TED Circles is an open community of small groups that discuss big ideas.
Hosted by volunteers, Circles discuss a TED Talk about the monthly theme. By considering each other’s perspectives, they create a global conversation. That conversation needs everyone so we hope you join as a host or as a guest.
Circles help communities stay connected, especially now. The video illustrates how you can host your own!
Host a TED Circle
Anyone can host a TED Circle! Hosts invite guests, select a talk about the monthly theme, and facilitate a productive conversation...it's that simple! Our host resources are available if you want to learn more.
Hosting is an important role and TED wants to help you be a great host! After you register as a host, you receive a welcome email confirming your hostname, granting access to our Circles registration and invitation generator, and inviting you to join our host community group (a special online space for hosts from around the world to connect).
Want to host a TED Circle?
Register herePrevious months
October | OptimismJoin an online Circle hosted by TEDWant to change climate change? Host TED Circles about Countdown
Tali SharotThe optimism bias
Conversation starters
- Tali Sharot's research makes a three-point case in favor of the optimism bias. Which point(s) resonate with you most?
- Knowing your proclivity to the optimism bias, how will you protect yourself from being unrealistic while equally empowering yourself to be hopeful?
Steven PinkerIs the world getting better or worse? A look at the numbers
Conversation starters
- Data shows that many things are, in fact, better today than they were 30 years ago. Does that align with or counter your assessment of today's world?
- If 'combining ideas recursively' sparks problem-solving/progress, how can you intentionally combine ideas? Additional resource: Matt Ridley's Talk
Christiana FigueresThe case for stubborn optimism on climate change
Conversation starters
- How does 'stubborn optimism' avoid foolishness or irresponsibility? How can you transform your optimism so it helps you meet challenges you face?
- In Figueres' words: What is the future you want, and what are you doing to make that future a reality?
Shameran Abed4 steps to ending extreme poverty
Conversation starters
- Which of the four steps (meeting basic needs, moving towards livelihood, training to earn money, integrating socially) do you think best instills hope?
- Abed urges us to 'light the spark of self-belief in people'. How might you provide that spark for someone in your life?
September | ImaginationJoin an online Circle hosted by TEDWant to change climate change? Host TED Circles about Countdown
Manoush ZomorodiHow boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas
Conversation starters
- When did you last spend an extended period of time away from your phone? What were the circumstances? How did that feel?
- Why might so many of us be fearful of being bored?
- Zomorodi shared that she felt the most creative while engaging in long, monotonous tasks. What are the moments or conditions when you feel most creative or generate your best ideas? Do they also take place during instances of “boredom”?
- The most difficult task for the “Bored and Brilliant” participants was deleting “that” app; the time wasting, bad habit one. Which app would that be for you? Do you think you could do it? Try it for a while and report back at next month’s Circle!
Christopher RobichaudHow I used Dungeons & Dragons to teach ethics
Conversation starters
- Do you play Dungeons & Dragons, or something similar? If so, share what you love about the game. If not, has Robichaud piqued your interest to try?
- What are your favorite games to play with friends and/or family and why?
- What experience and skills do you feel you have gained from the games you have played? Explain. Additional resource: Steven Johnson's Talk
- What other games could teach you life skills or help you learn more about topic you care about?
Ethan HawkeGive yourself permission to be creative
Conversation starters
- Hawke notes that poetry can be overlooked until we’re looking for empathy and guidance. What forms of creativity (poems or otherwise) do you turn to in moments like this?
- Hawke’s work as an actor showed him how much we all have in common. Have you bonded with an unlikely stranger over a shared creative connection? What was that experience like?
- Creativity exists even in highly regimented spaces like the Army where Hawke’s step brother was a creative leader. What are other unexpected places that you’ve encountered passionate creativity?
- When was the last time you played the fool? How did it make you feel? Has this talk inspired you to do it again soon? Additional resource: Elisabeth McClure's Talk
Theaster GatesHow to revive a neighborhood with imagination, beauty, and art
Conversation starters
- What things in your community do you wish could be revived with art and beauty? Brainstorm ways to make this a reality. Additional resource: Helen Marriage's Talk
- Do you agree with Gates that beauty is a basic service? Explain why or why not.
