We all use our body on a daily basis, and yet few of us think about our physicality the way Wayne McGregor does. He demonstrates how a choreographer communicates ideas to an audience, working with two dancers to build phrases of dance, live and unscripted, on the TEDGlobal stage.
Have you ever wondered what happens to a painkiller, like ibuprofen, after you swallow it? Medicine that slides down your throat can help treat a headache, a sore back, or a throbbing sprained ankle. But how does it get where it needs to go in the first place? Céline Valéry explains how your body processes medicine. [Directed by Daniel Gray, nar...
The average 20-year-old knows between 27,000 and 52,000 different words. Spoken out loud, most of these words last less than a second. With every word, the brain has a quick decision to make: which of those thousands of options matches the signal? And about 98% of the time, the brain chooses the correct word. How is this possible? Gareth Gaskell...
When asked to build housing for 100 families in Chile ten years ago, Alejandro Aravena looked to an unusual inspiration: the wisdom of favelas and slums. Rather than building a large building with small units, he built flexible half-homes that each family could expand on. It was a complex problem, but with a simple solution — one that he arrived...
The world is moving fast. These talks will inspire you to take time to process it all. Bonus reading: Pico Iyer’s The Art of Stillness, a beautiful meditation on this subject.
Traditional job interviews are stressful interrogations that can often exclude marginalized populations. Here's how psychologist and entrepreneur Gil Winch says we can rethink hiring, training and onboarding to allow people to show their true potential.
When we measure things, most people are only worried about how accurate, or how close to the actual value, they are. Looking at the process of measurement more carefully, you will see that there is another important consideration: precision. Matt Anticole explains what exactly precision is and how can help us to measure things better. [Directed ...
What is TED? This primer of 11 classic TED Talks show you the wide range of topics covered -- and introduce you to beloved speakers like Amy Cuddy, Brené Brown, Sir Ken Robinson and Chimamanda Adichie. Find your next favorite talk ...
Every day, we meet people and process our interactions-- making inferences and developing beliefs about the world around us. In this lesson, Trevor Maber introduces us to the idea of a 'ladder of inference' and a process for rethinking the way we interact. [Directed by Biljana Labovic, narrated by Trevor Maber].
Making toast doesn’t sound very complicated -- until someone asks you to draw the process, step by step. Tom Wujec loves asking people and teams to draw how they make toast, because the process reveals unexpected truths about how we can solve our biggest, most complicated problems at work. Learn how to run this exercise yourself, and hear Wujec’...
The Way We Work is an original video series where leaders and thinkers offer practical wisdom and insight into how we can adapt and thrive amid changing workplace conventions. (Made possible with the support of Dropbox)
Alan Russell studies regenerative medicine -- a breakthrough way of thinking about disease and injury, using a process that can signal the body to rebuild itself.
In this emotionally charged conversation with journalist Kurt Andersen, designer David Rockwell discusses the process of building a viewing platform at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11.
Pianist and composer Jennifer Lin gives a magical performance, talks about the process of creativity and improvises a moving solo piece based on a random sequence of notes.
In 1942, a mother-daughter duo named Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers developed a questionnaire that classified people's personalities into 16 types. Called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI, it would go on to become one of the world's most widely-used personality tests. But do these tests actually reveal truths about persona...
Evan Grant demonstrates the science and art of cymatics, a process for making soundwaves visible. Useful for analyzing complex sounds (like dolphin calls), it also makes complex and beautiful designs.
Saving money is like working out or eating right -- it's easier said than done. Behavioral scientist Wendy De La Rosa streamlines the process with two quick tips that can help you achieve your goals.
The legendary design team Charles and Ray Eames made films, houses and classic midcentury modern furniture. Eames Demetrios, their grandson, shows rarely seen films and archival footage in a lively, loving tribute to their creative process.
Actor David Wenham shares his insights into the seemingly mysterious alchemy of the acting process. (Step 1: Build up your stamina with a wooden stage sword. Step 2: Learn how to behave truthfully in an imaginary situation.)
Pia Mancini and her colleagues want to upgrade democracy in Argentina and beyond. Through their open-source mobile platform they want to bring citizens inside the legislative process, and run candidates who will listen to what they say.
We've all been told to get a good night's sleep before a test -- finally, here's the reason why. Sleep scientist Matt Walker explains how getting enough sleep affects how our brains store and process memories.
Reed Kroloff gives us a new lens for judging new architecture: is it modern, or is it romantic? Look for glorious images from two leading practices -- and a blistering critique of the 9/11 planning process.
Can architects re-engineer their design process? Joshua Prince-Ramus shows how the results can be spectacular. He walks us through his fantastic re-creation of the Wyly Theater as a giant "theatrical machine" that reconfigures itself at the touch of a button.