Why do we dance? African-American social dances started as a way for enslaved Africans to keep cultural traditions alive and retain a sense of inner freedom. They remain an affirmation of identity and independence. In this electric...

Soccer is the only thing on this planet that we can all agree to do together, says theater maker and TED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Through his performances and an engagement initiative called "Moving and Passing," Joseph combines...

Research shows that helping others makes us happier. But in her groundbreaking work on generosity and joy, social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn found that there's a catch: it matters how we help. Learn how we can make a greater impact --...

If you see something wrong in the workplace, what should you do? Business leader Angélique Parisot-Potter says you should speak up, even when it's scary. Sharing her personal experience of voicing concerns at work, she offers three...

As a "corporate suit" (his words) and former VP of sustainability at McDonald's, Bob Langert works with companies and their strongest critics to find solutions that are good for both business and society. In this actionable talk, he...

Creating genetically modified people is no longer a science fiction fantasy; it's a likely future scenario. Biologist Paul Knoepfler estimates that within fifteen years, scientists could use the gene editing technology CRISPR to make...

There's no greater freedom than finding your purpose, says education advocate Ashweetha Shetty. Born to a poor family in rural India, Shetty didn't let the social norms of her community stifle her dreams and silence her voice. In this...

For anyone who believes poetry is stuffy or elitist, Amanda Gorman -- the youngest inaugural poet in US history -- has some characteristically well-chosen words. Poetry is for everyone, she says, and at its core it's all about connection...

In a talk that's equal parts funny and urgent, consultant Vinay Shandal shares stories of the world's top activist investors, showing how individuals and institutions can take a page from their playbook and put pressure on companies to...

"I dream of a world where geography classes teach about the climate crisis as this one great challenge that was won by people like you and me," says climate activist Luisa Neubauer. With Greta Thunberg, Neubauer helped initiate "Fridays...

We need to think beyond national borders to solve global problems, says activist Colombe Cahen-Salvador. Reimagining the world's fractured systems of governance and calling out their ineffective responses to major issues -- from the...

Co-creator of the philanthropic FEED bags, Ellen Gustafson says hunger and obesity are two sides of the same coin. In her talk, she launches The 30 Project -- a way to change how we farm and eat in the next 30 years, and solve the global...

Around the world, Indigenous food cultures vanish because of industrialized agriculture and a shifting, Western-influenced concept of the ideal diet. Food researcher Aparna Pallavi explores why once-essential culinary traditions...

What kinds of stories move us to act? To answer this question, creative technologist Heidi Boisvert is measuring how people's brains and bodies unconsciously respond to different media. She shows how she's using this data to determine...

When one of Liz Kleinrock's fourth-grade students said the unthinkable at the start of a class on race, she knew it was far too important a teachable moment to miss. But where to start? Learn how Kleinrock teaches kids to discuss taboo...

Divisions along religious lines are deepening, and we're doubting more and more how much we have in common. How can we stand boldly and visibly together? Inspired by an idea from her collaborator Yazmany Arboleda, place-maker Nabila...

Peter Ouko spent 18 years in Kamiti Prison in Kenya, sometimes locked up in a cell with 13 other grown men for 23 and a half hours a day. In a moving talk, he tells the story of how he was freed -- and his current mission with the...

When Gaston Acurio started his now world-famous restaurant Astrid & Gaston in the 1990s, no one suspected that he would elevate the Peruvian home-cooking he grew up with to haute cuisine. Nearly thirty years and a storied career later,...

Srdja Popovic, born in 1973 in Belgrade (then Yugoslavia), is a prominent activist best known for helping lead the student movement that overthrew Serbian dictator Slobodan Milošević in 2000. Since then, he has dedicated his life to...

In 2008, MPC released Edens Lost & Found: Los Angeles. One of its segments feature the Expo Line. Darrell Clarke, co-chair of Friends for Expo Transit, led a campaign to re-think Southern California's public rail transportation. He...

Howcast - 1st Annual Summit: December 3-5, 2008 New York City

Pupil outcome: I understand how the use of humour and anecdotes can help connect to an audience. Key learning points: - A speaker can use humour to build a relationship with an audience. - Telling anecdotes in a speech can help an...

Pupil outcome: I can explore how Duffy uses language and structure to present complex emotions. Key learning points: - The poem reveals the difficult and complex emotions that a war photographer may experience. - The symbolic space of...

Pupil outcome: I understand how the use of personal experiences and anecdotes can help connect to an audience. Key learning points: - A speaker can connect with an audience in a variety of different ways. - A speaker can use personal...