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How to Capture Your Audience’s Attention | Athens | TED Idea Search

TED48:11Added Aug 30, 2026

The next stop on the TED Idea Search is Athens, birthplace of democracy and the world's oldest debating tradition. Nine speakers — from a fashion manufacturer taking on modern slavery to a microbiologist tackling the science of bad breath — go head-to-head for a shot to speak on the TED stage in Vancouver. Rehearsals are rocky, nerves are real and the stakes couldn't be higher — and only one speaker gets to move on and represent Athens to t

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Contributed by 刘嘉琪

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  1. Intro

  2. 00:01Are we ready? Are we ready? One, two. I just ate, by the way. I bet he smelled worse. You were reading
  3. 00:08and it sounds like you're reading. Having it memorized is kind of the bare minimum. I sort of wasn't good enough.
  4. 00:15I had a couple of meltdowns. Can I start again? Stuff like that can really lose an audience. I am freaking out right now.
  5. 00:23I can't even believe this. There's a lot of work to be done. And that speaker is
  6. 00:33My name is Reggie Watts and my life changed forever when I got the opportunity to speak at TED.
  7. 00:41Now TED is searching the globe for ideas that could change everything.
  8. 00:47Nine TED X events around the world. Giving a global voice to the unknown.
  9. 00:54Six minutes that can inspire, motivate, and change their lives forever.
  10. 01:00But that's not all. Coached by an expert panel, one lucky speaker will be
  11. 01:06surprised with the opportunity of a lifetime.
  12. 01:11It's just so exciting. Wow. This is exactly the opportunity to reach
  13. 01:16out to millions of people. It's the biggest stage in the world. It's bigger than any dream. There were a
  14. 01:22bunch of people that were reading their scripts. Small batch lines.
  15. 01:27There's a lot of work to be done. No, no content notes. Can I start again? This cannot go.
  16. 01:34It blew me away. Wow. I'm really sorry. It's so big.
  17. 01:40This is the TED idea search.

  18. Meet the Speakers

  19. 01:54Athens, the heart of ancient Greece and a place where philosophy, democracy, and
  20. 02:00debate shaped how the world thinks. Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle once
  21. 02:05shared their ideas here. Today, that legacy continues. From across Greece, a
  22. 02:10select group of speakers have been chosen to take to the TEDex stage. I am extremely thankful that TED creates this
  23. 02:18opportunity. For me, it's a little bit incredible that now I am here.
  24. 02:24TED is the biggest platform in the world to spread good ideas,
  25. 02:30ideas that need rethinking and ideas that need reframing. And that's what I'm trying to do here.
  26. 02:42Hello speakers, welcome. Hello. It's so so good to meet you all. Huge
  27. 02:49congratulations because each one of you has an idea that we think is truly worth
  28. 02:55sharing. Hi, I'm Fury. I'm from Athens. I'm a third generation fashion manufacturer.
  29. 03:03My vision is the transformation of the fashion industry to act on modern slavery and the destruction to the
  30. 03:10environment caused by how we make our products, how we consume it, and how we
  31. 03:16dispose them. Fashion is the second industry in risk
  32. 03:21of modern slavery and one of the biggest poller to the environment. I believe that Athens has many stories to share
  33. 03:30that could act as an example for changing our world. You've all been chosen as part of this big global idea
  34. 03:38search. Tomorrow you'll give your talks and we are so excited to hear what each
  35. 03:45one of you have to say. One of you will go on to take the main stage at TED's
  36. 03:52flagship conference in Vancouver. TED 2026. Oh, I would cry for sure. Oh, it's
  37. 03:58going to make me cry if I think about it. If I can help one person or a thousand people or a million people, I think that
  38. 04:05would change the world. Clearly, I want to go to Vancouver. I think everybody here does. This is
  39. 04:10exactly the opportunity to reach out to hopefully millions of of people.
  40. 04:16I'm Mel Rosenberg and I'm a professor of microbiology. The big idea is that we
