9 cool TED talks for passionate people with good ideas

If you cannot engage others in things you care about professionally or artistically, your ideas are unlikely to spread. This is a simple reality of communication.

To help you understand what it means to care deeply about things and how to use brilliant ideas to your advantage, we collected a list of TED talks by creative people. These presentations help you enjoy focused interests while remaining circumspect about including others.

Some say TED talks are cheesy. Others think the TED talk concept oversimplifies issues and imposes impossible infotainment ideals on hard questions. It seems unfair to expect concise presentations in academia or research.

There are many informative TED talks available. Many of the most charming originate from independently organized TEDx events. These indie conferences gravitate towards local speakers who are closer to ordinary humans and less polished than the Nobel prize winners at main events.

Dan Ariely: Are we in control of our own decisions?

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, uses visual illusions and counterintuitive research findings to show how we are not as rational as we think when making decisions.

More info and subtitles on TED.com.

Elizabeth Gilbert: Your elusive creative genius

Author Elizabeth Gilbert offers a look at common fears related to creativity. She bashes unhelpful tropes about suffering artists which have become a toxic hellstew of truisms. This talk is one of the best available on creativity and living with expectations based on previous successes.

More info and subtitles on TED.com.

Margaret Heffernan: Forget the pecking order at work

Organizations are often run according to elaborate pecking orders where value is placed on outperforming everyone. This does not drive high-achieving teams. Margaret Heffernan, a veteran leader in the software industry, suggests a better way. Her method is proven to create efficient teams. Social cohesion solves problems rather than in-fighting groups of sharp minds. If team members have the courage to ask for help, they gain trust and better results.

More info and subtitles on TED.com.

Ben Dunlap: The life-long learner

Academic Ben Dunlap tells the story of his most inspiring friends. These people shared a habit of life-long self-education. The talk features Sandor Teszler, a Holocaust survivor who resettled in the United States to pioneer as an anti-segregation business owner.

More info and subtitles on TED.com.

Magnus Walker: Go with your gut feeling

Entrepreneur Magnus Walker migrated to Los Angeles from Sheffield with no education. He explains how he found business opportunities that led him to create a designer brand worn by rockstars. He abandoned his fashion business when things felt stuck. Walker now restores Porsche sports cars and relies on a gut instinct that prevents him from becoming trapped by success.

Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spread

Seth Godin’s 2003 talk on spreading ideas is a classic for those who want to communicate at scale. The talk predates social media but identifies the diminished role of the TV industrial complex in spreading new products. Godin states that being a good inventor is not enough. He dissects modern product design and marketing. This deserves a rewatch even if you saw it on a clunkier version of Facebook years ago.

More info and subtitles on TED.com.

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

Repetition is the mother of learning. Simon Sinek says that people do not buy what you do but why you do it. If you want others to share a vision, you must calculate how to talk to the right parts of their brain.

More info and subtitles on TED.com.

Terri Trespicio: Stop searching for your passion

Writer Terri Trespicio pokes fun at the motivational industry and the idea of following singular passions. It is time to stop pretending everyone has wealthy parents. Careers do not progress without making oneself useful to others. Trespicio suggests grabbing whatever opportunity is available and spinning it in the direction you want.