Most of us are familiar with TED Talks. Technology, Entertainment, and Design (aka TED): conferences and talks meant to “stir your curiosity,” as the website says. And they do. The great thing about TED Talks is that they bring together thought leaders from all kinds of industries to share experiences and knowledge to spark great ideas in us, which can further be used in small business.
Music mogul and entrepreneur Russell Simmons always said to “surround yourself with people smarter than you.” So even if we don’t know these thought leaders personally, TED gives us the opportunity to learn from the best of the best.
Here’s a list of the best TED Talks for any small business:
Entrepreneurs everywhere are familiar with Seth Godin. A world renowned (no exaggeration here) marketer, he discusses the power of people (or tribes) in building brand awareness and spreading the message of what’s so awesome about your small business. He purports that people are the key to mass marketing. However, the key here is that it’s not a “massive” (pun intended) amount of people that is necessary to reach the actual masses.
Think about it: when we go back to the real concept of tribes, it is no more than 10 to 50 people. But this small group believes in something so fiercely and passionately that it sparks a belief in others as well. It’s not so much herd mentality as it is the power that every individual person has to effect change. And Godin lets you in on how to do that for your small business.
In a nutshell: Focus on the connection with your customer.
John Gerzema is a branding machine. He’s helped design strategies for some of the biggest brand names, including United Airlines, Coca-Cola, and BMW. In his talk, he goes over the cultural changes that have occurred since the 2008 financial crisis. And how these changes have caused consumers to alter their buying behavior.
For small business, it is important to know how customers are spending their money. And where they are spending it. Having this key information helps you understand which outlets and distribution channels you can use to propel your small business forward. From Gerzema’s talk, you will learn how to stand out from the crowd. You know, take the road less traveled – as the brilliant Robert Frost once wrote.
In a nutshell: It’s not so much about your product or your service, but how that product or service will solve a problem.
“How do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?” Author Simon Sinek opens his talk by asking the audience this question. It’s probably at this point you’re thinking: there’s clearly no simple answer.
Here’s the thing about Sinek: for years, he has studied leadership and the characteristics that some of our most influential leaders have. And how this allows them to inspire others. It’s grounded in psychology and biology. But again, understanding how to impact the human decision making process means you have the opportunity to inspire them. Inspire them to buy your product, invest in your company, start a revolution. You know the drill. Watching Sinek’s talk will give you the ability to understand patterns of success. And how you can implement those patterns in your own life.
In a nutshell: The why you do what you do is much more important than what you actually do.
We’ve all dreamt of being a superhero at some point, haven’t we? Would you settle for power posing? If that term alone leaves you wondering, it’s enough to watch Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk. Cuddy is a powerhouse in the world of psychology, studying body language and how the way we stand, sit, or hula hoop, causes others to perceive us as well as how we feel about ourselves.
Okay, so don’t quote me on the hula hoop part, but our body language is directly linked to our body chemistry. Why Cuddy’s talk is so powerful? To let you in on the secret, power posing is standing with your hands on your hips and chest out, in essence a “Superman” stance. Body language such as this can alter your brain chemistry to make you feel more powerful and more influential. This pose alone can help decrease stress and give you the ability to take more risks. Nothing crazy like hula hooping, but risks that could benefit your business.
In a nutshell: It really is all about the way you carry yourself.
Author and Harvard professor Linda Hill knows just how to pinpoint people’s strengths. Not only that, but how to take those strengths and encourage people to generate genius-level ideas. In her talk, Hill discusses how you and your teams can use certain tools (which she outlines) to keep everyone creative and forward thinking. She also highlights how to build creativity and problem solving into your company’s culture.
It doesn’t have to be as hard as you think: sometimes the catchiest ideas come from taking a step back and finding inspiration in other places outside of your small business. Take a look at your surroundings, and what’s going on in the world, and what people are actually saying. That’s how Adidas got its longstanding slogan, after all. The slogan, impossible is nothing, stems from a quote stated by Muhammad Ali, a huge influence in the world of sports (i.e. the world that Adidas operates in). Either that, or maybe the creative team was just power posing. Again, don’t quote me on that.
In a nutshell: You’re probably more creative than you realize.