Posted by Sure, you’re digitally connected, but how do you fare with real-world connections?
As I listened to all the TED Talks I’m about to share with you and contemplated each of their messages, one unifying thread became clear. Businesses, buildings, trends and technologies change but authentic human connection and communicating are constants.
“Invisible threads are the strongest ties.”
? Friedrich Nietzsche
How do you value your connections with others? By their usefulness to your story or by the information, you’d gain? Or are you hopeful to communicate on a ‘real’ level with the people around you?
Be it for your personal or professional life – these talks expose you to the value of vulnerability and “the power of introverts”. Let them teach you how to be a better conversationalist, to be one with yourself and the earth. Learn about the power of saying thank you and how you can nurture better connections by working on yourself, first.
Elizabeth Lesser: Take “the Other” to lunch
Did you know you had a “multitude of personalities”? Wellness specialist and bestselling author, Elizabeth Lesser, offers a simple solution to use this information and tweak how we treat each other. Your days or avoiding the people you disagree with are about to be over and with good reason.
Laura Trice: Remember to say thank you
Dr Laura Trice explains how “admiring, praising and saying thank you specifically and genuinely” makes a difference.
Susan Cain: The power of introverts
“Now, most of us work in open plan offices without walls where we are subject to the constant noise and gazes of our co-workers.”
“Stop the madness for constant group work.”
It’s difficult not to pay attention to the insights of a self-described introvert. Susan Cain is also a former negotiations consultant and corporate lawyer. She shares why introverts are important despite living in a society where extroverts take centre stage.
Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation
Celeste is relatable, smart, funny and she’s worked in public radio as a correspondent, host and reporter since 1999. Among the things you stand to gain from her talk is knowing that you no longer have to learn or remember steps to show that you’re paying attention when someone else is talking.
Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability
Brené Brown is here to talk about expanding perception. We are neurobiologically wired to connect but how does one connect on a deep and meaningful level?
Thandie Newton: Embracing otherness, embracing myself
Tinseltown’s Thandie Newton shares wise advice on embracing what makes you, you and how there’s so much more to life and feeling connected to someone or something behind a screen.
” The self’s struggle for authenticity and definition will never end unless it’s connected to its creator — to you and to me. And that can happen with awareness — awareness of the reality of oneness and the projection of self-hood.”
Guy Winch: Why we all need to practice emotional first aid
Psychologist and author Guy Winch asks everyone to pay attention to our emotional pain as we do with our physical pain. He says, “We all know how to maintain our physical health and how to practice dental hygiene, right? We’ve known it since we were five years old. But what do we know about maintaining our psychological health? Well, nothing. What do we teach our children about emotional hygiene? Nothing.”
“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”
? Brené Brown