  41. 04:22should talk about bad breath because nobody talks about it. Bad breath combines humanity and science,
  42. 04:29psychology and microbiology. It's quite easy to diagnose and it's quite easy to
  43. 04:34treat in most instances. Bad breath is kind of a metaphor for
  44. 04:39humanness, for being a human being, for loving somebody enough to tell them
  45. 04:45something that might be painful in the short term but very helpful in the long
  46. 04:50term. So tomorrow we the TED panel that's Kelly and Dmitri and myself will
  47. 04:57be listening carefully for the strength of your idea, the power of your storytelling, your stage presence, and
  48. 05:05your delivery. I'm Kelly Stzzel. I'm leading the TED
  49. 05:12panel. My role at TED for the past 20 years has been curation. So, I've worked
  50. 05:18with thousands of speakers on the TED stage to select them, to help them develop their talks and get them ready
  51. 05:25to share them with the world. I'm so passionate about this initiative in particular because it brings up ideas
  52. 05:31that we could not have found any other way. Things that I look for are really
  53. 05:37the strength of the idea, but you then have to make it land. The delivery is how well they connect with the people in
  54. 05:43the room. My name is Kelly Shu. I run Ted's
  55. 05:48YouTube channel. So, anything that gets distributed on Ted's YouTube goes through me first. I always believe that
  56. 05:55content is king. And so, if it's a great talk and it's great delivery, it will do
  57. 06:00well. But selfishly, I'm always looking for a really concise way to like present it to people. I plan to bring my
  58. 06:08knowledge of what I think our audience enjoys. You can honestly have an amazing
  59. 06:13talk in person, but sometimes on the screen, it's like not as intriguing as it was in real life. I'm a sucker for an
  60. 06:20inspiring TED talk that just makes me feel like there's hope again. Joining them on the panel are TEDex
  61. 06:27Athens organizers Dimmitris Kokoris and Dimitris Calavros. As modern Greeks, we
  62. 06:34think that okay, what's the impact of our Greek minds now in the world when our ancient relatives had created such a
  63. 06:43big impact in the world civilization as we know it today.
  64. 06:48What we will be looking is an idea that can really resonate in a global audience
  65. 06:54that can bring the Athenian and the Greek identity with it and a speaker who
  66. 06:59can really connect with the audience can really be there be present be genuine be honest there's such great minds out
  67. 07:07there with such great ideas why not give them the space to bring their ideas forward
  68. 07:15right here on this hill where we are standing 2 and a half thousand years later is the hill where democracy
  69. 07:24started where people like Pericles and Theisocles and Sophocles were talking to the Athenian people back then. Today
  70. 07:31we're looking for your vision into the future of what you can bring into the
  71. 07:37conversation. I'm really eager to listen to what you have to say. I wish you all the best for tomorrow.
  72. 07:47Stepping on to the TED Main Stage really is the opportunity of a lifetime.
  73. 07:54It has hosted some of the world's most influential visionaries, leaders, and architects of the future.
  74. 08:00We have a long way to go in front of us, sharing their ideas to a room of thousands, entrepreneurs, investors, and
  75. 08:07change makers. Each waiting to be moved, provoked, and inspired. This is a moment when we have to rise to
  76. 08:15this occasion. But the power of TED doesn't end when the lights go down because the talk joins a global library
  77. 08:22of ideas watched by billions. Doors opened, media attention, book
  78. 08:28deals, and funding and support for their projects. Standing on the TED main stage is more
  79. 08:36than delivering a talk. All I want to do is show joy and hope. Your impact magnified far beyond the
  80. 08:43moment. in any bonjour. That's what life is about. About daring greatly about being in the arena.
  81. 08:49It's a journey I've been on myself. So, I know how hopeful the speakers will be for that opportunity.
  82. 09:02The panel work closely with the speakers, helping them refine their stories, sharpen their message, and find

