TEDspirations - Lessons from 42 most popular TED talks

42 TED Talks
Lessons. Insights. Inspiration.
Jan 1-5, 2014

The Experiment
Hi, I’m Shashank Nigam - I love
aviation, cricket, traveling and
spending good time with family &
friends. I was born in Delhi, grew up in
Singapore and now live with my wife in
Ottawa, Canada.
!

As 2013 ended, I thought, why not do
something completely different that
gives me happiness and inspires me.
!

I aimed to watch 50 TED talks in the
ﬁrst 5 days of 2014. The plan evolved
a little as I decided to spend some
time documenting my learnings, then
sharing it with the world too.

What I watched
!

In the end, I watched 42 talks, and gleaned insights on key
learnings, stories and presentation ideas. And I was inspired.
I watched every single one of the
Top 10 most viewed TED Talks
(trying to learn how they got so
many views), 6 talks on storytelling
(to become better myself), 9 talks
on Design (since it’s a topic I’ve
always been interested in, but never
explored much), 10 talks that were
less than 10 minutes (to learn the art
of conciseness) and many more on
a variety of other topics.

My Favourite Talks
!

I’ve been asked by friends and family to share those talks that
I found the most interesting, so here are my Top 5.
1. Simon Sinek - The Golden Circle
2. Chimamanda Adichie: The
danger of a single story
3. Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of
insight
4. Sarah Kay: If I should have a
daughter
5. Shawn Achor: The happy secret
to better work

The Learnings
!

While the details of every single TED
talk are embedded in this deck, I’ve
highlighted trends on what makes a
great presentation in the following
slides. Some of my key learnings
were about life - to be happy, you
need to spend some good time with
family, try new things (and don’t worry
about the weather - it doesn't matter!).
!

I also learnt that a good presentation
should be about the audience, must
include personal stories (no matter
how dry the subject) and should
inspire action.

What makes for a great
presentation?

What makes for a great
presentation?

Personal Experiences
Audience action
Props
Video
No slides
Mimicry

What great presentations have in common?

“The conscious
mind is like the
man on the
elephant that is
the subconscious
mind. The man
thinks he can tell
the elephant what
to do, but the
elephant really has
ideas of his own.”

The image I can’t get out of my
head…

42 TED Talks
In-depth
Jan 1-5, 2014

Boyd Varty: What I learned
from Nelson Mandela
1. Ubuntu - I am. Because of you. (We are a Collective Society)
2. "In the cathedral of the wild, we get to see the best parts of ourselves
reﬂected back to us.”
3. Elvis the odd-legged elephant was helped by the herd in moving up
slopes, in plucking branches and the herd moved slower to
accommodate her.
4. Solly - saved Boyd knowing that there was a crocodile in the river
between him and Boyd, without thinking twice!
5. Act out the movements of animals, be emotive to help the audience
feel like they are there themselves. Eg, acting how the leopard left
the tracks, how Elvis walked, and how the croc attacked
http://www.ted.com/talks/boyd_varty_what_i_learned_from_nelson_mandela.html
Insights :: Stories :: Presentation

Chimamanda Adichie: The
danger of a single story
1. Single stories create stereotypes. And Stereotypes are not untrue, but incomplete. It
emphasizes how we are different, rather than similar.
2. Nkale - To be greater than another - power structures deﬁne storytelling often
3. If you want to tell a story differently, start with “Secondly….”
4. Show a people as only one thing over and over again, and that is what they become
5. Personal stories stick - “I wrote stories with bad illustrations of crayons that my
mother was obligated to read”
6. “She was told Fide’s family was very poor. There was only pity. She was startled
when she saw Fide’s brother make a basket. How could they make anything?”
7. Content is what matters most. No slides, no movement. But a standing ovation
because nobody was distracted, and focused only on the content of her speech
http://www.ted.com/playlists/62/how_to_tell_a_story.html

Isabel Allende: Tales of
passion
1. What is truer than truth? The story.
2. Women form 2/3 or the global labour, and yet own less than 1% of
assets. 20X the amount of aid goes to men, than women-led programs
3. The American dentist intern in Bangladesh who pulled out bad teeth w/
o instruments, and saw the lady beaten up to a swollen face the next
day by her husband for not coming home early enough to cook dinner
4. It’s not the luck factor that’s the most important in the Olympics, it’s
fearless passion.
5. Passion should come across in every speech. That’s what connects
the audience to the speaker. Isabel is a feminist, and a very polarizing
one at that. And it comes across clearly in the talk.

