Here at Stephens Scown we’re big fans of TED talks. In fact, we’re proud to sponsor the independently organised TEDxExeter and TEDxTruro conferences.

Dedicated to ideas worth sharing, these events are part of a worldwide movement bringing together people from all backgrounds to hear short talks from diverse speakers who seek to challenge, engage and inspire.

If you haven’t explored TED talks yet, there are guaranteed to be plenty out there that will get you thinking – and maybe even seeing things differently.

Here’s our pick of a few uplifting talks that just might inspire you as you embark on a new chapter in your life:

In The Power of Vulnerability, researcher Brené Brown talks about human connection, shame and the feeling of not being good enough.

Her poignant and funny talk has now been viewed 29 million times on the TED.com website.  Sharing insights from her research, Brené discusses our ability to empathize, belong and love, concluding that feeling vulnerable means we are alive.

Watch her talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability#t-1200379

 

Andrew Solomon, who is speaking at TEDxExeter 2017, is a writer, lecturer and professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University.

In How the Worst Moments in Our Lives Make Us Who We Are, he talks about building a new identity by incorporating trauma in our lives.

He says: “You need to take the traumas and make them part of who you’ve come to be and you need to fold the worst events of your life into a narrative of triumph, evincing a better self in response to things that hurt.

“We don’t seek the painful experiences that hue our identities, but we seek our identities in the wake of painful experiences.”

Watch it here: https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_solomon_how_the_worst_moments_in_our_lives_make_us_who_we_are#t-201512

 

In The Skill of Self Confidence, Dr Ivan Joseph argues that far from being innate, self-confidence is a skill that we can learn.

“Self-confident people interpret feedback the way they choose to,” he says. “No one will believe in you unless you do.”

Nearly 9 million people on YouTube have viewed his talk.  Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HYZv6HzAs

 

This year’s TEDxExeter and TEDxTruro events are taking place on Friday, April 21, and Friday, October 27, respectively. Find more information here http://tedxexeter.com/ and here http://tedxtruro.com/