Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  April 24, 2018

TED2018: Best Examples of Influence Techniques

Just when you thought it was safe, here’s part 2 of my top TED2018 Talks. (Click here to read part 1.) Keep in mind — this list is based on best use of techniques to influence. You can watch all of their presentations via the TED2018 website. Note: There is a $25 fee for each session, each of which has several presentations.

Best bio: Elizabeth Strebis a great example of how we can stand out by defining our “territory.” Check out her title: action and hardware architect. Her unique brand of movement also sounds sexy: pop action. Check out this talk to see this tactic at work.

Best way to make a point: Popular podcaster Dylan Marron turned hate mail into a new project by going old school. He called the biggest trolls and asked, “Why did you write this about me?” Their conversations created his latest podcast, “Conversations with People Who Hate Me.” This is a great example of how you can go beyond stories to engage and make a point.

Best use of current events: Curator Nora Atkinson uses a highly recognizable event (Burning Man) to ask provocative questions about art commercialism. She makes great points in an intriguing way.

Best use of criteria: Marine ecologist Enric Sala uses bulletproof data to make his points about deep-water fishing. How he changes the profitability by taking out two key assumptions shows all of us how to change the game.

Best money lines: Theater director Oskar Eustis connected unrelated ideas that made perfect sense as he explained. Examples: “Theater is the essential art form of democracy” and “conflict of different points of view leads to the truth.” (And don’t miss the ending.)

When we see masterful examples, not only are we inspired, but we thought leaders can also see how to use techniques we knew about but haven’t explored. Let’s all expand our toolbox and look to new ways to connect with our marketplace.