Sometimes 15 minutes on stage is enough to inspire people to change. This is especially true of TED Talks, which have given us food for thought, inspiration, and new ideas for many years. For entrepreneurs, content creators, and marketers, TED Talks are an essential information resource. Thousands of motivational TED Talks for work in any area cover a variety of fresh ideas and concepts, each of which is presented by an expert or thought leader in the relevant field.
When it comes to marketers and digital agencies, it is essential not only to manage advertising channels, deftly juggle reports, and operate with big data but also to stay creative and inspired. TED Talks can help with these tasks and provide excellent marketing tips, lessons, experiences, and trends.
Not sure what to start from? We have collected eight motivational TED Talks for agencies that do not stop growing and strive to stay exceptionally competitive. These presentations will change your understanding of brands, approach to goal setting, attitude to clients, and products. But, before that, we will go through the key reason to listen to motivational speeches.
Why You Should Listen to Motivational Speeches
Looking for some ways to ignite that spark of creativity? Every second our brain receives thousands of pieces of information. Not to drown in this info noise, there is a kind of “sorting station” — a reticular activating system (RAS) — a cell group in the brain stem. One of its functions is to evaluate the information coming to us and prioritize it in the form of “decisions” about what you should pay attention to.
Have you ever noticed that as soon as you have made a decision or something has occupied your thoughts, the relevant information immediately begins to catch your eye? That is how RAS works – it filters out unnecessary (that is, irrelevant to your interests) information and focuses your attention on the relevant pieces.
If you’re consuming a substantial amount of information that doesn’t reflect your goals or aspirations, then it’s time to give this a try! Be more mindful of the content you’re consuming, your RAS will use what you focus on as a key signal that this is important information to you and will reveal the people, information, and opportunities that help you achieve them.
With that said, to align your beliefs with your goals, it is helpful to listen to interviews with inspiring people, their podcasts, talks, or materials about them. Being conscious of the content you consume, you are training your RAS to process more of this type of information.
Do We Actually Learn Anything From TED Talks?
We do! And here are five ways that quality videos can help us learn.
- They provide visual learning. Cognitive scientists state that we understand and remember pictures much better than words. TED Talks experts use images in their presentations to be more effective, and it works.
- They use the power of social learning. We learn best from other people. When discussing the content of the talks, people are mastering their knowledge and deepening their understanding.
- They put speakers in the teachers’ roles. TED speakers do not teach; they share their stories and experiences, and we perceive this knowledge more effectively.
- They help adapt education to people’s needs. TED Talks viewers choose what to watch and when they want to watch a video. This helps absorb the information at the moment when people are ready to apply it. No need to say it is incredibly effective.
- They allow people to build on their existing knowledge and experience. Adults have their previously acquired information and experience. Practical video instructions add and elaborate this knowledge.
8 Motivational TED Talks For Work
1. “What Brands Can Learn from Online Dating” – Sarah Willersdorf
Sarah Willersdorf is a Managing Director and Partner in the New York office of BCG and a topic expert on Fashion and Luxury. Sarah advises CEOs and leadership teams across various topics surrounding growth, including branding transformation, marketing effectiveness, digital optimization, international expansion, and more. In her TED Talk Brand, she proposes that marketing has much to learn from online daters.
Just as Tinder or any other dating app only gives a few pictures and a couple of sentences to introduce the best selves, the expert recommends adopting the same to a branding strategy.
2. “404, the Story of a Page Not Found” – Renny Gleeson
When talking about motivational TED Talks for work, we cannot miss Renny Gleeson’s one. Renny Gleeson is a brilliant leader and managing director of ad agency Wieden+Kennedy. In this video, Renny offers a new look at the well-known page ‘404: Page Not Found.’
Of course, an error page is an aggravating factor, but even here, marketers can turn the situation to their advantage if they creatively approach the presentation of such information to users and customers.
Engaging content and a couple of design touches will help you reconnect with your audience and entertain them. Surprise, entertain, joke – this will help a brand stand out from the crowd, says Renny.
3. “What Physics Taught Me About Marketing” – Dan Cobley
As a marketing director at Google, Dan Cobley connects customers and businesses, helping both navigate digital space. In this TED Talk, Dan shows us how the laws of his favorite science, physics, are similar to the fundamental marketing concepts.
Through laws and axioms, the expert explains the not always apparent branding principles. He unites these different areas through Newton’s second law, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, the scientific approach, and the second law of thermodynamics – and describes the fundamental of branding. Any digital agency will find the video worth watching to get inspired.
4. “How to Make Choosing Easier” – Sheena Iyengar
Sheena Iyengar studies how people choose and demonstrates how businesses can improve the experience of choosing. In this talk, Sheena focuses on specific studies showing that when consumers have too many choices, they eventually buy less – they decide not to choose.
During the conversation, Sheena presents several ways to solve this problem and shows how. Instead of overwhelming customers with a vast choice, you can simplify everything and adopt a more effective strategy.
5.“Why Videos Go Viral” – Kevin Allocca
Almost every content creator dreams of crafting something everyone will talk about but achieving it is not easy. So, first of all, we need to understand what exactly makes the content viral — this is the question that Kevin Allocca, head of culture and trends at YouTube, answers.
He assures that viral videos have three features: tastemakers, communities of participation, and unexpectedness. Video is the most suitable format for launching word of mouth and involving large social groups. Kevin Allocca’s performance will be helpful to marketers and agencies that aim to conquer social networks with the help of a viral effect.
6. “Life Lessons From an Ad Man” – Rory Sutherland
Rory Sutherland works in advertising and shares the tricks and knowledge gained during his time in the industry. This very light and witty talk discusses the topic of perception and how it changes our view of things.
Advertising guru assures us that perception decides everything. It shapes our opinions, thoughts, and prejudices and, as a result, helps us make a choice. Connecting with the audience and establishing a positive perception are among marketers’ most challenging tasks. Still, Rory Sutherland says that it is still possible to master these skills.
7. “How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Manipulate Our Emotions” – Scott Galloway
The combined market capitalization of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google is equivalent to India’s GDP. So how did these four brands manage to become so significant and influential? In this TED Talk, Scott Galloway shares insights and eye-opening stats about their dominance and motivation. As per Scott, the key in business is to focus on the “principle of organs” and build business and marketing strategies according to human instincts.
8. “How Social Media Can Make History” – Clay Shirky
It is another example of motivational TED Talks for work in marketing area. Clay Shirky explores the media over the years and tells a few stories to illustrate that transformation. He emphasizes the media landscape in which innovation is happening everywhere, moving from one spot to another and impacting lives.
Clay calls social media “increasingly more of a site of coordination” and inspires the way you think about your social media strategy, emphasizing collaboration.
Conclusion
Each marketing agency has its way of interacting with the audience and promoting a brand. The main thing is to feel trends, experiment, and not be afraid to present unusual ideas to the world. Consider TED Talks to be a go-to source for inspiration. Start with motivational TED Talks for work listed above, and then browse the TED Talks website to discover thousands of others. Get inspired by the experience of the best!
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