These talks drive home the many different ways to get better at what you care about.

Showing spectacular clips from productions such as Frida, The Tempest and The Lion King, director Julie Taymor describes a life spent immersed in theater and the movies. Filmed right as controversy over her Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was at its peak, she candidly describes the tensions inherent within her creative proce...

How do you foster connection, empathy and understanding between people Tell a good story, of course.

Great incubators of innovations are not limited to garages in Silicon Valley. Manov Subodh charts three principles for sparking entrepreneurial ventures and ideas in people around the world. From dreaming big to getting over the fear of failure, he offers case studies that guide us through the whole process.

When you're feeling burned out as an activist, what's the best way to bounce back? TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores the power of "playtivism" -- the incorporation of play and creativity into movements for social change. See how this versatile approach can spark new ideas, propel action and melt fear.

Summer, 2016: amid populist revolts, clashing resentments and fear, writer Anand Giridharadas doesn't give a talk but reads a letter. It's from those who have won in this era of change, to those who have, or feel, lost. It confesses to ignoring pain until it became anger. It chides an idealistic yet remote elite for its behind-closed-doors world...

Refugee and immigrants rights attorney Melanie Nezer shares an urgently needed historical perspective on the crisis at the southern US border, showing how citizens can hold their governments accountable for protecting the vulnerable. "A country shows strength through compassion and pragmatism, not through force and through fear," she says.

Math might have been dry and boring in high school, but it is actually AWESOME. If only it had been this fun when you were getting graded.

Bird's the word on this collection of TED Talks that spotlights our fascinating feathered friends.

Art that doesn’t just grab your attention, but sends a message, makes a statement and resonates.

Kayla Briët creates art that explores identity and self-discovery -- and the fear that her culture may someday be forgotten. She shares how she found her creative voice and reclaimed the stories of her Dutch-Indonesian, Chinese and Native American heritage by infusing them into film and music time capsules.

Being open and vulnerable with your loneliness, sadness and fear can help you find comfort and feel less alone, says writer and artist Jonny Sun. In an honest talk filled with his signature illustrations, Sun shares how telling stories about feeling like an outsider helped him tap into an unexpected community and find a tiny sliver of light in t...

When you’re just too busy to curl up with a good book, these talks bring the beauty of literature in audio form.

The path to adulthood is, at times, a rough one. These talks offer words of comfort and heaps of advice for those moments when life feels way too overwhelming.

The ability to recognize sounds and identify their location is possible thanks to the auditory system. That's comprised of two main parts: the ear, and the brain. The ear's task is to convert sound energy into neural signals; the brain's is to receive and process the information those signals contain. To understand how that works, Douglas L. Oli...

These well-known writers weave beautiful words on the page ... and on the stage.

What's haunting Carrie Poppy? Is it ghosts or something worse? In this talk, the investigative journalist narrates her encounter with a spooky feeling you'll want to warn your friends about and explains why we need science to deal with paranormal activity.

Libraries have the power to create a better world; they connect communities, promote literacy and spark lifelong learners. But there's one thing that keeps people away: the fear of overdue book fines. In this thought-provoking talk, librarian Dawn Wacek makes the case that fines don't actually do what we think they do. What if your library just ...

When one of Liz Kleinrock's fourth-grade students said the unthinkable at the start of a class on race, she knew it was far too important a teachable moment to miss. But where to start? Learn how Kleinrock teaches kids to discuss taboo topics without fear -- because the best way to start solving social problems is to talk about them.

In an unmissable talk about race and politics in America, Theo E.J. Wilson tells the story of becoming Lucius25, white supremacist lurker, and the unexpected compassion and surprising perspective he found from engaging with people he disagrees with. He encourages us to let go of fear, embrace curiosity and have courageous conversations with peop...

Our love of technology is perhaps rivaled only by our fear of change. Every time technology advances, the ripple effect of change can cripple even the strongest companies. Development expert Patrick Forth notes that 75% of the Fortune 500 in 2020 will be names never heard before. How can large companies better channel change and continue to thri...

Great, practical advice on ways to responsibly invest (time, money, and even your company's data) for the good of our global society.

Computers are being taught to learn, reason and recognize emotions. In these talks, look for insights -- as well as warnings.

"A record of our emotional life is written on our hearts," says cardiologist and author Sandeep Jauhar. In a stunning talk, he explores the mysterious ways our emotions impact the health of our hearts -- causing them to change shape in response to grief or fear, to literally break in response to emotional heartbreak -- and calls for a shift in h...

These talks can help guide you in nurturing close, meaningful bonds with a long-distance partner, family, a new acquaintance or anyone in between.

When Lesley Hazleton was writing a biography of Muhammad, she was struck by something: The night he received the revelation of the Koran, according to early accounts, his first reaction was doubt, awe, even fear. And yet this experience became the bedrock of his belief. Hazleton calls for a new appreciation of doubt and questioning as the founda...

Lucy Farey-Jones is obsessed with what makes people embrace or reject new things.

After a visit to a European library in search of Arabic and Middle Eastern texts turned up only titles about fear, terrorism and destruction, Ghada Wali resolved to represent her culture in a fun, accessible way. The result: a colorful, engaging project that uses LEGO to teach Arabic script, harnessing the power of graphic design to create conne...