  83. Rehearsals

  84. 09:08clarity in their ideas. This is all about support. It is not meant in any way to stress anybody out.
  85. 09:14We really want this to feel like a space where you're comfortable asking questions. If you mess up, it's no big
  86. 09:19deal. Timer's right here. It counts down from 6 minutes. Are we ready? Are we ready?
  87. 09:26Let's do this. Y, please give it up for Mel. Let's go.
  88. 09:31So, uh, hi, Kelly. Kelly and Gy and I'm Melly.
  89. 09:37The rehearsal went well. There's always some things that can be fixed and
  90. 09:42improved like bad breath. Bad breath is a big problem. It is, you know, odors,
  91. 09:49they can attract, they can seduce, but they can also repel. And an intimate odor coming from an intimate part of our
  92. 09:57body. It's not just about whether there is bad breath, but where it's coming from. If it's coming from your mouth,
  93. 10:03it's probably from the mouth or sometimes the tonsils. If it's coming from the nose and the mouth, this
  94. 10:10requires medical attention. I thought it was really, really delightful and I learned a lot. Your eye contact and your energy and the
  95. 10:17flow. The speaker talks were great. A lot of ideas. I was almost moved to
  96. 10:22tears yesterday. So, uh, yes, everybody has something that's definitely worth listening to.
  97. 10:29Today, our brains are dying before our bodies. Stanley Arthur and Zach Easter
  98. 10:35were born with healthy brains but died a slow and tragic death from a degenerative brain disease whilst their
  99. 10:41bodies were still healthy. I'm Dr. Emma Maxweeni. My talk is about the fact that our minds are dying before our bodies
  100. 10:48today. I look after patients every day who die slowly and tragically with
  101. 10:54degeneration of their brains when they're often still really fit and healthy. I feel really strongly about
  102. 11:00all these people who are unable to talk for themselves and I want to be able to
  103. 11:06talk on their behalf. I so desperately want to get this information to as wide
  104. 11:12an audience as possible because it will save some people's lives. Stanley's
  105. 11:19story is different. His brain was slowly damaged by everyday insults.
  106. 11:25I'm on the wrong slide. Um, rehearsals were a little rough. There were a bunch
  107. 11:31of people that were reading their scripts. Those are people that need to
  108. 11:36memorize their script and memorize it so well that they can be fully present and
  109. 11:41that's necessary in order to actually connect with the audience. On a wooden table in Athens, a jacket
  110. 11:48lay open, the lightning torn. The woman repairing it had once sewn under thread.
  111. 11:53Tonight she was teaching a class. When she tied off the last stitch, she wrote her name on the label. So I was very
  112. 11:59anxious because unfortunately I wasn't very well prepared. I hadn't learned my speech by heart yet. I know that is a
  113. 12:08short time that we have. So I tried to find every second uh to isolate myself
  114. 12:14and learn uh the speech by heart. This is the fashion factory of the future where science meets technology and the
  115. 12:21arts. combining craftsmanship, cultural heritage, circular design, and inclusive
  116. 12:26employment. When you just delivered it, obviously you were reading, and it sounds like you're reading. So, do whatever it takes
  117. 12:32to make your passion shine through because you are clearly so passionate about this work. I would say almost
  118. 12:38everybody has quite a lot of homework to do. First of all, when you're petty, what
  119. 12:44you do is you don't build a network. Building a network is a reciprocity game.
  120. 12:49I am Zoe Fragu. I am from Greece in Athens and I am an organizational psychologist and a business coach.
  121. 12:57Tomorrow I will be talking to the world about pettiness. I've encountered pettiness several times especially in
  122. 13:02the workplace and I think it's about time we try to dive deeper into it. What is pettiness? What makes a person petty?
  123. 13:10I've seen so many good and talented people contaminating their whole lives with meaningless acts of being passive
  124. 13:18aggressive or being revengeful without really understanding what this causes to them, what this causes to societies and
  125. 13:24what this causes to systems in general. I'm trying to actually unite people
  126. 13:29through this idea. They keep encountering more and more pettiness because that's what they bring to the
  127. 13:34environment. and pettiness. It means to
  128. 13:41and it also means of sorry seek revenge. Zoe was someone that got distracted when
  129. 13:47her slides went wrong and then she told me she forgot half of her script. Tomorrow I think we're going to have better technical support. I assume
  130. 13:54if you don't rehearse enough with the slides, it's super confusing. No, practice. This doesn't work.
  131. 14:00I know. I know. I know. That's why I'm saying it's not directed at you. suggest you
  132. 14:05when you're on the stage, so many things can go wrong. So, it's like having it memorized is kind of the bare minimum. So much of it is like knowing your talk
  133. 14:12good enough that you can just deliver it flawlessly every single time, no matter what the external factors are. Now, you
  134. 14:18can obviously see me. I am standing here on stage. I am wearing this pink dress
  135. 14:23and soon you will be able to argue that you can see me more than what you have signed up for this morning. The truth is
  136. 14:30that we can see only about 0.0 0004% of reality.
  137. 14:36I couldn't take my eyes off of you and I was waiting for what you were going to say next. You're going to make me cry.
  138. 14:43My name is Vivian. I am a data scientist. My talk is about what we
  139. 14:48cannot see. We humans, we are very limited in what we can see with our eyes
  140. 14:54and what we can process with our brain. I was always fascinated by technology
  141. 14:59and when I started working with NASA, I could literally see through a new eyes.
  142. 15:05We can use modern technologies such as this brain scan device that I am going to be wearing that allows us to see
  143. 15:11beyond the invisible. Vivian was so well prepared today and it really showed.
  144. 15:17She's got the stage present. She's got the connection with the room. I think she really wowed all of the speakers and
  145. 15:24hopefully she wowed them into here's what I need to do to get there. That is my brain activity live streamed
  146. 15:32real life and if I start jumping you can see that my brain is exploding.