Andrew Stanton: The clues
to a great story
1. Storytelling is joke telling - it’s about knowing your punchline. Stories afﬁrm who
we are, and that our lives have meaning
2. “Frankly there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you’ve heard their
story”. Just make me care.
3. “A well told promise is like a pebble being pulled back by a slingshot that
propels you through a story till the end”
4. The unifying theory of 2+2 - don’t give the audience 4, give them work to do.
5. “Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty”
6. Born a premature baby, and was given a second chance. Wanted to make the
best of it in the end.
7. Use video to make your vision vivid and bring it to life

J.J. Abrams: Screenovation
The mystery box
1. Each character has a spine - the reason he exists for, and that’s
what people relate to. It’s often also not obvious, but a constant
theme
2. In Jaws, the hero needs love, when he asks his kid to kiss him.
The shark is obvious. His need for love is a constant
undercurrent.
3. “In whatever it is that I do, I ﬁnd myself drawn to inﬁnite
possibility, that sense of potential.”
4. Used “The Mystery box” as a prop, throughout the presentation,
on the stage, and then didn't reveal what’s inside it!

Elif Shafak: The politics of
ﬁction
1. The circle of life - if we erect walls around us, we remain the same. If the
people around us are just like us, then they act like mirrors. We don't want
to resemble ourselves all our lives, isn't it?
2. Knowledge that takes you not beyond yourself is far worse than ignorance
3. “If you want to destroy something in this life, be it acne, a blemish or the
human soul, all you need to do is to surround it with thick walls. It will dry
up inside.”
4. Don’t be a compass, with one leg stuck in one place while the other one
moves in the same sphere
5. Quoting others, at least a couple of times, makes you look more
intellectual
http://www.ted.com/talks/elif_shafak_the_politics_of_ﬁction.html

Philippe Starck: Design and
destiny
1. To be visionary, we need to look beyond ourselves, and
immediate future. We need to look from the horizontal, up.
2. “We are mutants. If we don’t deeply understand, if we don’t
integrate that we are mutants, we completely miss the
story.”
3. “In perhaps 50 years, 60 years, we can ﬁnish completely
this civilization, and offer to our children the possibility to
invent a new story, a new poetry, a new romanticism.”
4. Stay in character. If you’re eccentric, then be. Animate
inanimate objects, like boiling soup.
http://www.ted.com/talks/philippe_starck_thinks_deep_on_design.html

Paula Scher: Great design is
serious, not solemn
1. To be serious, you often need to be at play. You need to have no preconceived notions, no experience, and have fun with what you’re doing.
Nothing to lose if you fail, since you didn't know about it to begin with.
2. Most of the other work is solemn - repeating the serious work in a shorter
amount of time.
3. Strive to do more serious work, more often.
4. When she was asked to design the logo for PIT North Side, she designed
an icon instead, which was an underpass that separated the city - now the
underpass is an iconic art installation
5. To deliver an engrossing presentation, keep it focused on the topic. Paula
had 4 examples of serious work, and 2-3 of solemn work. Kept it simple,
and I was engrossed.
http://www.ted.com/talks/paula_scher_gets_serious.html

Stefan Sagmeister:
Happiness by design
1. Realised that most of the things in his life that
took his breath away included design. Decided
to do more.
2. Made a list of lessons he learnt in his life. And
then applied those lessons literally in design
3. Show lots and lots of visual examples to keep the
audience interested. Share personal/private
anecdotes to keep them engaged
http://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_sagmeister_shares_happy_design.html

Stefan Sagmeister: 7 rules
for making more happiness
1. Keep a diary - it helps development and makes you
happier.
2. Makes lots of lists of things…moments, things to do,
things that make him happy etc etc
3. Wants to do things that feel partly familiar and partly
brand new
4. Use lots of infographics and animations that people
have never seen before - it should attract, but not
distract from your main message
http://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_sagmeister_7_rules_for_making_more_happiness.html

David Carson: Design and
discovery
1. Take risks, nobody’s going to die
2. “You have to utilize who you are in your work.
Nobody else can do that: nobody else can pull
from your background, from your parents, your
upbringing, your whole life experience.”
3. Add humor to your talk, subtly.
http://www.ted.com/talks/david_carson_on_design.html