- Which community hubs in your locale are most popular or have a lot of cultural activity, and why do you think that is? If none come to mind, why do you think that is (or, what would your ideal one look like)?
- What are your favorite buildings in your neighborhood or location? Try to describe them in vivid detail and share why they appeal to you.
August | Irrational?Join an online Circle hosted by TEDWant to change climate change? Host TED Circles about Countdown
Julia GalefWhy you think you’re right -- even if you’re wrong
Conversation starters
- Per Galef’s talk, do you consider yourself a scout, a soldier or is there another way you’d describe yourself?
- Like scout and soldier, are there other creative metaphors you’d use to describe other interactions / mindsets?
- Identify a time you doubled down on a viewpoint, even though you knew you were wrong. What were the factors that led you to doing so and does Galef’s talk help demystify that moment?
- Where do you think this talk would be most useful in your own life or even in the wider world? Additional resource: Tara Haelle's Talk
Robert SapolskyThe biology of our best and worst selves
Conversation starters
- What do you think spurs people to be cruel or altruistic?
- How do you think your life and circumstances have influenced the way you treat others?
- What do you know about your ancestors and how they lived — what do you feel has been lost or gained in terms of values?
- If comfortable, share a story from youth or adulthood that affected you deeply. Would you say that moment positively or negatively altered you, and do you feel like you have (or have not) changed since then?
Chetan BhattDare to refuse the origin myths that claim who you are
Conversation starters
- What origin myths have influenced your life? Share an example or two.
- Drawing from Bhatt’s talk or your own observations, what are the dangers of holding on too tightly to origin myths?
- Bhatt describes when a British nationalist turns on an American television network, owned by an Australian, broadcast to a South Korean television set, bought with a Spanish credit card and paid off monthly to a local bank headquartered in Hong Kong. If these connections were revealed to the hypothetical nationalist, do you think they would reconsider their ideas around who or what does and does not belong in their community? Why or why not?
- Bhatt says: “If we don't need origin stories and fixed identities, we can challenge ourselves to think creatively about each other and our future.” How might things be different if the myths that prescribe where we do and don’t belong weren’t there? What does that world look like to you?
Laurie SantosA monkey economy as irrational as ours
Conversation starters
- Santos’ research found that capuchin monkeys are susceptible to the same financial mistakes as humans. Do you find this to be reassuring or humbling? Additional resource: TED-Ed animation
- Santos highlights loss aversion, which biases humans (and monkeys) to do anything to avoid loss, even if it risks and diminishes success. Have you found yourself in a similar situation? Knowing what you know now, do you think you would do anything differently?
- What are some ways you have found to stop making the same errors over and over again?
- Santos encourages us to recognize our limitations and to use the world of design to overcome them. What is one human limitation that you would like to see surmounted? What is one idea for a design that might solve it?
Suggest other themes and talks here
Find a TED Circle
The Circles listed below are registered by hosts who invite their own guests. If you want to attend a Circle, join one hosted by our team! Also find out what Circles are discussing by visiting our community takeaways.
