The BEST episodes of TED Talks

Every episode of TED Talks ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of TED Talks!

TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TEDTalks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED with the world. Under the moniker "ideas worth spreading," talks were released online. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions. Indeed, the reaction was so enthusiastic that the entire TED website has been reengineered around TEDTalks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world's most inspiring voices. [TED-Ed and TEDx are separate TVDB series and should NOT be listed here.]

Last Updated: 1/24/2024Network: YouTubeStatus: Ended
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Andy Puddicombe: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes
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#1 - Andy Puddicombe: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes

Season 2013 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/12/2013

Nigel Marsh: How to make work-life balance work
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#2 - Nigel Marsh: How to make work-life balance work

Season 2011 - Episode 61 - Aired 2/7/2011

Work-life balance, says Nigel Marsh, is too important to be left in the hands of your employer. At TEDxSydney, Marsh lays out an ideal day balanced between family time, personal time and productivity -- and offers some stirring encouragement to make it happen.

Ella Al-Shamahi: The fascinating (and dangerous) places scientists aren't exploring
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#3 - Ella Al-Shamahi: The fascinating (and dangerous) places scientists aren't exploring

Season 2019 - Episode 161 - Aired 7/15/2019

We're not doing frontline exploratory science in a huge portion of the world — the places governments deem too hostile or disputed. What might we be missing because we're not looking? In this fearless, unexpectedly funny talk, paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi takes us on an expedition to the Yemeni island of Socotra — one of the most biodiverse places on earth — and makes the case for scientists to explore the unstable regions that could be home to incredible discoveries.

Enric Sala: Let's turn the high seas into the world's largest nature reserve
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#4 - Enric Sala: Let's turn the high seas into the world's largest nature reserve

Season 2018 - Episode 173 - Aired 6/6/2018

What if we could save the fishing industry and protect the ocean at the same time? Marine ecologist Enric Sala shares his bold plan to safeguard the high seas — some of the last wild places on earth, which fall outside the jurisdiction of any single country — by creating a giant marine reserve that covers two-thirds of the world's ocean. By protecting the high seas, Sala believes we will restore the ecological, economic and social benefits of the ocean. "When we can align economic needs with conservation, miracles can happen," Sala says.

Hugh Herr: How we'll become cyborgs and extend human potential
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#5 - Hugh Herr: How we'll become cyborgs and extend human potential

Season 2018 - Episode 164 - Aired 5/30/2018

Humans will soon have new bodies that forever blur the line between the natural and synthetic worlds, says bionics designer Hugh Herr. In an unforgettable talk, he details "NeuroEmbodied Design," a methodology for creating cyborg function that he's developing at the MIT Media Lab, and shows us a future where we've augmented our bodies in a way that will redefine human potential — and, maybe, turn us into superheroes. "During the twilight years of this century, I believe humans will be unrecognizable in morphology and dynamics from what we are today," Herr says. "Humanity will take flight and soar."

Caroline Weaver: Why the pencil is perfect
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#6 - Caroline Weaver: Why the pencil is perfect

Season 2018 - Episode 78 - Aired 3/15/2018

Why are pencils shaped like hexagons, and how did they get their iconic yellow color? Pencil shop owner Caroline Weaver takes us inside the fascinating history of the pencil.

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Amit Kalra: 3 creative ways to fix fashion's waste problem
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#7 - Amit Kalra: 3 creative ways to fix fashion's waste problem

Season 2018 - Episode 49 - Aired 2/15/2018

What happens to the clothes we don't buy? You might think that last season's coats, trousers and turtlenecks end up being put to use, but most of it (nearly 13 million tons each year in the United States alone) ends up in landfills. Fashion has a waste problem, and Amit Kalra wants to fix it. He shares some creative ways the industry can evolve to be more conscientious about the environment — and gain a competitive advantage at the same time.

Barry Schwartz: Using Our Practical Wisdom
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27 votes

#8 - Barry Schwartz: Using Our Practical Wisdom

Season 2010 - Episode 46 - Aired 11/1/2010

Barry Schwartz: Our Loss of Wisdom
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28 votes

#9 - Barry Schwartz: Our Loss of Wisdom

Season 2009 - Episode 28 - Aired 2/7/2009

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Jeff Speck: 4 ways to make a city more walkable
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#10 - Jeff Speck: 4 ways to make a city more walkable

Season 2017 - Episode 27 - Aired 2/9/2017

Freedom from cars, freedom from sprawl, freedom to walk your city! City planner Jeff Speck shares his "general theory of walkability" -- four planning principles to transform sprawling cities of six-lane highways and 600-foot blocks into safe, walkable oases full of bike lanes and tree-lined streets.

Adam Grant: Are you a giver or a taker?
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#11 - Adam Grant: Are you a giver or a taker?

Season 2017 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/3/2017

In every workplace, there are three basic kinds of people: givers, takers and matchers. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant breaks down these personalities and offers simple strategies to promote a culture of generosity and keep self-serving employees from taking more than their share.

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Franz Freudenthal: A new way to heal hearts without surgery
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#12 - Franz Freudenthal: A new way to heal hearts without surgery

Season 2016 - Episode 169 - Aired 9/9/2016

At the intersection of medical invention and indigenous culture, pediatric cardiologist Franz Freudenthal mends holes in the hearts of children across the world, using a device born from traditional Bolivian loom weaving. "The most complex problems in our time," he says, "can be solved with simple techniques, if we are able to dream."

