TEDx Talks

Carlos Pompa argues that experience designers focus narrowly on objectives and personas while ignoring the 'upstream' impact their designs have on individuals as experiencers. He introduces the concept of 'experiencer design' — the idea that designed experiences are actively shaping how people experience life — and calls on designers and consumers alike to become more conscious of this dynamic.

Suvarnanidhi Rao argues that effective leadership in the age of disruption requires embracing change rather than resisting it, drawing on examples from Satya Nadella, Reed Hastings, and others. He contends that the greatest leaders proactively disrupt themselves, lead with a learn-it-all mindset, and combine skillful execution with personal integrity. He closes with his own experience of job loss as a personal example of navigating disruption.

Mohinur Makhmudova uses her personal experience of misjudging a future close friend at a debate tournament to explore how stereotypes form rapidly in the brain. She draws on neuroscience and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's concept of 'the danger of a single story' to explain why stereotypes are harmful. She calls on listeners to pause and question their assumptions before letting them define others.

Firdavs Khudoyberdiyev explores the science and mystery of sleep, covering topics like sleep paralysis, REM sleep, dream mechanics, and why we dream. He emphasizes that despite scientific progress, the fundamental reasons we sleep and dream remain largely unknown. The talk blends personal experience with scientific speculation to highlight how little humanity understands about a third of our lives.

E'zoza Chorshanbiyeva challenges three common false beliefs about self-worth: that criticism means you're not enough, that applause measures your value, and that others' opinions are fully informed. Drawing on personal stories and psychology, she argues that self-worth is internally defined, not externally granted. She urges the audience to reclaim their identity by replacing false beliefs with believable truths through deliberate repetition.

Binafsha Bobonazarova argues that perspective — shaped by mood, experience, and assumptions — is the lens through which we interpret reality, not reality itself. She uses the iceberg metaphor to illustrate how we judge others based on surface behavior while ignoring hidden context. She calls for slowing down reactions and questioning assumptions, while also distinguishing perspective from tolerating mistreatment.

Abbos Jurayev explores whether listening to music while studying improves academic performance, drawing on personal experience, a school survey, and a 2023 Malaysian university research study. The evidence consistently suggests that background music, particularly lo-fi and classical genres, can enhance motivation, memory, attention span, and the overall learning environment. He concludes that while not a universal solution, background music has the potential to make a meaningful difference for students.

Héctor Mauricio Montes Padilla shares how a small public finance team in a Colombian municipality transformed its fiscal situation through creative, leverage-based strategies including payment culture campaigns, business census initiatives, tax statute reforms, and process improvements. By building internal trust and forming win-win partnerships with banks, chambers of commerce, and public utilities, the municipality grew its own revenue to exceed national transfers. The talk argues that sustainable territorial finances depend on empowered teams, citizen engagement, and strategic collaboration rather than dependence on central government funding.

Juan Andrés Suárez Gutiérrez, a lawyer and public servant in Santander, Colombia, shares how his childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer evolved into a career in public sports administration. He argues that high-performance public service, applied to sports programs, can transform lives by expanding access, reducing inequality, and empowering vulnerable youth. He equates purposeful governance with the discipline and passion of elite athletics.

Rocío Serrano Merchán shares her personal journey from economic hardship and family separation to becoming a public administration student and community activist in Colombia. She recounts how she overcame self-doubt and poverty to pursue education and engage in social work with orphaned children, elderly citizens, and the homeless. Her talk argues that real change comes not from policies or speeches, but from acts of love and human connection.

Layne Robinson argues that good systems fail not due to lack of effort or resources, but due to poor information quality. He introduces the 'CAT' framework—Clarity, Accuracy, and Timeliness—and warns that distortion of information is more dangerous than ignorance because it masquerades as certainty. He urges audiences to become critical masters of information rather than passive victims of it.

Yasmin Mustafa, a Sudanese refugee, reframes war not as destruction measured in casualties but as 'interruption' — a force that rewrites life trajectories, identities, and futures. Drawing on her own displacement from Sudan in 2023, she argues that the true cost of war is the silent erasure of who people were meant to become.

Hande Enes, a Turkish technology investor, shares her journey of investing in Turkish startups and argues that Turkey is now a net exporter of technology rather than just a reproducer of others' ideas. She discusses what she looks for in entrepreneurs, the importance of data literacy, and how artificial intelligence will reshape professions and realities. She emphasizes the power of terminology, cross-disciplinary thinking, and human adaptability over fear of technological disruption.

Twin sisters Yanith and Yankee share their personal experience of moving from Hong Kong to Hongjo, exploring how differences in food, language, and lifestyle revealed deeper cultural commonalities. They argue that differences are not barriers but enriching qualities that can coexist in harmony.

Nodira Qobiljonova, a BMU Tashkent student, argues that reading functions as a safe community and emotional sanctuary. She shares personal examples of how books helped her navigate life decisions, grief, and demotivation. She also contrasts reading's capacity to build emotional independence with social media's tendency to foster emotional dependence.

Milana Medvedeva argues that human creativity has always served as a bridge for connection, from ancient cave paintings to modern solo creators. She contends that while AI and technology have made content creation easier, human creativity is uniquely powerful because it fosters recognition and genuine emotional connection rather than mere entertainment.

Malika Bobokhujaeva argues that modern access to information has created an illusion of learning, while schools have failed to teach independent study habits. She contends that true intellectual growth requires individuals to take personal responsibility for their own learning, free from external validation and fear of judgment.

Dilsolikh Kosimov argues that the legal industry has been slow to adopt technology despite 60% of lawyers' time being spent on repetitive tasks. He describes his own project building an AI-assisted tool for lawyers that streamlines research, drafting, and contract review while deliberately limiting AI from replacing human judgment. He closes by challenging the audience to question the status quo in their own industries.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Gary Allen shares how he overcame fear and self-doubt to retrain himself and his team in robotic cardiac surgery, achieving results that far exceeded their initial projections. His talk covers three core lessons: embracing innovation, building effective teams, and committing to continuous learning regardless of age or experience level.

Karen Khachikyan, a robotics entrepreneur, shares how building Robin—a robot designed for hospitals and nursing homes—revealed his own shortcomings in practicing kindness. Through observing Robin's genuine listening with patients, he realized kindness is not an innate trait but a skill requiring deliberate practice. His personal journey reframes the question from 'Are you a kind person?' to 'Are you willing to practice kindness?'