Grow: Notes from Session 6 of TEDNext 2024

The right idea at the right time can bring people together to change the world – but only if the mind is open and willing to keep learning. For the last session of TEDNext 2024an extraordinary group of speakers and performers showed us how to prepare to reach new heights.

The event: Talks from Session 6 of TEDNext 2024, presented by Monique Ruff-Bell and Helen Walters of TED

When and where: Thursday, October 24, 2024, at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, Georgia

Speakers and artists: Dave Raggio, Leopoldo Lopez, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Wendy Whelan, Natasha Rothwell, Kasley Killam, Blessings

Watch TEDNext 2024 on TED Livecheck out more photos from the event and learn more about it attending a future TED conference

The conversations in short:

“Intrapreneur” Dave Raggio shares the lessons he learned becoming vice president of Intuit SMB MediaLabs, an ad targeting solution for small businesses. To innovate successfully within the confines of a large company, he says, you need to get buy-in from colleagues early, listen to critical feedback and recognize the company’s risk tolerance. “Work the system,” says Raggio – you may go slower, but your product will be better.

A world dominated by autocracy is a world with far fewer opportunities for the things that matter to you, says Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López. In a stirring call to defend democracy worldwide, he traces the rise of autocracy over the past decade, shares his own story of captivity and exile, and discusses the vision behind the World Liberty Congress, an alliance of leaders from 56 autocratic countries aimed at organizing a united front against authoritarianism.

Can art pave the way for a politically divided nation to move forward? Kennedy Center VP and TED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph reflects on the role of art, memory and healing through the lens of forgiveness. Connected by Wendy Whelanassociate artistic director of the New York City Ballet, they perform “Carnival of the Animals,” highlighting how creativity can foster empathy.

Writer, actor, producer and director Natasha Rothwell takes the stage for “On the Spot,” TED’s new interactive question and answer format. She answers a stream of unexpected questions, tapping into everything from creativity and representation on TV to love, the best work advice she’s ever received and the first ‘pinch me’ moment of her career.

Loneliness is a growing crisis with many consequences, and is partly the result of people neglecting their ‘social health’, says connection expert Kasley Killam. To help you in your quest for a deeper connection, she presents her ‘5-3-1’ guideline, which encourages interacting with five different people every week, strengthening at least three close relationships and connecting for at least one hour a day to make.

What does it mean to be creative? Multi-instrumentalist Blessings dissects his definition, as well as AI’s, and explains how great art combines the wonder of childhood with the wisdom of adulthood, before performing a totally improvised, off-the-top song especially for TEDNext.

Watch TEDNext 2024 on TED Livecheck out more photos from the event and learn more about attending a future TED conference