Yves Behar - Designing
objects that tell stories
1. Design is not just a wrapper. It’s integrated into the
product and should improve the functionality.
2. Why do we need the Caps Lock and Num Lock on
the keyboard when nobody uses it?
3. Throw something in the audience, preferably
related to your work, and they’ll all remember you
4. Show examples of work you’ve done, rather than
others’ works
http://www.ted.com/talks/yves_behar_on_designing_objects_that_tell_stories.html

Ken Robinson: How schools
kill creativity
1. Intelligence is diverse, dynamic and distinct
2. “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with
anything creative or new”
3. Quote other speakers and reference them in your talk
4. Make a concise contention right up front, “Creativity is now as
important as literacy in education”
5. End the talk by referring to the group in the room as those who
can make decisions about what you’re talking about. Then
give them a strong call to action, that they can go and do.
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Simon Sinek: How great
leaders inspire action
1. Ideas need to be simple to spread - the golden circle is simple
2. To Lead, you need a Why, to Inspire, you need a Why. To be a
leader, you need a how or a what. A leader executes.
3. Tivo failed. Martin Luther King succeeded, because people
gathered there not for him, but for their own beliefs.
4. Use a chart paper and draw as you speak. People will focus their
attention completely on you.
5. Use examples everyone knows of and can relate to - Apple,
Martin Luther King, mixed with those no one has heard of, like the
Wright Brothers competitor
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

Brené Brown: The power of
vulnerability
1. If can’t measure it, it doesn't exist
2. People who have strong sense of love and belonging, feel that they are worthy
of it. They had the courage to be imperfect, the compassion to be kind to
themselves (ﬁrst) and then to others, they had connection as a result of
authenticity. They were willing to let go of who they were, to be who they want to
be.
3. They embraced vulnerability. What made them vulnerable made them beautiful.
They had the willingness to do something where there were no guarantees - like
saying “I love you” ﬁrst. And not knowing what to expect in return.
4. Say to your kids you’re imperfect, but worthy of my love and belonging
5. Start with a personal story, possibly where you were vulnerable. Share a
personal story that showed you were vulnerable and in denial!
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of
insight
1. The left brain is often the conscious, logical side that
looks at the past and projects into the future. The right
brain is creative, about emotions, energy ﬂows and
allows us to think beyond logic. Perhaps, that’s the “gut”
2. “Then it crosses my mind, ‘But I’m a very busy woman! I
don’t have time for a stroke!’”
3. Express your personal emotions and experiences as
vividly as possible, and the audience will be hooked
4. Surprise the audience - with a real brain perhaps?
http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Amy Cuddy: Your body
language shapes who you are
1. Presence = Passionate, Enthusiastic, Captivating, Comfortable, Authentic,
Confident.
2. “Our bodies change our minds, and our minds can change our behavior, and
our behavior can change our outcomes.” Fake it till you become it. Power pose
just for two minutes a day!
3. Leaders must communicate power + competence, and warmth and trust.
4. She had an accident at 19, IQ dropped by 2 std deviations and she was no
longer “smart” - her wajood disappeared. She kept telling herself she didn't fit in
at Princeton, she’s not supposed to be at Harvard. Until she kept doing what she
did best, and she became fit for Harvard!
5. Share a deeply emotional personal story, not just other people’s stories
6. Give a strong call to action, like “Share this science with those who need it”
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html

David Gallo: Underwater
astonishments
1. We’ve explored just 3% of the ocean, and 97% is
yet to thrill us, full of surprises
2. An octopus can change its color, skin texture and
shape in seconds, to blend into its surroundings.
3. End with a WOW surprise and you get a
standing-ovation
4. Tell the audience stuff they didn't already know
http://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments.html

Dan Pink: The puzzle of
motivation
1. Intrinsic Motivation
1. Autonomy - the desire to direct our own lives
2. Mastery - The desire to do something better and better
3. Purpose - The yearning to contribute to something bigger than
themselves. To do things because they matter.
2. The candle problem - put the candle on the wall w/o letting the wax drip
on the table
3. Give them a problem to solve, ideally visual, that you can all solve
together
4. Bring in local contexts, “like they say in DC, this is a True Fact”
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

Bobby McFerrin: Watch me
play ... the audience!
1. Music is the universal language. As are others.
2. Pa Paa P Pa Paaa Pa Paa..
3. Make the audience play along, or even lead the
play. In this case, they played music!

