TED has been inspiring millions around the world and most of the time he only has 18 minutes to do it! Quite the motivational speaker, isn’t he?

Good thing TED isn’t just one person otherwise he would’ve been exhausted after almost 30 years of talking.

TED talks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at various TED conferences around the world. It started off way back in 1984 when people from three different worlds – Technology, Entertainment and Design – came together at a conference to share ideas. They realized that some of these ideas might actually be cool and worth sharing with other people. And so TED talks was born.

In spite of it’s popularity TED remains a nonprofit organization and has grown exponentially over the years.  Along with two annual conferences, the TED Conference and TEDGlobal, TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.

But the most popular of all these seem to be TED talks. As talks were given at conferences around the world, they were released online and quickly attracted a global audience who liked what they heard. Since June 2006, they have been offered for free viewing online, under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons license, through TED.com.

In January 2009 the then amount of videos had been viewed 50 million times. In June 2011 the amount of views totaled 500 million, and on 13 November 2012, TED reached its billionth video view.

Initially speakers came from the three fields of Technology, Entertainment and Design, but over the years they have included scientists, philosophers, musicians, religious leaders, philanthropists and many others. Previous presenters include Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, Richard Dawkins, Bill Gates, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and many Nobel Prize winners. Since speakers are given only 18 minutes, their ideas have to be conveyed in the most innovative and interesting way to capture their audience and often also though storytelling.

As of May 2013, over 1,500 talks are available free online. Every week 5-7 new talks are being published. Topics range from a talk on why bees are disappearing to how to make stress your friend and everything in between. Whether you’re looking for something informative, inspiring, ingenious or just plain jaw-dropping, you’ll find it here.

So what are you waiting for? Get some inspiration at http://www.ted.com/talks

 [SOURCE: www.wikipedia.org & http://www.ted.com/]

TED inspireer al vir jare lank miljoene mense regoor die wêreld en hy het elke keer net 18 minute om dit te kan doen! `n Indrukwekkende motiveringspreker, dink jy nie so nie? 

Die ook maar goed TED is nie net een mens nie, anders sou hy al doodmoeg gewees het na 30 jaar se gepraat.

TED talks het begin as `n eenvoudige poging om dit wat gebeur by die verskeie TED-konferensies reg oor die wêreld, te deel met ander. In 1984 het `n groep mense uit drie verskillende wêrelde – Tegnologie, Vermaak en Ontwerp – bymekaargekom by `n konferensie om idees uit te ruil. Terselfdertyd het hulle tot die ontdekking gekom dat van hierdie idees eintlik nogal innoverend is en met ander mense gedeel moet word. En so het TED talks ‘n lewe van sy eie gekry.

Ten spyte van TED se wêreldwye gewildheid, bly dit steeds `n nie-winsgewende organisasie wat oor die jare geleidelik gegroei het. Buite twee jaarlikse konferensies – die TED Konferensie en TEDGloba, sluit die TED-handelsmerk ook die bekroonde TED Talks video webwerf, die Open Translation Project en TED Conversations, die inspirerende TED Fellows, die TEDx-programme en die jaarlikse TED-prys.

Maar die mees populêre van al hierdie blyk die TED talks te wees. Omdat die praatjies by konferensies regoor die wêreld gelewer word, is dit aanlyn vrygestel en het dit kort voor lank `n globale gehoor gelok. Sedert Junie 2006 kan die praatjies gratis aanlyn gekyk en afgelaai word op TED.com onder die vaandel van die  Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons license. 

In Januarie 2009 is die toe-beskikbare videos 50 miljoen keer gekyk. In Junie 2011 het dit gestyg na 500 miljoen en op 13 November 2012, het TED sy biljoen perk bereik.

Aanvanklik het sprekers vanuit slegs drie velde – Tegnologie, Vermaak en Ontwerp – deelgeneem, maar oor die jare het dit uitgebrei na wetenskaplikes, filosowe, musikante, geestelike leiers, filantrope en vele meer. Vorige aanbieders sluit Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, Richard Dawkins, Bill Gates, Google-stigters Larry Page en Sergey Brin, en ander Nobelpryswenners, in.

Aangesien sprekers normaalweg net 18 minute toegeken word, moet dit wat hulle oordra, op die mees innoverende en interessante maniere vertel word om die gehoor se aandag te hou en dikwels word dit ook dan deur middel van storievertelling gedoen.  

Vanaf Mei 2013 is meer as 1500 praatjies gratis aanlyn beskikbaar. Elke week word 5-7 nuwe praatjies gelaai. Onderwerpe strek van die verdwyning van bye tot hoe om stres te hanteer en alles tussen-in. Of jy iets informatief, inspirerend, geniaal of net eenvoudig verstommend soek, jy sal dit daar kry.

So waarvoor wag jy? Gaan soek `n bietjie inspirasie by http://www.ted.com/talks

 [SOURCE: www.wikipedia.org & http://www.ted.com/]