
Robert Winner 50+
Kevin Low
- Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong (This is the one I use to show people first)
- Benjamin Zander on music and passion
Then after that, maybe:
- Evelyn Glennie shows how to listen
- Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors
You could also go with a hot topic and have them debate it out. Religion always gets a ton of responses on TED and Youtube. I'd start out with something funny like "Julia Sweeney on letting go of God," then move on to "Dan Dennett's response to Rick Warren" and "Tom Honey on God and the tsunami." "James Randi's fiery takedown of psychic fraud" is more about spirits than God, but can be used as a stepping stone to talk about religion too.
Kids may be able to relate to someone closer to their age, like Sarah Kay "Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter ..." Rives is also popular with youth.
Personally, I don't know anyone who doesn't love nature videos! Check out Thiery Thys, Sheila Patek, Susan Savage-Rumbaugh, Robert Full, Deborah Gordon, David Gallo, Jane Goodall . .
And space videos are great at creating wonder, too. "Carolyn Porco flies us to Saturn" is fantastic.
(Sorry if that's overload, I've been watching A LOT of TED talks recently, haha! Good luck!)
Randy Schroeder
Engaging the audience with feelings can be very powerful.
Paul Clarke
Kris Rosvold
Simple, find what excites your audience and target your selection to that.... In a Law class (or Statistics) try $8 billion IPod. In a music (or a social justice Class) class try Morely Sings or Evelyn Glennie shows how to listen. In a Poli-Sci class try T. Boone Pickens.
Ted isn't so much about "upbeat" (although many talks are) as it is about igniting possibilities (lighting the fuse of imagination as it were)... in theory this is also what schools are supposed to be about. So quiz them to find the "what ifs" that make their eyes light up and gives them the "AhHA!". You might also consider using some of the stuff from Rocky Mountain Institute...
Carol Omer
When I heard it I was thrilled to hear a world expert talk about the profoundly damaging aspect of western education that is predominantly science based (conform and compete) over creative curriculums that nurture lateral thinking and song, dsnce and movement (explore and expand).
Sir Kens talk resonated very much with a piece I wrote many years ago after meeting so many lost poets, traumatised visionaries, paralysed dancers and magicians with mental ilness in homeless shelters and refuges. Here is the story of how the education system creates so many of traumatised "Magical Children in Exile" who believe "I am not creative"
:
http://carolom.wordpress.com/2007/01/02/the-magical-child-in-exile/
Juan Jose Zapico
Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors
Clifford Stoll on ... everything
Gaurav Gupta 500+
Also, Derek Sivers on "How to Start a Movement" also immediately puts the audience on the side where they could relate from a social/popular psychology perspective.
Barend J Snyman
Very difficult to pick one from so many but my suggestion would be about The Venus Project by Jaque Fresco.
It surely would stimulate young minds creativity and will give hope for a future where the Resouce-Based-Economy model is of the essence.
I haven't looked at the one by Sir Ken Robinson that says schools kill creativity but i feel it goes hand in hand with what my suggestion is.
Rayya Abu Ghosh
On a more 'cool science' level : http://www.ted.com/talks/the_cockroach_beatbox.html :)
hope you like them!