http://www.ted.com/talks/bobby_mcferrin_hacks_your_brain_with_music.html

Matt Cutts: Try something
new for 30 days
1. If you’ve been wanting to do something for a long
time, just try it for 30 days.
2. He wrote a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Just
wrote 1,667 words per day and didn't go to sleep
until he did!
3. Keep it concise, and speciﬁc.
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

Sarah Kay: If I should have a
daughter ...
1. If you want to do something, start with “I can”.
Then go to “I tried”. Then ﬁnally, “I’m good at it”
2. The Point B poem was one of the best I’ve ever
heard
3. Just mesmerize!
http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html

Richard St. John: 8 secrets
of success
1. 500 interviews in 7 years from TEDsters
2. Keys to success: Passion, Work, Focus, Persist,
Ideas, Do Good, Push, Serve
3. Show insights gleaned from the audience

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success.html

Susan Cain: The power of
introverts
1. Introverts are under-rated, and under-appreciated.
2. There is power in contemplating in one corner, and coming
together to share the ideas, rather than brainstorming together
3. “Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi — all these peopled
described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy.
And they all took the spotlight, even though every bone in their
bodies was telling them not to.”
4. Be authentic, by sharing just as many personal stories, as
other people’s examples. Bring a prop on stage -like a bag of
books - people will remember that.
http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html

Shawn Achor: The happy
secret to better work
1. 90% of happiness depends on how we react to the external
world
2. 3 gratitudes, journaling about 1 +ve experience in the last 24hrs,
exercise, meditation helps to focus, random acts of kindness
3. Harvard students within 2 weeks stop being happy, and only
care about grades and competition
4. Start with a personal story, perhaps even from childhood. Bring
back the story halfway through the speech, in another context.
5. Be Authentic. State the truth, shamelessly.
http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html

Pranav Mistry: The thrilling
potential of SixthSense technology
1. It’s ok to open up things and explore. But then make sure you do
something with it.
2. It’s ok for your passionate pursuit to be imperfect, but keep
persisting. You’ll perfect it one day and change an industry, or two
3. He took the roller balls out of the mouse, combined four of those
trackers with pulleys and springs to create a $2 gesture control
4. End with how you will empower the audience to change the world,
based on the work you’ve done
5. Show glimpses of your actual work in action
http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

Andy Puddicombe: All it
takes is 10 mindful minutes
1. 10 mins of meditation in a day can not only help
solve life’s issues, it can prevent some too. It helps
you experience and react to situations better
2. Went to the himalayas to research meditation, and
now has come back to share his ﬁndings
3. Play with something, and perhaps use it to
demonstrate your point - an object can bring life to
the subject
http://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes.html

Ron Gutman: The hidden
power of smiling
1. A smile gives us as much happiness as receiving
$25K, or 2000 bars of chocolate!
2. Children smile 400 times a day, adults average
20!
3. Have a Prezi that doesn't just zoom in or zoom
out, but concludes with an overview
http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling.html

Mary Roach: 10 things you
didn't know about orgasm

1. Too much I didn't know… ;)
2. Quote other scientists who’ve done research to
add weight to your own ﬁndings

http://www.ted.com/talks/mary_roach_10_things_you_didn_t_know_about_orgasm.html

Richard St. John: Success is
a continuous journey
1. Don’t get complacent once you’ve tasted
success, as it’s a continuous process that needs
to be repeated
2. He wasn't a good manager, but spent time
managing people instead of focusing on his
passion and working with clients
3. Introduce steps or stages for the audience to
follow
http://www.ted.com/talks/mary_roach_10_things_you_didn_t_know_about_orgasm.html

Jane McGonigal: The game that
can give you 10 extra years of life
1. Increase your lifespan by not sitting ideal for more than an hour
(physical resilience), for every negative emotion do 3 things that
make u feel positive (emotional resilience), mental resilience,
social resilience - you get more strength from your friends gratitude.
2. She had a brain concussion and wanted to die. Then she devised
a role-playing real-life game that allowed her to improve her
condition by building the 4 types of resiliences
3. Share a deeply personal experience
4. Get the audience to do something together - and ideally have a
take-away too!

http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life.ht

Tony Robbins: Why we do
what we do
1. We do things because they emotionally and mentally
enrich us - if either is missing, we are unlikely to
succeed
2. Al Gore can’t blame the Supreme Court for losing the
elections. He could have been more resourceful and
made a better emotional connection with the electorate
3. Get the audience to raise their hands and say “I”
4. Go down in the audience and high-ﬁve someone
http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_robbins_asks_why_we_do_what_we_do.html

