The 10 Best TED Talks For Screenwriters and What They Teach

There are many TED talks out there for writers, screenwriters and storytellers. In this article, we’ll focus on 10 of the most relevant and best talks for screenwriters and writers as a whole. We’ll take a look at the advice they give writers and how to get the best out of them.

Of course, there are many other great examples out there. However, below are what we believe to be the top 10 TED talks for screenwriters (in no particular order).

What Are TED Talks? And How to Utilise Them

TED Talks are informative and inspirational talks taken in the form of short presentations, spanning a wide range of topics. Their purpose is to share ideas worth spreading through the areas surrounding, Technology, Entertainment, Design.

Since 1984, TED Talks have covered a vast range of specific topics broadly headed under the umbrella of education, business, science, tech and creativity.

Tips On How to Utilise TED Talks

Getting into the range of TED talks can feel overwhelming. And it’s often hard to know where to start in terms of getting the best out of them. However, there are a few key ways of making sure you efficiently get the most out of TED talks…

• Grasp the speaker’s overall message. What are they really trying to get across?
• Listen carefully on the first watch. And only make summarised notes.
• On the second watch add detail and examples listed from case studies or anything missed from the notes in the first watch.
• Visualize the information. Notes written in short form using mnemonics and acronyms or by drawing images can be a more interesting way to recall information.
• Re-watch again and again. These repeat viewings are proven to increase memory retention. And TED Talks are great for watching on the go. Listen while travelling on the first watch. This can be great preparation for the second viewing and can save time.
• Keep the notes in a folder and refer to them when inspiration is most needed.