Christopher Bell: Bring on the female superheroes!
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#13 - Christopher Bell: Bring on the female superheroes!

Season 2016 - Episode 162 - Aired 8/30/2016

Why is it so hard to find female superhero merchandise? In this passionate, sparkling talk, media studies scholar (and father of a Star Wars-obsessed daughter) Christopher Bell addresses the alarming lack of female superheroes in the toys and products marketed to kids — and what it means for how we teach them about the world.

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Olivier Scalabre: The next manufacturing revolution is here
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#14 - Olivier Scalabre: The next manufacturing revolution is here

Season 2016 - Episode 156 - Aired 8/22/2016

Economic growth has been slowing for the past 50 years, but relief might come from an unexpected place — a new form of manufacturing that is neither what you thought it was nor where you thought it was. Industrial systems thinker Olivier Scalabre details how a fourth manufacturing revolution will produce a macroeconomic shift and boost employment, productivity and growth.

Tshering Tobgay: This Country Isn't Just Carbon Neutral - It's Carbon Negative
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#15 - Tshering Tobgay: This Country Isn't Just Carbon Neutral - It's Carbon Negative

Season 2016 - Episode 49 - Aired 3/11/2016

Deep in the Himalayas, on the border between China and India, lies the Kingdom of Bhutan, which has pledged to remain carbon neutral for all time. In this illuminating talk, Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay shares his country's mission to put happiness before economic growth and set a world standard for environmental preservation.

Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
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#16 - Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Season 2009 - Episode 23 - Aired 9/16/2009

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership — starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers ...

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Travis Kalanick: Uber's Plan To Get More People Into Fewer Cars
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#17 - Travis Kalanick: Uber's Plan To Get More People Into Fewer Cars

Season 2016 - Episode 44 - Aired 3/4/2016

Uber didn't start out with grand ambitions to cut congestion and pollution. But as the company took off, co-founder Travis Kalanick wondered if there was a way to get people using Uber along the same routes to share rides, reducing costs and carbon footprint along the way. The result: uberPOOL, the company's carpooling service, which in its first eight months took 7.9 million miles off the roads and 1,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the air in Los Angeles. Now, Kalanick says carpooling could work for commuters in the suburbs, too. 'With the technology in our pockets today, and a little smart regulation,' he says, 'we can turn every car into a shared car, and we can reclaim our cities starting today.'

Thomas Peschak: Dive into an ocean photographer's world
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#18 - Thomas Peschak: Dive into an ocean photographer's world

Season 2016 - Episode 40 - Aired 2/29/2016

Somersaulting manta rays, dashing dolphins, swarming schools of fish and munching sharks inhabit a world beneath the ocean's surface that few get a chance to see. Conservation photographer Thomas Peschak visits incredible seascapes around the world, and his photos reveal these hidden ecosystems. 'You can't love something and become a champion for it if you don't know it exists,' he says. Join Peschak in a new, immersive TED Talk format as he shares his stunning work and his dream for a future of respectful coexistence with the ocean.

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin: A hilarious celebration of lifelong female friendship
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#19 - Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin: A hilarious celebration of lifelong female friendship

Season 2015 - Episode 216 - Aired 12/17/2015

Legendary duo Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin have been friends for decades. In a raw, tender and wide-ranging conversation hosted by Pat Mitchell, the three discuss longevity, feminism, the differences between male and female friendship, what it means to live well and women's role in future of our planet. "I don't even know what I would do without my women friends," Fonda says. "I exist because I have my women friends."

Mac Stone: Stunning photos of the endangered Everglades
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#20 - Mac Stone: Stunning photos of the endangered Everglades

Season 2015 - Episode 166 - Aired 9/30/2015

For centuries, people have viewed swamps and wetlands as obstacles to avoid. But for photographer Mac Stone, who documents the stories of wildlife in Florida's Everglades, the swamp isn't a hindrance — it's a national treasure. Through his stunning photographs, Stone shines a new light on a neglected, ancient and important wilderness. His message: get out and experience it for yourself. "Just do it — put your feet in the water," he says. "The swamp will change you, I promise."

Hannah Fry: The mathematics of love
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#21 - Hannah Fry: The mathematics of love

Season 2015 - Episode 26 - Aired 2/13/2015

Finding the right mate is no cakewalk — but is it even mathematically likely? In a charming talk, mathematician Hannah Fry shows patterns in how we look for love, and gives her top three tips (verified by math!) for finding that special someone.

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Siddharthan Chandran: Can the damaged brain repair itself?
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#22 - Siddharthan Chandran: Can the damaged brain repair itself?

Season 2014 - Episode 36 - Aired 2/24/2014

After a traumatic brain injury, it sometimes happens that the brain can repair itself, building new brain cells to replace damaged ones. But the repair doesn't happen quickly enough to allow recovery from degenerative conditions like motor neuron disease (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS). Siddharthan Chandran walks through some new techniques using special stem cells that could allow the damaged brain to rebuild faster.

Tony Robbins - Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better
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#23 - Tony Robbins - Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better

Season 2006 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/27/2006

Tony Robbins discusses the "invisible forces" that motivate everyone's actions -- and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.

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Brené Brown: Listening to shame
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#24 - Brené Brown: Listening to shame

Season 2012 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/16/2012

Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word.

Allan Savory: How to green the desert and reverse climate change
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#25 - Allan Savory: How to green the desert and reverse climate change

Season 2013 - Episode 43 - Aired 3/5/2013