Nilofer Merchant: Got a
Meeting? Take a Walk
1. Health and obligations are not mutually
exclusive. Fresh Air drives fresh thinking.
2. She accompanied her friend to walk her dog.
And that changed her life - now she never goes
into a meeting room, but walks around a block
3. Start with a profound statement, “sitting is the
new smoking”
http://on.ted.com/Nilofer

Elon Musk: The mind behind
Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity ...
1. Tackle problems that will change the course of
humanity - electric car, space travel, solar energy
2. Don’t just be ambitious. Believe so hard in your
ambition that you are willing to bet it all in your vision
3. $100K Tesla Roadster > $50K Model S > $30K mass
market car - 3-5 years for tech. iteration.
4. Innovation is 10X or 100X improvement. Re-using a
rocket reduces costs by 100X! 0.3% of the cost is fuel,
the rest is rocket - which NASA used to discard!
http://www.ted.com/talks/elon_musk_the_mind_behind_tesla_spacex_solarcity.html

Elizabeth Gilbert: Your
Elusive Creative Genius
1. The creative is not within, it’s like Doby, who sits in the
same room, hiding, and comes to you sometimes. So
you need not feel depressed if they say your best work
is behind you already.
2. The Poem would thunder toward her and she’d have to
grab a pen and quickly write it down. If she didn't
reach the pen soon enough, then the poem would
thunder on, in search of another poet!
3. No slide. Just great content and stories make a
presentation mesmerizing.
http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Hannah Brencher: Love
letters to strangers
1. Writing letters to each other, and even to
strangers, helps us live a fuller life
2. She just started writing love letters to strangers,
after announcing on the internet, who wants one.
3. A prop always invokes curiosity - in her case, the
USPS box, with letters inside
http://www.ted.com/talks/hannah_brencher_love_letters_to_strangers.html

Laura Trice: Remember to
say thank you
1. Ask your loved ones what they want to hear what gratitude they want expressed?
2. It’s like truing a bike - showing gratitude, and
asking for it help you renew
3. Keep it to the point and concise
http://www.ted.com/talks/hannah_brencher_love_letters_to_strangers.html

Candy Chang: Before I die I
want to...
1. Turning a dilapidated house into a space for
reﬂection…now walls like these are being created
around the world
2. Preparing for death clariﬁes and helps prioritize life
3. When her foster mom died, she decided to turn her
grief into something constructive
4. Be emotional about your subject - even to tears and it will attract people to your cause
http://www.ted.com/talks/candy_chang_before_i_die_i_want_to.html

Bill Gates: Mosquitos,
malaria and education
1. Tackle basic human problems and your can make
a signiﬁcant difference to human life
2. Child mortality rate has halved in the last 50 years,
due to better sanitation and vaccinations for kids
under 5 years of age
3. Released mosquitoes in the audience, saying why
should they infect only the poor with malaria? He
did reveal later that those he released were malaria
free
http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_unplugged.html

Shashi Tharoor: Why nations
should pursue "soft" power
1. Power goes beyond GDP or military might - it is
about spreading stories that attract people to a
country. India is a soft power (like Canada, NZ)
2. Indian restaurants in the UK employ more people
than mining, shipping and rail put together! The
Empire Strikes back.
3. Lots and lots of interesting facts and examples
weaved together to form a storyline that puts across
the points well enough that no slides are needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiTrl0W1QrM

Mallika Sarabhai: Dance to
change the world
1. Dance and arts can be a powerful tool to share
stories about very serious matters and be used as
a mass-education tool.
2. Used drama to teach rural folks in Gujarat that they
can fold a cotton sari 8x to reduce water-borne
diseases by 80%!
3. Enact a story and live out the characters, but make
sure it communicates a strong message. The
message then really sticks.
http://www.ted.com/talks/mallika_sarabhai.html

42 TED Talks
Jan 1-5, 2014
Hope you found this deck insightful. I’d love to hear your thoughts - what’s your
favorite TED Talk? Which of those I watched did you ﬁnd most inspiring? Happy to
discuss in the comments section, or drop me an email shashank.nigam[at]gmail.com

TEDspirations - Lessons from 42 most popular TED talks

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TEDspirations - Lessons from 42 most popular TED talks