3 TED Talks to Inspire You to Make the World Better

Here at Sparx Publishing Group, we enjoy hearing and sharing great stories.   

But what makes a story stand out? A good story captures the audience’s attention with content that is interesting. An even better story, we think, leaves a lasting impact and inspires you to change the world.

Sparx is always on the lookout for interesting content to share with our readers, so we have compiled a list of three must-see TED Talks that we believe encapsulate the essence of our motto of “content to make the world better.” 

Telling a Great Story

How do you tell a good, or even great, story? Sparx shares a TED Talk that focuses on how you can effectively share your message with others and get people to listen.

Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spread

“The thing that’s going to decide what gets talked about, what gets done, what gets changed, what gets purchased, what gets built, is: ‘Is it remarkable?’”

In this presentation from a TED conference in 2003, marketing entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin discusses his popular “purple cow” marketing concept. Organizations must stand out in a world that is already bombarded with too much “ordinary” content. To get noticed, you must be “remarkable,” like a purple cow.

Godin states, “‘Remarkable’ is a really cool word because we think it just means ‘neat,’ but it also means ‘worth making a remark about.’” He adds that in order to capture the attention of others and get ideas to spread, thought leaders must appeal to a defined audience that cares. How do you get them to care? It starts with finding like-minded people who share your business’s common interests. 

These pointers are important for companies, such as Sparx, that strive to share and create interesting content that makes the world better and to spark positive change in the world around them. 

Expanding Your Mission

Sparx believes it is important to highlight the positive outcomes of sharing a compelling story – or, in this case, hundreds of thousands of stories. In the next TED Talk, you’ll learn how an experiment by one radio producer blossomed into the “largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.”  

Dave Isay: Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear

“[The] simple act of being interviewed could mean so much to people, particularly those who had been told that their stories didn’t matter.”

In 2003, Dave Isay had the “crazy idea” of setting up a booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal where individuals could bring someone to share a personal story in 40 minutes. This experiment quickly gained momentum and StoryCorps – an ongoing oral history project – was born.

In his 2015 TED Talk, Isay shares how having a meaningful discussion with someone can become an important moment in the lives of everyone involved. Through StoryCorps, Isay has shared an array of stories from a diverse group of individuals who range in age, race, and socioeconomic background. On why he feels so many individuals are impacted by these conversations, Isay says, “You’re hearing something authentic and pure at this moment.” He adds, “So many of these are just everyday people talking about lives lived with kindness, courage, decency, and dignity.”

Following his TED Talk, Isay was named the winner of the 2015 TED Prize and awarded $1 million to expand his storytelling platform. Today, more than half a million Americans have recorded their conversations for StoryCorp’s archive at the Library of Congress, and the project has garnered widespread attention.

Spreading Good in the Community

Finally, Sparx wants to share a presentation that showcases a thought leader whose innovative ideas led to bold actions that are making the world better today.

Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA

“Food affects the mind and the body.”

In this TED Talk from 2013, Ron Finley – also known as the “Gangsta Gardener” – shines a light on the rising obesity rate in South Central LA, an impoverished area that has an overabundance of fast-food restaurants and minimal access to fresh produce and healthy foods.

As a result, Finley, along with a group of volunteer gardeners from LA Green Grounds, started planting communal vegetable gardens in unconventional areas, such as abandoned lots and along curbs. His initiative was met with challenges when the city issued a citation and demanded that he remove the gardens. However, the Los Angeles Times shared his story, and people who shared his vision circulated a petition that helped him get permission for the curbside community gardens.

Finley’s actions highlight how a spark of an idea and a commitment to change, no matter how small, can make a lasting impact on the world. In addition to feeding residents, he is using his gardens as an opportunity to train youths to become more involved in the community and to lead sustainable lives. Finley states, “I have witnessed my garden become a tool for education, a tool for the transformation of my neighbourhood.” 

Let Sparx Help You Make the World Better

If you have an idea that you would love to see come to life, or if you have any marketing-related inquiries, don’t hesitate to reach out to Sparx! We’d love to work with you and help your vision come to fruition. Feel free to contact us here.