  147. 15:41I would like to see tomorrow that you know everything works fine with all of the things that you want to show.
  148. 15:46I can't wait to see it tomorrow with everything happening. Thank you. Yeah, the only thing that
  149. 15:52worries me is the technology. So, it is very cool to see my brain waves live,
  150. 15:57but that has to work. There were also a couple of talks that I think it was kind of hard to pinpoint the exact idea. I
  151. 16:05didn't understand Zoe's idea immediately. No matter how frustrating it is, no
  152. 16:10matter how tiring it gets, turn your light back on because how else are we
  153. 16:15going to see? I think at some point I probably lost actually what the idea is.
  154. 16:20What happened is I skipped some parts because I didn't have my presentations. I lost some stuff that I had to say. I received the feedback that I should make
  155. 16:29my big idea more clear from the very beginning. I thought it was clear but obviously they know better. I missed two
  156. 16:35paragraphs. I missed a lot of parts cuz this was very messy for me. I do also agree with these two about
  157. 16:40just making clear the idea where you're taking us. I had a couple of men downs. I am so
  158. 16:47stressed. I want to kill it. There have been some existential crisis around bringing this dead alive.
  159. 16:53Obviously, it's quite nerve-wracking practicing your presentation, but I think it really did help me to hone my
  160. 16:59talk, but to help us and and today we are now providing contact sports players
  161. 17:07with a new medication, HMTM, still in development, which is designed to remove
  162. 17:12toxic TW protein from their brains. You really know your stuff. This is the way you are. But when you speak, you
  163. 17:19probably use like the same if if it was a musician, the same note. I like to tell speakers to be the most
  164. 17:25themselves they can possibly be. It's like be yourself with the volume turned up about five or 10%.
  165. 17:31I found it really interesting to listen to everybody else cuz everybody has such interesting talks.
  166. 17:37There are amazing people, game changers, but it's different narratives of one story. How to make world a better place.
  167. 17:46After all, they say that you shouldn't kiss and tell, but in this instance,
  168. 17:51perhaps you should. So, who are you going to tell today? I mean, I love this.
  169. 17:56It was delightful. Thank you. Thank you. I really like Mel, our bad breath scientist. He is so charismatic. Stage
  170. 18:04present is not an issue for him. He is going to have no problem connecting with the audience in the room.
  171. 18:09In the original pitch, Yeah. I thought that some of them would come up on stage. Yeah. And then we talked about it and I
  172. 18:16said, "Oh my goodness, it'll take 3 minutes." Yeah. And I won't have anything to talk about, but do you want me to show you right
  173. 18:21now? I'm curious. So, count to 20 from your mouth. Of course. One, two. I just ate, by the way, just
  174. 18:27so you know. They always have excuses, right? I bet I bet he smelled worse.
  175. 18:33I was riding a horse and they One, two. I have to do all this in six minutes to
  176. 18:39talk about the problem and what we can do about it in six minutes. So I think that that's wow that's the big
  177. 18:45challenge. The two I enjoyed the most today were Mel and Vivian's. They had their talks
  178. 18:51so well rehearsed and you could really see their personality shine. A lot of people from today have a lot of
  179. 18:57homework and I don't know what's going to happen on the day. Very curious to see what happens in the
  180. 19:04next like 24 hours because I think there's a lot of work to be done.
  181. 19:16As the sun rises over the Acropolis, the day for TEDex Athens has arrived.
  182. 19:23With the red dot waiting and an audience soon to arrive, our speakers have the chance to step onto the stage for the
  183. 19:29first time, experiencing the lights, the space, and the scale of the moment
  184. 19:34ahead. The dead red dot fills you with excitement, with joy, with tears of
  185. 19:42happiness, with respect for oneself.
  186. 19:49Last night, after hearing everybody's talk, I realized that I have to get someone on the stage. So, this means I
  187. 19:56didn't sleep too much last night because every time I tried to get to sleep, I did a rewrite in my mind.
  188. 20:05My fear is a little bit around technology. This brain scan device has to work because it is a live
  189. 20:11demonstration. So it is have to work out for my talk to land.
  190. 20:17My anxiety is that I will lose my words. It happens now as I'm rehearsing.
  191. 20:23Sometimes my mind stacks and I forget.
  192. 20:29Representing Greece in the main TED stage makes me feel like I'm in Eurovision, which for us Greeks is very,
  193. 20:35very important. My biggest fear for tomorrow is that
  194. 20:41maybe the message is not going to land.
  195. 20:46I think the biggest challenge is will I be me tomorrow? Will people see Mel?
  196. 20:56With rehearsals behind them and showtime fast approaching, the TED team steps in to help steady the speakers.
  197. 21:08Who here gets nervous before they come on stage? Who gets nervous? Oh, not Mel. We're going to do a breathing exercise.
  198. 21:14I'm going to count four in, eight out. If I was to represent Greece at TED Main
  199. 21:21Stage in Vancouver, I would connect the journey with more communities.
  200. 21:29We really need volunteers. We need ethical consumers. We need creative
  201. 21:35gamecher makers. Let's start getting our bodies awake. Starting on our left leg. Tap your skin.
  202. 21:41Tap your skin all the way down. Kids are terrifying, but it's also the most incredible opportunity that I think
  203. 21:47anyone can have to get across to as many people as possible. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  204. 21:55I would feel very honored because the people here are extraordinary and there
  205. 22:00are people that actually have made me better and I've learned from them. A big yawn like you're in a cartoon.
  206. 22:08Melody, take everybody's breath. This is something that people who love public speaking dream of. So, it's a
  207. 22:16dream. Of course, I won't deny it. I just want to get it over with. I am
  208. 22:23very high on adrenaline. I'm ready. Are we ready?
  209. 22:281 2 3.
  210. 22:39Final checks complete. The audience are arriving.
  211. 22:46And backstage, nerves and excitement collide as TEDx Athens is moments away.

