TED Talks are great comprehension practice for higher-level students, but with over 3,000 talks to choose from it can take time to select the right one. This is a curated list of TED talks recommended by tutors. They are all under 18 minutes long with a clearly-spoken speaker, talking at a medium pace.
We’ll be updating this list on an ongoing basis so please keep sharing your favourite TED Talks on the Slack group #sharingmaterials.
Thank you Talene, Andrea, Nicki, Charlotte, Karla and Richard N for their contributions.
*Update* TED Talks for 2020
Here are some new TED Talks for this incredible year that we are living through.
The new science for personalised vaccines
Duration: 11 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/ofer_levy_the_new_science_of_personalized_vaccines
A new approach to immunisations through tailoring to the person’s gender, age and race.
How racism makes us sick
Duration: 17 minutes
A shocking and thought-provoking talk about how African Americans with a college degree die earlier than white high school graduates. This phenomenon has been linked to the daily stress and strain of racism and micro-aggressions that black Americans face in the USA. *Highly recommended*
How to deconstruct racism one headline at a time
Duration: 16 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/baratunde_thurston_how_to_deconstruct_racism_one_headline_at_a_time?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
This funny but thought-provoking talk explores phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on black Americans who have committed the crimes of … eating, walking or generally “living while black.”
We need to talk about an injustice
Duration: 22 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice?language=en
An engaging and passionate talk about a human rights lawyer’s experiences working in the American justice system. *Highly recommended*.
Inside the bizarre world of internet trolls and propagandists
Duration: 14 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_marantz_inside_the_bizarre_world_of_internet_trolls_and_propagandists
A fascinating talk about internet trolls spread their ideas and the people who get sucked into their ideology.
Work
How to turn off work thoughts in your free time
Duration: 15 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_how_to_turn_off_work_thoughts_during_your_free_time
A thoughtful Talk about the problem of ruminating over work problems in your free time and how to liberate yourself from them.
This is what makes employees happy at work
Duration: 4 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_c_bush_this_is_what_makes_employees_happy_at_work
A short Talk about what fulfils people in the workplace.
Looking for a job? Highlight your abilities and not your experience
Duration: 6 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_shen_looking_for_a_job_highlight_your_ability_not_your_experience
A great TED Talk for anyone looking to find their first job or change career. It includes useful tips to make you stand out from other candidates.
8 secrets of success
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_8_secrets_of_success?language=en
Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into a 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success.
Family
5 dangerous things you should let your kids do
Duration: 9 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_5_dangerous_things_you_should_let_your_kids_do
A funny and insightful TED Talk which argues for more freedom for children to work things out for themselves in our age of over-parenting.
How co-housing can make us happier and live longer
Duration: 10 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/grace_kim_how_cohousing_can_make_us_happier_and_live_longer
Personal growth
The brain-changing benefit of exercise
Duration: 14 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_suzuki_the_brain_changing_benefits_of_exercise
A funny and interesting talk about how exercise transforms your brain and mood.
How to let go of being a ‘good’ person and become a better person
Duration: 11 minutes
How thinking your a good person can help you ignore your personal biases and stunt your emotional growth.
What Bruce Lee can teach us about living fully
Duration: 11 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/shannon_lee_what_bruce_lee_can_teach_us_about_living_fully
Bruce Lee wasn’t just a martial artist, he was also a philosopher with some good ideas on how to live a full life.
The little risks you can take to increase your luck
Duration: 11 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/tina_seelig_the_little_risks_you_can_take_to_increase_your_luck
Speaker Tina Seelig tells us about how she got her best-selling book published through taking a series of small social risks.
What makes a good life?
Duration: 12 minutes
A group of men were studied for their entire lives. The experiences reveal some interesting insights on what makes us happy.
Try something new for 30 days
Duration: 3 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days
A short talk on the importance of leaving your comfort zone.
My year of saying yes to everything
Duration: 18 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/shonda_rhimes_my_year_of_saying_yes_to_everything
Shonda Rhimes re-energised herself by stopping work and making time for other things in her life.
Why we all need to practice emotional first aid
Duration: 17 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_why_we_all_need_to_practice_emotional_first_aid
In his other excellent TED Talk Guy Winch talks about how dealing with emotional pain is just as important as dealing with physical pain.
Less stuff more happiness
Duration: 5 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness
Writer Graham Hill talks about how having less stuff helps you to concentrate on the important things in life.
3 things I learned while my plane crashed
Duration: 5 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias_3_things_i_learned_while_my_plane_crashed?language=en
Ric Elias talks about his experience when his plane crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009.
Free time
Does photographing the moment steal the experience from you?
Duration: 8 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_sullivan_does_photographing_a_moment_steal_the_experience_from_you
In our world of smartphones and Instagram, this thoughtful talk explores whether it’s better, when you see something beautiful, to admire the view without taking a photo at all.
Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?
Duration: 14 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_are_athletes_really_getting_faster_better_stronger
A talk about how advances in sports equipment artificially improve the performance of athletes.
Language
How language shapes the way we think
Duration: 14 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think
A study of how words affect the way we understand the world.
Go ahead, make up new words
Duration: 7 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_go_ahead_make_up_new_words
A great TED talk for anyone with a student feeling overwhelmed with the amount of vocabulary that English has.
Society and big ideas
What explains the rise of humans?
Duration: 17 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/yuval_noah_harari_what_explains_the_rise_of_humans/discussion
The brilliant Yuval Harari talks about how humans have come to dominate the planet and the belief systems we all have to follow (either conscientiously or unconscientiously) to make it work.
The next global agricultural revolution
Duration: 5 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_friedrich_the_next_global_agricultural_revolution
Food innovator Bruce Friedrich talks about the plant- and cell-based products that could soon transform the global meat industry.
Are indoor farms the future of agriculture?
Duration: 9 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_oda_are_indoor_vertical_farms_the_future_of_agriculture
A talk on how we’re going to feed our growing population through farming vertically.
How climate change affects our mental health
Duration: 7 minutes
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/britt_wray_how_climate_change_affects_your_mental_health
A talk about how the climate crisis is affecting our mental health, particularly in the young who will live more of their lives experiencing environmental catastrophes.
Finally
What great TED Talks have we missed? Tell us about them on Slack #sharingmaterials or in the comments section below. Happy Teaching!
Andromeda
Andromeda is a Fluentify English tutor. She has been teaching English in Spain and online since 2012. In addition to teaching, she is a TEFL writer. She recently moved to Edinburgh, Scotland and is currently working on her Scottish accent.
2 thoughts on “28 great TED Talks for ESL (recommended by tutors)”
Thank you! I was looking for some new TED Talks. Below are two of my favourites:
https://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_friedrich_the_next_global_agricultural_revolution (can easily also move into food culture)
https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias (can be used to talk about travel, your bucket list and also for practising phrasal verbs and conditionals)
Hi- great resources. I also love the spam emails TED talks- very simple and visual and good for looking at written errors. Here is the first: https://www.ted.com/talks/james_veitch_this_is_what_happens_when_you_reply_to_spam_email?language=en