We love these TED Talks thought-provoking and innovative messages, and hope you find yourself thoroughly energised after watching them. If not, maybe it’s time for another coffee.

The why and how of effective altruism

Peter Singer, philosopher and ethicist

What’s the most effective way to give? Peter talks through some surprising thought experiments to help you balance emotion and practicality – and make the biggest impact no matter what you can afford to share.

Peter argues that as well as feeling empathy…

“it’s important to use your head, to make sure that what you do is effective and well directed.”

How to start a movement

Derek Sivers, entrepreneur

A really snappy and fun take on how a movement really gets started using some pretty hilarious footage. But the message is clear:

“If you really care about starting a movement, have the courage to follow and show others how to follow.”

How to get your ideas to spread

Seth Godin, marketer and author

In a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to just ignore the run of the mill stuff. Marketing guru Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes to getting our attention, it’s the ‘out there’ ideas that are most successful.

“The thing that’s going to decide what gets talked about, what gets done, what gets changed, what gets purchased, what gets built, is… Is it remarkable?”

How shocking events can spark positive change

Naomi Klein, journalist and activist

Naomi Klein asks why is it that some large scale crises jolt us awake like a collective alarm bell and inspire us to change and evolve, while others might jolt us a bit but then it’s back to sleep.

“The shocking events that fill us with dread today can transform us, and they can transform the world for the better … But first we need to picture the world that we’re fighting for.”

Why we need to imagine different futures

Anab Jain, futurist and designer

Anab Jain brings the future to life, creating experiences where people can touch, see and feel the potential of the world we’re creating.

Do we really want a world where intelligent machines patrol our streets, what would it actually feel like?

“These things are here and we often don’t understand how they work and what the consequences could be. We see this all around us, this difficulty in even imagining how the consequences of our actions today will affect our future.”

Jain’s projects show why it’s important to fight for the world we want.

Why it’s worth listening to people you disagree with

Zachary R Wood, Crusader for Dialogue

Wood learnt from his mother that there’s always something to learn from the perspectives of others, whether you agree with them or not.

“Tuning out opposing viewpoints doesn’t make them go away … to achieve progress in the face of adversity, we need a genuine commitment to gaining a deeper understanding of humanity.”

The business benefits of doing good

Wendy Woods, social impact strategist

Woods shares a fresh way to assess the impact all parts of business can have on all parts of society, and then adjust them to not only do less harm but actually improve things.

Learn more about how executives can move beyond corporate social responsibility to “total societal impact” – for the benefit of both a company’s bottom line and society at large.

“The only way we’re going to make substantial progress on the challenging problems of our time is for business to drive the solutions.”