  212. The Talks

  213. 23:02Hello, Athens. I'm so excited to watch these talks. I am, too. So everybody out there is
  214. 23:08ready. Everybody's warmed up. They had some work to do from yesterday. So yeah, they had they did have a lot lot lot of
  215. 23:16work to do from yesterday. So what's going to happen? I don't know. I don't know. Please help me welcome to the stage with
  216. 23:22a huge round of applause. Vivian, she was great in rehearsal yesterday. Yeah, she knew her talk super well. Soon
  217. 23:29you will be able to tell that you can see me more than what you have signed up for this morning because
  218. 23:40that is my brain and my brain activity live streamed real life and my brain
  219. 23:48right now is busier than expected but normally if I jump around it should be
  220. 23:54exploding but it is already in explosion mode. It is extremely breezy because I
  221. 23:59am freaking out right now giving a TEDex talk to all these people. Well, that's interesting. So, this
  222. 24:05didn't quite work as she had hoped because it looks the same before she jumps and during this is a little bit of
  223. 24:12a a demo that didn't quite work out. Mhm. It turns out
  224. 24:18that about third, not this one. My bad.
  225. 24:24Stuff like that can can really lose an audience. Yeah. Can you recognize this stage?
  226. 24:30It is me yesterday. And on the left hand side, I am going to demonstrate how I
  227. 24:35would see myself from the audience versus how Phil, a good friend of mine, would see me. So, as a woman, I have a
  228. 24:43wider perspective. As a man, he has a more zoomed in vision. As a younger
  229. 24:50adult, I see brighter colors. As an older adult, he has a more blurred
  230. 24:56vision. I sometimes get this annoying floaters in the left eye of mine blocking part of
  231. 25:03my vision. And he is color blind just like 10% of the population. So about 10
  232. 25:09of you sitting here. So for him and for some of you, I am no longer even wearing
  233. 25:15a pink dress. When I really boiled down what the idea is, it's that we all
  234. 25:21perceive things differently. And I don't think that is the newest idea. You
  235. 25:28cannot really see me and I cannot really see you. But that is okay as long as we
  236. 25:33understand that each of us sees reality differently and so we can understand and improve
  237. 25:41reality for all of us. Thank you very much.
  238. 25:47The audience loved it though. Look at that standing ovation. Still going. I am done. I am so happy.
  239. 25:55I mean, she's a great speaker and that's that's no question. Mhm. I am happy. I think I did my best or
  240. 26:02almost my best. I was very nervous for the technology for this brain scan device to work, but I managed, I think,
  241. 26:09to catch myself. So, I feel good. I really love the way that she delivers this talk, but it seems like around the
  242. 26:17idea. It's it's a combination really of hard science, but also social science.
  243. 26:24And I guess there like there's sort of a link there, but for me, it's a little tenuous.
  244. 26:29Next up, we have Zoe, who is going to talk with us about how to manage people
  245. 26:35who bring pettiness into your life. During rehearsals yesterday, it was actually hard for me to get a read on
  246. 26:42what her talk will be like today because I think yesterday she was pretty distracted by external factors. So, I'm
  247. 26:48curious to see what this will look like and see if she can really bring out her
  248. 26:54best version today. What happens when you focus a little too much on your own boundaries and
  249. 27:00protecting them and not nearly enough on the boundaries you are crossing?
  250. 27:06What happens when you're petty? And being petty, it means you can't let
  251. 27:11go of anything. You get obsessed usually over meaningless things and you seek for
  252. 27:17revenge even at the expense of your own goals and your own interests. Pettiness
  253. 27:23is contagious. Pettiness contaminates people's lives,
  254. 27:29synergies, everything. And something about petty people. Now,
  255. 27:35I'm going to tell you as a psychologist that most of the times they have no idea they're petty. Everyone deals with
  256. 27:42people that are petty. And some people are petty, me, but um
  257. 27:49but I'm not totally sold on what exactly the idea is. When you're petty, it rings
  258. 27:58your network. Building a network is a reciprocity game. It connects you to the wrong people. So
  259. 28:05the same way smart people attract other smart people, petty people attract more petty people and it robs you of future
  260. 28:13opportunities. Because instead of being focused on building allies for your future, you build nothing or you build
  261. 28:19enemies. But now let's widen the lens a little bit. Let's see what pettiness does to
  262. 28:26structures. Let's talk about petty corporate cultures.
  263. 28:32No mentorship, no sharing of information. Usually there is gossip, there is passive aggression, there is
  264. 28:38low psychological safety. All of which affect the three things we care about in business. Productivity, burnout,
  265. 28:45retention. Zoe did feel quite strongly about addressing petty people, speaking to
  266. 28:52them specifically. I think she's come to a place where she's sort of speaking to
  267. 28:57all of us now. Mhm. Let's talk about what pettiness does to
  268. 29:02societies. In Greece, for example, we have a very petty saying that roughly
  269. 29:08translates to the neighbor's goat should die.
  270. 29:13That means that if I can have a goat, then my neighbor shouldn't either. If I
  271. 29:20can grow, if I can succeed, then no one is allowed to. Petty people are not
  272. 29:25happy. They're not enjoying being petty. And also people are not born petty.
  273. 29:33What's important to remember is that pettiness is contagious but so is generosity. And a candle loses
  274. 29:41nothing by lighting other candles. All it does is bring more light into the world.
  275. 29:47So continue being the change you want to see in this world. And trust me when I
