10 TED Talks to Get Your HR Team Inspired

I have a secret.

My favorite thing to do when I need a pick me up at work isn’t what you would expect.

I don’t go for a walk, go on a coffee run, or even talk to coworkers. I do something so much nerdier…

I binge watch TED talks!

As popular as these talks are, many people still don’t know about them. (So don’t feel bad if you are scratching your head right now.)

TED stands for: technology, entertainment, and design.

The TED organization brings notable speakers on stage to talk about something interesting, innovative, or different, with the sole purpose of sparking curiosity in an audience.

And unlike other organizations developed solely for innovation, TED talks don’t shy away people issues, making them a great tool to inspire HR.

There are all kinds of TED talks about what motivates people, how to build a strong culture, trends around the world of work, and so much more.

I’m not kidding. SO MUCH MORE.

You can see all of the business themed TED talks on this page. Trust me, there are a lot applicable to HR. A LOT.

But instead of you sifting through the hundreds and hundreds of videos on your own, we decided to make a list of the most relevant videos to HR in 2019 for your enjoyment.

We based our selection on current trends, video popularity, and speaker notoriety. We hope you like the list below!

Leah Georges gives a fantastic talk her about how we are using generational stereotypes to prohibit our own inter-generational communication and collaboration. What if we meet people where they are? If we start treating everyone as people and not just a generational stereotype, we will truly see success.

I first heard Patty McCord speak at a conference in 2018. I love her to-the-point style and how she tells it like it is! Most importantly, I like that she isn’t your traditional HR person and is willing to test boundaries and limits.

Resumes are dead. This video proves it. Priyanka Jain explains how algorithms, like the recommended shopping or videos ones that we are used to seeing online, are just as applicable and useful in the talent acquisition world.

Matt Mullenweg makes a great argument for why companies should have “distributed” workforces to improve overall employee productivity.

Our role models, or current executives at our organizations, have bad habits. And those bad habits are rubbing off on middle management, or what is known as the future leaders of the corporation. In this talk, Elizabeth Lyle explains how to break this cycle and create truly remarkable leaders.

Michael Bush talks about the research his company has done on employee happiness, and how it impacts the overall success of an organization when employees are happy. He also gives 4 tips to improve employee happiness at your organization.

Dan Clay (who side-note – I already followed on Instagram before even watching his TED talk!) was worried about being dismissed at work for being gay, too feminine, and too flamboyant. When his alter ego “Carrie Dragshaw” went viral online, he was nervous about how his work would respond, but he found that once his coworkers knew about this, his life actually got easier because he felt he could bring his whole self to work.

If you work hard and are dedicated, you should get everything you want and have tons of success, right? Well, this isn’t true for everyone. In this talk, Melinda Epler discusses how we can support those who don’t have as much privilege as others through the use of allyship.

In this video, Amy Edmondson covers what is on every HR person’s mind: how can we create a team out of our employees? Using real world experiences, like the team of 33 rescue miners working half a mile underground in Chile in 2010, she explains the elements needed to turn people into a team.

Diana Dosik makes an mind-shattering comparison between the customer journey and your employee journey. Why is it that we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars understanding the customer journey, but don’t spend even one half that amount on understanding the employee journey?

I hope you loved these TED talks just as much as I do! Do you have any TED videos that you love? Reach out to me at abrown@careerminds.com with your own suggestions.

Aley Brown

Aley is a versatile global business leader with proven experience managing high-performing teams and engaging a data-driven approach to strategies that exceed company objectives.