For the Thinkers

The compilation of videos here can help prompt discussions. Imagine. Think. Focus. Refocus. Explore. Dream. Reconsider.

Amazing Mind Reader - Dave is an extremely gifted clairvoyant who finds out specific financial information. This video reveals the magic behind the magic, making people aware of the fact that their entire life can be found online. And by doing so urging everybody to be vigilant. This is a great message for adults and students about how easy it is to find info online about each and every one of us.  (2:28)

Anyone Can Change the World - What if you really could change the world? Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize winner, firmly believes that each and every one of us can and should contribute to creating a better world. In this empowering RSA Short Jody explains why it is so important to strive to make a difference. (2:06)

Backward Brain Bicycle - Have you ever thought about unlearning? Knowledge vs understanding is demonstrated in this video, which is great for conversations for a staff. (7:57)

Blind Social Experiment - Do we trust someone we've never met before? Or do we assume others are not to be trusted? We tested it by asking people if they could give a hug as a way to say YES to trusting somebody they'd never met. (3:04)

Clear Vision with Dewitt Jones - Dewitt Jones is one of America's top professional photographers. Twenty years with National Geographic photographing stories around the globe has earned him the reputation as a world-class photojournalist. As a motion picture director, two of Dewitt's films were nominated for Academy Awards. In the business community, Dewitt's work is also well known. He rose to the forefront of creative marketing by photographing national advertising campaigns for organizations such as Dewar's Scotch, Canon, and United Airlines. This video can be the impetus for a discussion about "perspective and/or looking at situations differently." (6:24)

Dove Choose Beautiful - Would you describe yourself as beautiful? In our latest film Choose Beautiful, we travel to San Francisco, Shanghai, Delhi, London and Sao Paulo to prove that beauty is a choice – and the power of this choice is in your hands. Great video for discussions with students and social-emotional lessons/units. (3:40)

Equity - Using Capuchin monkeys, a lab test is conducted to show how monkeys receiving unequal rewards respond. The lesson here - when rewarding staff, often times we need to ensure equity or face a mutiny. Even monkeys reject inequity. Equity Theory (Adams, 1963) reports that if we have to work harder than our peers for rewards, our satisfaction will be reduced and retention drops.  (2:39)

Excellent Communication without a Single Word - Useful video to show the impacts of challenges in life and the impact of a little support. (:56)

Fast Lane - The shopping carts - driven by fun. Some carts are pimped with a skateboard. Up for some extra shopping fun? Great short clip to talk about looking at life differently...and adding a little pizazz! (1:40)

Happy Brain Science - Research shows that happy people are more productive, sociable, energetic, cooperative, creative, resilient, successful, and engaged. You've got to check this out! (1:36)

How to Find Your Element - Finding one's passion and true purpose in life is essential to human flourishing. Sir Ken Robinson argues that education, organizations and communities need to be built on a model of  diversity rather than conformity, so that every individual is able to discover and develop their unique talents and abilities. (2:41)

I Am Not Black, You Are Not White - If this doesn't get you to think about labels, race, stereotypes differently, little will. Try this as an intro with your staff. (4:35)

Moonshot Thinking - Moonshots live in the gray area between audacious technology and pure science fiction. Instead of a mere 10% gain, a moonshot aims for 10x improvement over what currently exists. The combination of a huge problem, a radical solution to that problem, and the breakthrough technology that just might make that solution possible, is the essence of a moonshot. (3:45)

Move the Tree - Great musical background about a little boy in India who looks at the gifts he possessed and the optimism of youth and teamwork to move a tree. Great entree into creating a movement to get something done. Think about clarity of purpose - is it always clear in education what tree we might be moving? (2:31)

One Race, 100 Years - NYTimes.com had this video which we thought was rally interesting. It illustrates how far we have come in the 100m Olympic race and how three seconds makes a huge difference. This video will leave you saying "wow" and can be used to inspire student (and adult) athletes time and time again. (2:44)

Persuasion - Bestselling author Dan Pink shows us how to influence others more effectively; it’s as simple as A-B-C. Whether we're employees pitching to our bosses, parents and teachers cajoling kids, or politicians presenting new policies, we can all improve the way we persuade others.  (3:13)

Piano Staircase - The Fun Theory - an initiative of Volkswagen. This is one of a series of experiments for a new brand campaign of VW. Have a look - the piano stairs are really funny. Fun can obviously change behavior for the better. (1:47)

Power of Empathy - What is the best way to ease someone's pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities. (2:54)

Slow Motion Flipping Cat Physics - High speed video. Cats. Physica. Weightlessness. So as simple a question as it is, this is a major point of study in physics, robotics, biomedical engineering and more. Flipping cats is a major challenge - the cat isn't twisting his back. He bends it. (6:25) 

Unsatifying Moments - This video is a compilation of things that go wrong. Interesting way to enter into a conversation or focus a group. (1:15)

What Happens When We Stop Stereotyping People - This video focuses in on stereotypes of a group of people in Denmark, which helps to break down barriers. It might inspire you to lead this with a large group (2:45) 

Where Good Ideas Come From - One of our most innovative, popular thinkers takes on-in exhilarating style-one of our key questions: Where do good ideas come from? Steven Johnson pairs the insight of his bestselling Everything Bad Is Good for You and the dazzling erudition of The Ghost Map and The Invention of Air to address an urgent and universal question: What sparks the flash of brilliance? How does groundbreaking innovation happen? Answering in his infectious, culturally omnivorous style, using his fluency in fields from neurobiology to popular culture, Johnson provides the complete, exciting, and encouraging story of how we generate the ideas that push our careers, our lives, our society, and our culture forward. (4:06)

World's Deepest Bin - The Fun Theory - an initiative of Volkswagen. This is one of a series of experiments for a new brand campaign of VW. How can we get more people to throw their rubbish in the bin, rather than onto the ground, by making it fun to do? See the results here. Fun can obviously change behavior for the better.(1:26)