MII TED Talk Calendar for 2026
The Mediators’ Institute of Ireland TED Talk Club Meetings 2026
After a wonderful run of sessions in 2025, we can now set out a new list of topics and TED Talk videos we will be discussing in the MII TED Talk Club in the first half of 2026.
As ever, we’ll be watching a TED Talk live along with the audience and then we’ll discuss its relevance to mediation and dispute resolution. And we’ll be taking questions and comments from our live audience.
Our usual panellists will be Michael Lang and Janie Bouzek from the USA, Ilona Kupp-Lieck from Germany via France and Avril Sheridan and Andrea O’Neill from Ireland. Scott Alexander from Scotland via Northern Ireland will be chairing.
To enable you to watch the videos in advance of our live panel discussions, we have the links to the next six TED Talk sessions set out below. Many thanks to everyone who suggested the following topics. Attendees get an hour’s CPD.
Register here for all MII TED Talk sessions:
Put the dates in your diary and we hope to see you on 15th January…
If you haven’t already registered for our TED Talk Club you can do so on clr.ie/137293
| Date | Time | Subject |
| Thursday 15th Jan | 17.00 Irish Time | Christiane-Marie Abu Sarah: How do daily habits lead to political violence? What drives someone to commit politically motivated violence? The unsettling answer lies in daily habits. Behavioral historian Christiane-Marie Abu Sarah shares startling insights into how seemingly mundane choices can breed polarization that lead to extreme, even deadly, actions — and explains how to identify and bypass these behaviors in order to rediscover common ground. https://www.ted.com/talks/christiane_marie_abu_sarah_how_do_daily_habits_lead_to_political_violence |
| Tuesday 10th Feb | 13.00 Irish Time | Dan Reisel: The neuroscience of restorative justice Dan Reisel studies the biology of change, including our ability to rewire our own brains. And he asks a big question: Instead of warehousing these criminals, shouldn’t we be using what we know about the brain to help them rehabilitate? Put another way: If the brain can grow new neural pathways after an injury … could we help the brain re-grow morality? Dan Reisel: The neuroscience of restorative justice | TED Talk |
| Thursday 12th March | 17.00 Irish Time | Jimmy Carter: Why I believe the mistreatment of women is the number one human rights abuse With his signature resolve, former US President Jimmy Carter dives into three unexpected reasons why the mistreatment of women and girls continues in so many manifestations in so many parts of the world, both developed and developing. The final reason he gives? “In general, men don’t give a damn.” https://www.ted.com/talks/jimmy_carter_why_i_believe_the_mistreatment_of_women_is_the_number_one_human_rights_abuse |
| Tuesday 14th April | 13.00 Irish Time | Jonny Sun: You are not alone in your loneliness Being open and vulnerable with your loneliness, sadness and fear can help you find comfort and feel less alone, says writer and artist Jonny Sun. In an honest talk filled with his signature illustrations, Sun shares how telling stories about feeling like an outsider helped him tap into an unexpected community and find a tiny sliver of light in the darkness. https://www.ted.com/talks/jonny_sun_you_are_not_alone_in_your_loneliness |
| Thursday 14th May | 17.00 Irish Time | The skill of self-confidence by Dr Ivan Joseph As the Athletic Director and head coach of the Varsity Soccer team at Ryerson University, Dr. Joseph is often asked what skills he is searching for as a recruiter: is it speed? Strength? Agility? In Dr. Joseph’s TEDx Talk, he explores self-confidence and how it is not just the most important skill in athletics, but in our lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HYZv6HzAs |
| Tuesday 9th June | 13.00 Irish Time | Siamak Hariri: How do you build a sacred space? To design the Bahá’í Temple of South America, architect Siamak Hariri focused on illumination — from the temple’s form, which captures the movement of the sun throughout the day, to the iridescent, luminous stone and glass used to construct it. Join Hariri for a journey through the creative process, as he explores what makes for a sacred experience in a secular world. https://www.ted.com/talks/siamak_hariri_how_do_you_build_a_sacred_space?referrer=playlist-building_introspective_spaces |
