Ted.com showcases great presenters in action. Each speaker is held to an 18-minute time limit on a wide range of topics. Ted.com is sponsored by the organization TED – whose name is an acronym for technology, entertainment, and design.

View Derek Sivers’ TED Talk “Weird, or just different” where he discusses cultural differences through an example of what we perceive as being weird, strange or bizarre about another culture is in fact totally normal from their point of view. In addition, view Pellegrino Riccardi’s TED Talk “Cross-Cultural Communication” where he shares his experiences and defines culture as a system of behaviors.

What is your reaction to the TED Talks?

Share a time when you experienced another culture that was very different from your own or had to try to understand another language that you did not know.

How did you feel about that experience?

What did you learn from that experience?

Was there anything you could have done to understand that culture better or to have made the experience more successful?