  276. 29:52tell you that most of us are just like the sunflowers.
  277. 29:58When we have the choice, we turn towards the light.
  278. 30:03Thank you.
  279. 30:08She did a great job um today and I I thought I was so surprised to see that.
  280. 30:15Woo! They were screaming. They stand up actually. So, I got the standing ovation. Yeah, that was nice. I did
  281. 30:22everything I could do. Now, it's up to the everything else. But I think it went exactly as I wanted it to go.
  282. 30:28I think it could have worked nicely to go a little deeper into her own story and her own angle. She really
  283. 30:35struggled with this because I think she had a very strong vision of addressing the petty people in the room. I wouldn't
  284. 30:42say it's the most groundbreaking idea. Next up, we have Dr. Er. I love Dr.
  285. 30:48Emer. My biggest thing from yesterday was if she could connect with the audience because it it is a pretty scientific talk. But I think she's doing
  286. 30:56societies
  287. 31:03face exactly the same fate. Our bodies will outlast our brains and we will die
  288. 31:09slowly with dementia. Alzheimer's disease, a global pandemic, is the most common cause. But today in contact
  289. 31:17sport, CTE is the most feared complication worldwide. Our brain is
  290. 31:24actually two interdependent entities. Let's call them brain one and brain two.
  291. 31:30And they must work in harmony to create and maintain a healthy mind. I like what she's telling us here. She's
  292. 31:37teaching us about new science, but doing it in quite an accessible way, too. Mhm. Brain one, the one we're all familiar
  293. 31:44with, is made up of neurons or nerve cells. It enables us to remember, think,
  294. 31:49walk, and talk. but it's actually much smaller and more vulnerable than we had previously realized. And then there's
  295. 31:56the newly discovered brain 2, much larger and built entirely to protect
  296. 32:01brain one and to keep it healthy by providing nutrients, clearing toxins and
  297. 32:08removing damaged proteins, particularly toxic amaloid and tow. When brain 2 is
  298. 32:14healthy, brain one thrives. But when brain 2 starts to become overwhelmed,
  299. 32:21brain one starts to die. Now we have two historic breakthroughs. Two new
  300. 32:27medications, Kasunla and Lembi proven to slow Alzheimer's disease. And we have
  301. 32:32biomarkers which can detect abnormal toxic amaloid and ta protein very early
  302. 32:37when symptoms are mild. She did such a great job setting up this talk, you
  303. 32:43know, and making it accessible to people that aren't scientists because I feel like if she didn't do that well, like
  304. 32:49what she just said wouldn't have made any sense to anyone. But we can all help stop this global tragedy because we can
  305. 32:55take steps to protect our brain and sport and we can actively focus on the habits we know decrease risk. Diet,
  306. 33:02exercise, sleep, mental activity, and social contact. Finally, we are on the
  307. 33:10brink of a whole new future where true longevity is possible when our brains
  308. 33:17will not die before our bodies. Thank you.
  309. 33:24She's getting a lot of cheers. People loved it. If I can get this message out,
  310. 33:30it actually will save lives. And that's why I want to try and get to Vancouver. I don't know. Fingers crossed. I think
  311. 33:36she is fantastic. I think this is an important topic. In some ways, I feel like I wish she could be giving this
  312. 33:43talk like a year from now because we're just right on the cusp of these solutions. And I I really like I'm
  313. 33:50actually dying to hear how some of this plays out. I also think you can like really tell how passionate she is about
  314. 33:56this in her talk. I think that's something I was lacking yesterday from her, but today it definitely shines
  315. 34:01through. She told me she can't wait to get up every day to do this work. That's
  316. 34:06incredible. Next up, we have Mel, our bad breath scientist. Mel was definitely my
  317. 34:14standout speaker from yesterday. He knew his talk so well and he really connected with everyone. Let's see how he does
  318. 34:19today. Hi. Hi. I know what you're thinking.
  319. 34:25You're thinking how Oh no, his mic is You're thinking about the echo here. Can
  320. 34:31I start again? There's an echo. There is an echo. Yeah, that's got to have thrown him. I hope he's recovers. All right.
  321. 34:37Look at it this way. I spent most of my early career studying things that people really didn't care about, such as
  322. 34:43respiratory control in microcus lizodicus. Groundbreaking research that was cited
  323. 34:49less than five times in 50 years. 40. I'm aging myself. Um, and uh, you
  324. 34:58know, I feel like he might be a little thrown off. I somehow he's not quite delivering
  325. 35:03it with the same authenticity that he had yesterday. Bad breath is bad in every language, in
  326. 35:09every culture. It's an ancient human condition.
  327. 35:18That's the best. And if you don't believe me now, you will in a minute. Do the wrist lick test. Take out your
  328. 35:24tongues. I can see you. And ris w r w r w r w r w r w r w r w r
  329. 35:30w r w r wrist your lick lick your wrist. If you don't want to do it, you can do it. That's spitty. That's not where most
  330. 35:35of the odor is coming from. Most of the odor is coming from way back in your tongue where there's billions of bacteria in a mucous layer. Stinky,
  331. 35:42sticky, and you have to get back. This is a good time to join me on stage. You
  332. 35:48can stand right over here. I'm interested to see how this works now
  333. 35:54cuz it was tricky yesterday. I'm going to show you the best solution to bad breath. You go in very deep
  334. 36:02and gently clean this layer. This is where most Kakosia comes from.
  335. 36:08Most bad breath comes from here. It's a little tough cuz like why is she standing there? We're not using her right now.
  336. 36:13But it's not only about how or whether the breath smells, but where it's coming from. You see? Now I'm going to
  337. 36:19demonstrate. You're sure you don't have any bad breath? So, I'm safe. Okay. Breathe out through your mouth