- YOUNG CEOOnline27 Feb 2022
- TEDxMacedoOnline27 Feb 2022
- IgnitedNeuronsOnline27 Feb 2022
- Deepika PasupuletiOnline27 Feb 2022
- Pooja GhaiOnline27 Feb 2022
- Dawn Denton TEDxFromeOnline28 Feb 2022
- Paty CárdenasAguascalientes28 Feb 2022
- Mingqing XieGuangzhou28 Feb 2022
- TEDxUdineUdine28 Feb 2022
- Roselin CabralesHouston28 Feb 2022
- Camilo BarbaricOnline28 Feb 2022
- Luis Vicente GarciaOnline03 Mar 2022
- Ginger Sharbel and Sandra LawlerOnline04 Mar 2022
- Crossing Borders EducationOnline04 Mar 2022
- Siddhi DeshmukhOnline06 Mar 2022
- Carl HajalMontreal08 Mar 2022
- GD Goenka UniversityGurugram10 Mar 2022
- TEDxSanAntonioOnline12 Mar 2022
- Laura Malbogat and Karen MowbrayMontreal15 Mar 2022
- Laura Malbogat and Karen MowbrayMontreal15 Mar 2022
- SellaOnline15 Mar 2022
- Laura Malbogat and Karen MowbrayMontreal15 Mar 2022
- TEDxWinchesterWinchester18 Mar 2022
- Gunjan Syal, Emerald Technology Group IncOnline19 Mar 2022
- Impact Hub TicinoLugano24 Mar 2022
- Deepika PasupuletiOnline27 Mar 2022
- Leah K StewartOnline27 Mar 2022
- Unassyst Association no profitMilan29 Mar 2022
- Preeti ChaudharyOnline31 Mar 2022
- Gunjan Syal, Emerald Technology Group IncOnline09 Apr 2022
- Preeti ChaudharyOnline28 Apr 2022
- Go Core Mind Body SoulOnline04 May 2022
- Impact Hub TicinoLugano19 May 2022
- Raghunath SosaleBangalore21 May 2022
- Educational Park LibraryOnline14 Jun 2022
- Richard Lucas and Mel RosenbergOnline18 Aug 2022
- Impact Hub TicinoLugano01 Dec 2022
- Charles Shasky and Jessica KehererOnline18 Dec 2023
About TED Circles
TED Circles is a global community of small groups who discuss big ideas together. We believe in the power of ideas and conversations to positively impact ourselves, our communities, and our world. Through TED Circles, a host can invite their friends, neighbors, strangers, or a mix to an in-person or online location to discuss a variety of interesting topics. TED provides monthly themes, recommended talks, and specific conversation starters so the host can focus on engaging everyone in the discussion.
The video illustrates how Circles work and why TED believes in them.
FAQs
TED Circles are purposefully easy to adopt so they occur regularly plus they are easy to adapt so they reflect hosts’ and guests' style. With many possibilities come many questions:
Who can host a TED Circle?
Anyone! Register to host TED Circles.
Who can participate in a TED Circle?
Hosts invite guests to participate in their Circle.
What is discussed during a TED Circle?
TED provides monthly themes with aligned talks and questions to support, not limit hosts. Hosts are welcome to select any content that relates to the monthly theme. Further, hosts may suggest guests watch the content independently beforehand or together at the beginning of the TED Circle.
Where do TED Circles take place?
Taking place in-person and online, locations for TED Circles include yet are not limited to: homes, parks, cafes, schools, workplaces, libraries, and video calls.
When do TED Circles take place?
Scheduling can be set by the host or collaboratively agreed with guests. TED Circles are intended to occur monthly and last 1-2 hours.
If you have additional questions, please email tedcircles@ted.com
Rules of engagement
TED Circles is an open community which welcomes everyone who believes in TED's values and wishes to engage in constructive conversations about ideas. A volunteer-powered platform calls for some ground rules.
Each Circle is independent but all TED Circles are connected virtually and through a shared brand. Hosts and Circles that do not adhere to the spirit and rules of the program or harm the community in any way will be removed from the program and must discontinue the use of the TED Circles brand. If you notice non-compliance, please email tedcircles@ted.com.
Tell the world about your Circle
Every TED Circles host is required to annually register as a host and register each TED Circles event they host. This does not mean that the Circle is open to the public - hosts decide if the Circle is closed (by invitation only) or open (accepting new participants) - but it provides official designation as a TED Circle.
Show off your TED Circles affiliation
When a TED Circle is registered and active, the host may present themselves as a TED Circles host and use TED-provided TED Circles logo and designs. Always be clear that TED Circles are volunteer-hosted gatherings, not TED events produced by TED staff, and accordingly use the TED Circles logo, not the TED logo.
Be cool
Hosting is a big opportunity and responsibility. Each TED Circles host must ensure the safety and comfort of their guests.
Do it for public good
TED Circles is a volunteer endeavor and free to attend. Hosts may ask for in-kind contributions (such as food and meeting space). Hosts and guests may not use TED Circles to gain revenue sponsorship, make money, raise funds, or organize crowdfunding.
Focus on ideas
TED Circles uphold the spirit of TED, focusing on the power of ideas. Welcoming a wide range of perspectives, TED Circles encourage equal participation within a safe environment that promotes curiosity, inclusion, debate, and impact. Agendas and self-promotion have no place in these conversations.