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Virgin Radio
20 Feb 2024, 12:32
TED curator Chris Anderson visited Virgin Radio to speak about why being generous makes sense in today's connected world.
The entrepreneur and director of TED joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch to talk about his new book, Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading, which is out now.
In the book, the author explores and unpacks the world-changing potential of a human instinct which is often overlooked: generosity, combined with the huge power of the internet.
Speaking about how, in 2001, Chris’ foundation acquired the annual TED Conference, he said: “It's technology, entertainment, and design - an odd mix, actually, you would think. It was a conference held in California, to try and bring together those three industries. So it started, actually, way back in 1984.
“But the weird thing was that by having a conference where people have to speak to people outside that industry, it makes them talk in a different way. They talk to explain, and they talk shorter. And, and so it was kind of amazing. It took you out of your world into a broader world.”
In 2006, with the emergence of YouTube, TED experimented with putting their talks online, for free. “That was huge,” Chris said. “And we found ourselves saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, here we are, we've got this interesting content, we should probably share it with the world’, even though we're worried it might blow up the conference, because who would pay for a conference if the content was free?
“But it turned out that by giving this stuff away, it was not just a nice move to make, it was the best business move you could actually make, because more people than ever were interested in the conference.”
He continued: “One of the first talks was by Sir Ken Robinson, a British educator. It's a wonderful, inspiring talk about education. And it was seen by 700 people live. And then today, you know, 27 years later, it's still seen by several thousand people every day.
“The reaction to those first six talks told us that we had to give away all of our best content. So we did that as soon as we could, and kind of we did a big reshaping of what the org was like. And it was beautiful and amazing.”
In 2009 Chris introduced the TEDx initiative, with free licences to local organisers who want to organise their own TED-like events. He explained: “Seeing these talks go viral, and suddenly from a few hundred people visiting our website to millions, it really got me thinking, ‘Boy, the rules really have changed in this connected age’, what you hold on to and what you should give away, has changed. And so that became our strategy. We gave away our brand TEDx events, and let other people do TEDx events.”
He added: “We were kind of in the giving game. And it turned out to be enlightened giving, in the sense that it was in Ted's huge long term interest. And that's part of the delight of the moment is that there isn't, I think, a contradiction between being generous in today's age, and achieving something for your own long term good.
“I think that is the thrilling, wonderful fact of today's connected world, that it makes sense to be generous.”
Chris’ new book, Infectious Generosity, combines inspiring stories with psychological research to show how generosity has played a key role in building our flourishing civilisations. He said: “I do warn people in the book, it's a dangerous book to read, because you may get infected, but it is a beautiful infection and that hopefully you wish never to recover. I think the way you keep infecting yourself, maybe, is just through gratitude.
"There's so many things, when we take a minute to step back and think, to be grateful for. The fact that we're alive now in this century and not when we're all covered in sores and with a black plague upon us, or whatever. That we get to live protected from the winter’s chill, that's amazing. That we have people we love, that we open our eyes and every day, if you look for it, you can see beauty. These are amazing things, and when you acknowledge them, it makes you want to give back in some way.”
Read what Chris and Chris had to say about YouTube star MrBeast here.
Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading is out now.
For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.
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