"We all feel a compelling need to watch stories, to tell stories ... to discuss the things that tell each one of us that we are not alone in the world," says TV titan Shonda Rhimes. A dominant force in television since "Grey's Anatomy" hit the airwaves, Rhimes discusses the future of media networks, how she's using her narrative-building skills ...

iPad storyteller Joe Sabia introduces us to Lothar Meggendorfer, who created a bold technology for storytelling: the pop-up book. Sabia shows how new technology has always helped us tell our own stories, from the walls of caves to his own onstage iPad.

"Storytelling is one of the most powerful marketing and leadership tools there is," says communications expert Kelly D. Parker. She explains how stories make proposals of all kinds more memorable — and shows how you can craft a compelling narrative to connect, persuade and drive meaningful action.

Suzanne Duncan is a story skeptic. She explains what happens when our protective imagination drives a false narrative. Sometimes, she says, the everyday stories we tell ourselves - and how we think about our role in those stories - can do more harm than good.

"New possibilities for storytelling are emerging faster than at any other time in history," says film producer Mark Grimmer. With an immersive approach to art exhibitions, he shares several multidisciplinary projects — including a kaleidoscopic exhibit of David Bowie's world-changing career and a luminous, interactive show that brings visitors i...

TED Fellow Zahra Al-Mahdi was raised by screens -- "storytelling machines" like TV and the internet that shaped her sense of self and reality. Now a multimedia artist and filmmaker, she challenges common historical narratives and brings a multiplicity of perspectives to the surface. In this dynamic talk, Al-Mahdi traces her development as a stor...

You're in a movie theater, watching the new horror flick. The audience knows something that the main character does not. The audience sees the character's actions are not in his best interest. What's that feeling -- the one that makes you want to shout at the screen? Christopher Warner identifies this storytelling device as dramatic irony. [Dire...

Best-selling author Elif Shafak proves that storytelling can be profoundly political -- and makes the case for embracing uncertainty in turbulent times. (Audio only)

Exploring the history and evolution of vampire lore, author Eric Nuzum traces the origins of these spooky stories, from misunderstandings of death to the sparkly pop culture icons we know today. Beyond the fangs and garlic, he digs into the deeper, everyday fears that vampires reflect.

"I think of legacy as the weaving together of our stories passed on as a whole," says Haida storyteller Cohen Bradley. Highlighting the significance of potlatch ceremonies (or gift-giving feasts) and other Indigenous traditions of the Haida Nation, Bradley shares why we all should prioritize our collective legacies -- and how they live on throug...

Can children learn about critical topics via seemingly incongruous media like cartoons or oral storytelling? In this moving talk, screenwriter and director Fernando Salem champions the lasting power of storytelling, speaking to the ways in which a well-crafted narrative can help kids learn and retain history.

Why do we love our favorite stories? Do they need a beginning, middle and end, and a character who changes by the conclusion? Masters of storytelling explore new answers to age-old questions of the craft.

Comics creator Sam Hester is part of a growing movement within health care: graphic medicine. In short, literally drawing attention to a patient's needs and goals with pictures to foster better and more accessible caretaking. Hester shares how illustrating small details of her mother's medical story as she struggled with mysterious symptoms alon...

In the 1930s, broadcast radio introduced an entirely new form of storytelling; today, micro-blogging platforms like Twitter are changing the scene again. Andrew Fitzgerald takes a look at the (aptly) short but fascinating history of new forms of creative experimentation in fiction and storytelling.

Sergeant-Major Morris regaled his friends with epic tales from faraway lands— until one asked about an artifact the Sergeant had alluded to. Slowly, he produced the object: a mummified monkey’s paw. He explained that a holy man had imbued the paw with the power to grant three wishes to three men. But each wish comes with chilling consequences. I...

Humans are natural storytellers, shaping the world through narrative. Exploring where entertainment and technology meet, movie theater and tech entrepreneur Stacy Spikes investigates the potential partnership between cinema and AI — and the world of possibilities it could create.

The TED Interview Jennifer Egan on storytelling in a data-hooked world July 21, 2022 [00:00:00] Steven Johnson: Welcome to the TED Interview. I'm Steven Johnson. If you've been following the news from the technology world, you might have noticed that the headlines have gotten a little, well, strange lately. I mean, one big tech company is convi...

In Britain, one-fourth of people who were adopted make contact with their birth parents before they turn 18. In this episode of Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, guest host Saleem Reshamwala meets Amanda, a Dominican woman who was adopted by a white couple in Connecticut. Amanda always knew she was ad...

With this episode, we're having a bit of fun. You're about to hear a great episode of a TED Audio Collective podcast ... but, we can't tell you which one. We're randomly serving different episodes to our global audience. Check back in later, or on a different app? You might get something different! Though we can promise what you'll hear will be ...

It's been said that when an elder dies, it's as if a library is burned. Anthropologist Elizabeth Lindsey, a National Geographic Fellow, collects the deep cultural knowledge passed down as stories and lore.

When a parent is sent to prison, the unintended victims of their crimes are their own children -- without stability and support, kids are at higher risk for mental health and development issues. In a heartfelt talk, Alan Crickmore explains how the charity Storybook Dads is keeping families connected through the simple act of storytelling.

On a list of the least funny topics imaginable, the global refugee crisis, border disputes and questions of citizenship are probably close to the top. And yet comedian Maeve Higgins has spent her career finding ways to make jokes about (and make sense of) the ways we draw lines across the globe. She's a stand-up comedian and writer who speaks fr...

The internet can be an ugly place, but you won't find bullies or trolls on Stuart Duncan's Minecraft server, AutCraft. Designed for children with autism and their families, AutCraft creates a safe online environment for play and self-expression for kids who sometimes behave a bit differently than their peers (and who might be singled out elsewhe...

Your plan to set up your friend Carey with your acquaintance Emerson is finally coming together. You've made them a dinner reservation, but suddenly realize that there's a problem: Carey is always late. You really want this relationship to work— what if you told Carey dinner was at 6 instead of 6:30, so they arrived on time? Is it okay to lie? S...

Historian Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor leads a thoughtful and history-backed examination of one of the most divisive words in the English language: the N-word. Drawing from personal experience, she explains how reflecting on our points of encounter with the word can help promote productive discussions and, ultimately, create a framework that reshape...

Powerful, personal stories of sharing one's true identity with the world.

There's a saying that comedy is tragedy plus time. Perhaps that's why some of our biggest problems feel easiest to manage with a dose of humor. Comedian, journalist and actor Roy Wood Jr. has spent his career finding the silly in the serious and using this tactic to influence real change. Listen in to learn how you can tap into the powers of hum...

From the astonishing evolutionary advances of the Cambrian explosion to our present-day computing revolution, the trend of dramatic growth after periods of stability can be explained through the theory of the "adjacent possible," says theoretical biologist Stuart Kauffman. Tracing the arc of human history through the tools and technologies we've...

A pioneer in research on play, Dr. Stuart Brown says humor, games, roughhousing, flirtation and fantasy are more than just fun. Plenty of play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults -- and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age.

Filmmaker Andrew Stanton ("Toy Story," "WALL-E") shares what he knows about storytelling -- starting at the end and working back to the beginning. Contains graphic language ... (Note: this talk is not available for download.)