  338. 36:27and from your nose now. Okay. Round of applause. Thank you.
  339. 36:33I didn't super understand the need for her as the volunteer. I know. Or to come
  340. 36:38on. I thought he was going to handle that a little differently. If the odor is coming just from your mouth, that means it's coming from your
  341. 36:44tongue, your teeth, your gums, your tonsils. If it's coming from your nose and mouth together and it's not smoke
  342. 36:50and garlic, it could be one of hundreds of medical ailments and you need a physician. It's that important. So, what
  343. 36:58do we do? If there's somebody in your family, somebody near and dear to you that you love, you tell that person. You
  344. 37:04have to because it's so important. They say we shouldn't kiss and tell, but in
  345. 37:10this case, I think we should. So, ladies and gentlemen, who are you going to
  346. 37:15tell? Thank you very much. He did go over by a minute and 15. I
  347. 37:23feel like his talk has like preachier vibes today than educational at the end.
  348. 37:29The talk didn't have the same impact. I don't know if that was from nerves or the mishap in the beginning. It's such a
  349. 37:35shame because he was so perfect in rehearsal yesterday. People didn't stand up or stand on their
  350. 37:41head. That was a big disappointment. Uh they didn't wave their spoons at me. I think that I got most of it the way I
  351. 37:48wanted to. Next up, we have Fury. She was completely reading from the script. I
  352. 37:54mean, she had not memorized a word yet. I'm really curious to see how this one is going to go. What if the factory of
  353. 38:01the future is ethical, regenerative, and beautiful for our cities, for our
  354. 38:07eyes, for our souls? Fashion is the second industry in risk of modern slavery. 40 million people live as
  355. 38:15modern slaves today. One out of four is a child. Only 1% gets rescued and 80%
  356. 38:22get retrafficked because of their financial vulnerability. I can't even believe this. She knows this back and
  357. 38:29forth. Oh my gosh. So much could happen in 24 hours, I guess. And that is not all. What's in my
  358. 38:35clothes? Our clothes are the number one source of primary microplastics in the
  359. 38:41oceans. And this is because 60% of our textiles are made of polyester, a
  360. 38:46byproduct of oil, and that is rising. 40% of what we buy, we never wear. Every
  361. 38:53minute, a track filled with textiles and clothing ends in landfill. So my idea is
  362. 38:59simple. Relocalize how we make. Turn our cities into circular hubs. Entangle
  363. 39:06networks of recyclers, designers, microactories, citizens and policy.
  364. 39:12Create new textiles from residual and biomass waste. Digital tools to
  365. 39:17remanufacture, repair, trace. AI is the loom, community is the weaver. In these
  366. 39:24hubs, we stop and break the linear model of make, use, dispose, and change it to
  367. 39:30make, use, res, remake. She's doing a really good job of laying out the problem and the possibility and the
  368. 39:37solutions. Picture a living campus on an old historic factory in your city. Enter an
  369. 39:45open area for makers nights and uh community showcases. Through the glass
  370. 39:52you see the R&D manufacturing center. Small batch lines, robotics, 3D
  371. 39:58knitting. A sneaker is designed in the morning and knitted for running by the
  372. 40:03afternoon. Also, her factory sounds really fun. It sounds like an incredible place to work. It's actually such a cool
  373. 40:09model to follow. Yeah, we've been working on this in Greece the last 12 years. We created a
  374. 40:16social fashion factory sofa. If we did it in Greece, we can do it everywhere.
  375. 40:21All of us makers again. Thank you.
  376. 40:26Yes, she did it. Yay, Fiori. Look at that standing ovation. I'm so happy for
  377. 40:33Fior. Night and day. I think it went well. I think I connected with people and I focused on
  378. 40:40getting my message out right. The content was there yesterday and we did give her a few tweaks there as well, but
  379. 40:46today she delivered the talk so beautifully. I love love seeing this.
  380. 40:52Me too. That's the goal. Going to Vancouver sharing with millions. I hope that
  381. 40:59people could connect and change something on the way they behave. Oh my gosh, it's so funny how every time
  382. 41:06we have rehearsals, I think I know exactly who I want to win and I'm wrong every single time. It always gets
  383. 41:12flipped after the show. Yesterday, I don't think she was even really a contender for me and now it's just it's
  384. 41:18completely flipped. Like, I just love this talk and we have a lot to think about. I know she's up there for me
  385. 41:24right now. Definitely. And with that, the event draws to a close, leaving the audience to reflect
  386. 41:31on the ideas and wisdom that has been shared. All the talks were amazing. Different content, different ideas. So, overall
  387. 41:38was like 10 out of 10 experience. Each and everyone of the speakers they gave
  388. 41:43something but Zoe was something like different something very unique. Her talk really inspires people from a
  389. 41:49different perspective. Fury touch a very sensitive thing. Fashion nowadays is really a big part of
  390. 41:56society. We just buy more clothes and bore clothes and more clothes and most people don't understand how these clothes are made.
  391. 42:02It really helps get a different perspective of how we can reduce things. It's a it's a life skill actually. It's
  392. 42:08not only about fashion if you think about it. I would say about Vivian, it's about how we see the world and how we perceive
  393. 42:15reality. The interaction that she brought and all the like technology and so it was
  394. 42:22phenomenal. All the speakers had something incredible to say. They gave us a new
  395. 42:28perspective of what they said and they really touch us about each subject uh differently. But now it's the panel's
  396. 42:36turn to make the difficult decision. Which of our speakers will be heading to the TED main stage.

