The 6 Best Prezis from TED

TED is considered by many to be the crème de la crème when it comes to public speaking. From renowned business people to brilliant scientists, masterful artists to cutting edge technologists, many of the world’s best minds and speakers have taken to the TED stage to share their insights with the world. And many of those speakers—over 19 at TED main events, and countless more at TEDx events—have chosen to use Prezi to convey their messages.

While we eagerly wait for the talks from TED2016, taking place next week in Vancouver, Canada, to become available online, we decided to take a look at some of the best prezis from TED and TEDx events in years past. Here is our roundup of the 6 best prezis presented on TED stages across the world. Take a look, and see how some of the best speakers use Prezi:

Are Athletes Really Getting Better, Faster, Stronger? by David Epstein

When it comes to data-heavy presentations, “engaging” might not be the first word that comes to your mind. And yet David Epstein’s talk is just that—an incredibly engaging, data-rich presentation. In his 15-minute stint on the TED stage, Epstein explained why modern-day athletes are able to blow the records of previous eras’ sportsmen out of the water. By using Prezi to zoom in on the details and visualize his data within the larger context of a story, Epstein was able to bring his numbers to life and deliver an enthralling talk.

The Good News On Poverty by Bono

 

Bono came to TED in 2013 to deliver an unusual message—global poverty is on the decline. Like Epstein, Bono came to the stage with a lot of numbers to back up this claim, and he needed an engaging, visual way to deliver them to his audience. Bono and his team turned to Prezi, in conjunction with custom animated videos, as a seamless way to deliver a dynamic, multimedia presentation. The result was a powerful presentation that brought the audience to its feet.

The Next Step for Airlines by Sadiq Gillani

 

Sadiq Gillani knows a lot about airlines as the former CSO and Senior Vice President of the Lufthansa Group. When he took to the stage at TEDxBerlin last year to share his vision for the future of air travel, he wanted to deliver his message with a platform that was as innovative as the ideas he was sharing. Enter Prezi, a tool that allowed him to tell a visual story that brought the future to life.

We sat down with Gillani to hear about his experience presenting with Prezi—read ourcase study to learn more.

Aquaculture by Mike Velings

 

Last year, TED sent 20 speakers on a six-day voyage along the Pacific Equator, to discuss the issues currently facing our ocean ecosystems today. Named “Mission Blue II,” the experience offered attendees a deep look at the troubling facts behind the health of our oceans. Mike Velings was one of the speakers aboard the ship, and he delivered an impassioned presentation on aquaculture—a new way to harvest fish, that has the potential to save dwindling species, reduce pollution, and provide us with healthier, more sustainable seafood. He used Prezi to deliver his talk, and the results were stunning.

The Air We Breathe by Mark Turrell

 

Mark Turrell’s talk at TEDxBerlin tackled a big topic—air pollution in the modern city. Instead of inundating his audience with bullet-pointed lists and tables full of numbers, Turrell opted for a more visual approach. Prezi’s canvas allowed him to zoom in on different sources of the problem—and different pieces of the solution. By putting the issue of air pollution within the context of a recognizable landscape, Turrell was able to make this big issue real for his audience.

Blackout: The Hidden Structures of Modern Society by Marc Elsberg

 

Another talk at TEDxBerlin took advantage of Prezi’s zooming capabilities to break a big topic into digestible ideas. Marc Elsberg’s TED talk discussed our dependence on complex networks of technology—and in order to visualize these networks, he used Prezi to zoom out and show the whole system in context. Elsberg’s prezi is notably text-free, serving as a subtle but powerful compliment to his engaging talk, rather than a distraction for the audience to read.