Here, we’ll take a closer look at some TED features you may know not know about. They can benefit your entertainment and community, as well as your contribution to the company and its cause.
1. Listen to Podcasts
On the TED website, click the Discover tab and then Podcasts. You’ll find over 20 options to subscribe to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Topics include business, tech, psychology, health, and ecology. The collection keeps growing, so check in now and then to discover new programs to fill your day.
2. Take Part as a Speaker
If you have something interesting to share and feel confident about talking to a big audience, you can apply to become a TED speaker.
You can go to About > Conferences > Speaking at TED on the website for more information. Basically, you just fill in a speaker nomination form and wait for the TED team to assess if, where, and when you would fit in with a conference.
Perks include a pass for the whole conference, covered travel and hotel expenses, networking events, coaching for your big day, and the chance to have your presentation featured on TED Talks.
It’s a great opportunity and challenge. If you want some extra training, however, look into courses, both online and in-person, as well as apps to beat your fear of public speaking.
3. Join as a Member
A simpler way to support TED is by becoming a member. For a monthly or annual fee, you can get access to special events like group discussions on different topics. You can also connect with fascinating people from around the world, whether speakers or fellow members.
What you give TED is financial backing for its many projects. You become an essential part of an influential community dedicated to human enlightenment and wellbeing. That’s not a bad feeling.
4. Join as a Volunteer
TED is a global platform mainly delivering videos, so it needs translators and transcribers to subtitle its productions accurately and please every audience, no matter their language. Proficiency is key, meaning you can’t just use online translators for the job.
You can volunteer for either or both of these roles. For more responsibility, consider joining as a reviewer, language supervisor, or mentor. Go to Participate > Translate from TED’s home page to learn more about the positions and requirements.
As you can see, TED offers plenty of work experience and entertainment. You’d be joining a prestigious group of skilled linguists and making your own mark.
5. Apply to Be a TED Fellow
If you’re an innovator with achievements, a strong vision, and an interest in supporting a community, you should apply to the TED Fellows Program, available on the website’s Participate tab. Those selected every year get the organization’s full backing, including networking and a range of training programs.
At the very least, you’ll enjoy a boost to your confidence and efficiency. At most, your ventures will flourish, thanks to your new connections, publicity, funding, and other open doors. As an entrepreneur or small business owner with goals that benefit humanity, education, and innovation, becoming a TED Fellow could be life-changing.
6. Apply Your Venture for TED’s Audacious Project Fund
If you go to About > Programs & Initiatives, you’ll come across many opportunities to explore. But let’s focus on The Audacious Project, which supports ventures through funding.
As the name suggests, TED, in collaboration with The Bridgespan Group, searches for the most audacious projects that aim to change the world for the better in one way or another. And you can submit your own trailblazing idea. Just make sure it’s ready to impress.
For instance, put your concepts and their practical applications in order so that you can explain them better. Also, look into handy platforms like Hive for your task and project management.
Approved ventures partner up with TED to fine-tune their plans and presentations. Then, donors are invited to fund the ideas they like the most. And finally, TED shares its audacious projects with the public, who can support them even more.
7. Organize a Local TEDx Event
Besides putting conferences together, TED can help you set up your own in your community. So, if you know a bunch of people with intriguing ideas to present, you can organize a TEDx event, whether online or in-person.
There is a process and several rules—get to the feature from the Participate tab. To begin with, you need to go through TED’s license application, where you define the kind of event you want and see what resources TED will provide.
As for rules, it’s a simple matter of understanding was TED events are about. As long as you have no agenda–financial, promotional, or otherwise–and a variety of topics and speakers, you’re on the right track.
You can flex your organizational chops while helping your community bond over a period of enlightening discussion. With TED’s backing, your event can be truly memorable.
8. Nominate a Speaker
On the TED website, you can benefit others, not just yourself. One feature to keep in mind is recommending someone you find inspirational.
It could be a friend or teacher, but also an artist or worker you know about, for example, from educational and intelligent videos on streaming services. If their skills, principles, or ideas make you stand to attention, they might motivate other people, too.
Using the same nomination form as when you apply yourself as a speaker, you can instead put down another’s name and details. If it’s someone you know, it’s a good idea to check with them first.
9. Recommend Educators and Animators
It’s not just speakers you can put on TED’s radar. The organization is always looking for good teachers and animators to help develop educational material for its TED-Ed platform.
If you fit either of these roles or know someone who does, you can submit a recommendation. Keep in mind that their responsibilities will only relate to TED’s animated lessons, not TED Talks.
These positions offer unique experiences and connections, with a potential income on top of it. They’re opportunities that can lead to even greater prospects.
Embrace the Search for Inspiring Ideas
TED and its website feature all sorts of tools and opportunities revolving around one goal: to enrich people’s minds and lives. The more you involve yourself with the organization, the more you’ll enjoy the world around you.
But you don’t have to rely on TED alone. You can find inspiration across the internet and in real life. So, keep exploring stories, innovations, and every exciting piece of news that comes your way.