  397. Deliberation

  398. 42:44Okay guys, wow. Today was so interesting because yesterday I think we saw a lot
  399. 42:51of speakers who were not ready to go at all and I was pretty worried. I honestly for sure thought someone was going to go
  400. 42:57up today and not be able to deliver at all. Now we have a tough decision to make. So, let's do it.
  401. 43:06Mel, I went in today thinking Mel was my winner. Like 100% sure. He he came up so natural in the
  402. 43:13rehearsals, you know, and today just something happened. He struggled to connect with the audience today and I'm really sad about
  403. 43:19it. With all that said, I mean, his talk is amazing. Er,
  404. 43:24in terms of content, in terms of data, she was there. She She met the expectations. In talking with her too,
  405. 43:30it sounds like there's about to be a lot of new information out that's really hopeful and really promising. I guess my
  406. 43:37question is, was this talk too early? Zoe. Zoe connected well with the room.
  407. 43:45She was a princess. Yeah. Today I kind of didn't feel it's a groundbreaking idea. It was a very fun
  408. 43:52talk. I guess the question is, is it new enough? Is it big enough? Is it interesting enough for the Vancouver
  409. 43:59main stage? Fiori, my gosh, our underdog today. Like most improved. Yesterday,
  410. 44:06she didn't have anything memorized, shaking while holding her script. And today, like the most confident speaker.
  411. 44:13Ancient Greece is where everything started. And here's, you know, a talk and an idea about something that has
  412. 44:19started in Greece. And why not, you know, explode in the rest of the world. Vivian, she did a beautiful job in the
  413. 44:27room. I think she connected really well. She really knew her talk and I think that allowed her to be herself as she
  414. 44:35was delivering. I kind of felt today that the example with the technology didn't quite really
  415. 44:40uh put the dramatic effect that she wanted on her message and her idea.
  416. 44:45Okay, I think we've landed on a decision. Let's go tell them. Let's go. Good.

  417. The Winner Is…

  418. 44:56speakers. Huge, huge, huge congratulations. Each one of you just
  419. 45:02did something really huge. You just gave a talk on the TEDx Athens stage. Oh,
  420. 45:08congratulations.
  421. 45:15After rehearsal, I was a little bit worried. There was a lot of feedback
  422. 45:21given and a lot of prep to be done. But today, every single one of you showed up, delivered, and made this decision
  423. 45:28really, really hard. We wish that each one of you could come with us to
  424. 45:33Vancouver. But we have to choose just one of you,
  425. 45:40and that speaker is
  426. 45:59I feel very blessed. I feel wonderful when I heard my name. I felt happy and
  427. 46:05then I felt a little bit bad because I don't want anybody to feel uh disappointed. Congratulations.
  428. 46:11Congratulations. Thank you very much everyone. I hope I don't disappoint anyone.
  429. 46:17I'm so excited for Fiori. So proud to bring her to Vancouver. Can I give you a hug? Yes, please. Please.
  430. 46:25We don't talk as much about manufacturing. At TED, the idea applies
  431. 46:31globally and it can make global impact to all industries. You'll do a great job representing all
  432. 46:36of us and very much know all of you. She really delivered today. Like when we
  433. 46:41saw her yesterday at rehearsal and it was hard to know what today was going to look like, but she blew us all the way.
  434. 46:47Like I it was a different person up there today. I think you could tell that she's genuinely passionate about her mission.
  435. 46:55She's going to be the first Greek female Greek speaker on TED uh stage. Oh, we couldn't be happier,
  436. 47:02you know, um in a good way. heartbroken by your generosity for bringing your
  437. 47:07best self out here and that's what can make a world a better place for everyone.
  438. 47:13I'm very blessed that I can represent our movement that's a global movement in Vancouver.
  439. 47:20I was optimistic but I'm always I always am.
  440. 47:25On three 2 one ideas change everything.
  441. 47:32We end our time here in Athens with Fiori having earned her place on the TED main stage. But who else will be joining
  442. 47:39her? The TED Idea search continues.
  443. 47:45Next time we head to Lagos. I predict things are about to get crazy. I'm sorry. It's intense and
  444. 47:52overwhelming. He pulls it out of the bag. That red dot.
  445. 48:00Oh, look at that. Come on.