TED Blog

The ripple effect of an idea

At TED, we say that ideas change everything. And it’s the people behind these ideas who make TED the powerful community it is.

Each talk sparks something: a new question, a shift in perspective, a feeling that lingers longer than expected. Those who hear the talk then forward along that nugget of insight, in a conversation with a colleague, a different choice at work, a risk they might not have taken previously. Over time, those small moments add up. What starts as a single spark becomes a series of decisions, collaborations and actions that reach far beyond the original concept, shaping not just one life, but many.

The videos below offer a window into TED’s compounding ripple effect, the life of an idea beyond the stage.


Jill Bolte Taylor


William Kamkwambe


Ken Lacovara 


Monica Lewinsky


Pamela Meyer


Judge Victoria Pratt


Kate Robinson, the daughter of the late Sir Ken Robinson


Tom Shannon


Guy Winch