People & Blogs

What Gets Lost When We Treat Conversations Like Transactions | Khaya Dlanga | TED

Through humorous anecdotes and moving memories, he explores why it’s the conversations we have without strategy or agenda that actually allow us to see one another. (Recorded at TED2025 on April 9, 2025) Join us in person at a TED conference: Become a TED Member to support our mission: Subscribe to a TED newsletter: Follow…

Published

6 months ago

February 3, 2026

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23 Comments

@JemimahIyamah

February 3, 2026 at 11:03 am

First to comment
Yeahhhh

Reply
- @ExistentialWolf
  
  February 3, 2026 at 11:14 am
  
  You sound like you wish you knew how to skate … maybe someone will show 😀
  
  Reply
@theawesomest2850

February 3, 2026 at 11:16 am

Yeah calling someone a NPC is very dehumanizing

Reply
@DonovanDube

February 3, 2026 at 11:16 am

Yaasssss, Khaya 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Reply
@DrNshali

February 3, 2026 at 11:26 am

Well articulated👏🏿👏🏿

Reply
@thelordcomanderwhocriedwolf

February 3, 2026 at 11:48 am

Thank you so much for your important message Khaya. Now more than ever.❤️‍🩹🕯️

Reply
@StraightEdgeBaconKiddo

February 3, 2026 at 11:48 am

Thank you so much for your important message Khaya. Now more than ever.❤️‍🩹🕯️

Reply
@Shorooq857Samaa

February 3, 2026 at 12:00 pm

لماذا سوف ادخل جاري الى حياتي واجعله يتكلم فيما يشاء وقد يؤذي ذلك مشاعري بينما أنا في غنى عن ذلك 😮 افضل السلام الداخلي عن السماح لاي احد الدخول لعالمي

Reply
@CaroNielsen

February 3, 2026 at 12:54 pm

💖 love good stories 😊

Reply
@AlyciaBetz

February 3, 2026 at 12:59 pm

🤍🤍🤍🦚🤍🤍🤍

Reply
@wikimasakinihirota678

February 3, 2026 at 3:12 pm

サニボアナ

Reply
@1MysteryZ1967

February 3, 2026 at 4:30 pm

❤🎉

Reply
@ggvideonow1

February 3, 2026 at 10:12 pm

I go to sports bars start conversations for the sake of conversation … once a week. Which team is yours? any response most of the time end up to be a nice conversation

Reply
@urbanstrencan

February 4, 2026 at 1:20 am

Great video, and great talk

Reply
@adeeba_arf

February 4, 2026 at 9:54 am

Thank you so much khaya❤ It’s true Ai can never replace our human connections✨ it’s time that we understand we should start connecting with people we care about, with our loved ones😊

Reply
@whitetowncar

February 4, 2026 at 1:19 pm

Thank you, sorry for your loss

Reply
@lemonpow420

February 4, 2026 at 7:56 pm

💜✌🏼

Reply
@BusinessBankingAndBeyond

February 5, 2026 at 2:41 am

In a world driven by results, let’s not forget the value of simply listening, of pausing to hear the stories behind the words. Every conversation is an opportunity to learn something new, to enrich our lives with the wisdom and experiences of others. By treating conversations as the human exchanges they are, we foster a sense of community and understanding that transcends the transactional, enriching both our personal and collective journeys.

Reply
@GrumpyGurmudgeon

February 5, 2026 at 10:21 am

I wish he had drawn the man on the moon face because I don’t see anything. When I look at the Moon all I see is dark and light spots

Reply
@FranciscoArvizu

February 5, 2026 at 10:28 am

Khaya, we see you.

Reply
@NomzamoNthabiseng

February 5, 2026 at 1:57 pm

Thank you Khaya! I had no idea that “sawubona” had such a profound meaning

Reply
@benwarped7272

February 5, 2026 at 8:24 pm

I mean people treat all of human experiences as transactions. It’s more about “what can I get from this person” than anything else.

Reply

People & Blogs

Your body is build for movement — so make it a part of your day #TEDTalks

Can a five-minute walk change how you feel all day? Exercise scientist Keith Diaz shows how your body is built for the kind of movement that modern life has quietly erased — and suggests something refreshingly doable: making time for small doses of movement sprinkled throughout the day, as a way to boost your brain…

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People & Blogs

Inside Dubai’s Mission to Build the City of the Future | His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul | TED

What does it look like when a city becomes a laboratory for innovation? His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, explains why Dubai is cutting the bureaucratic red tape to experiment with big ideas in everything from AI and emerging tech to finance and climate solutions. The future, he says, depends on…

Published

18 hours ago

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The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.

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People & Blogs

The Iran war has cost billions — but its toll goes far beyond the global economy says @Ian_Bremmer

Published

2 days ago

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Six months into a catastrophic war in Iran — and with no end in sight for the war in Ukraine — the world is embroiled in conflicts with no apparent exit plan. In this interview, political scientist and Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer breaks down what these wars are costing people around the world — and which one he’s more worried might spiral out of control. (This interview, hosted by TED’s Helen Walters, was recorded on July 28, 2026.)