Learn · TED

Talk7 min

Idiots are everywhere. Here's how to cope

Joshua Johnson · TED

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About

Neutrality can get you through a tough conversation, but it rarely gets you anywhere else. Joshua Johnson, actor/anchor for "The Onion" and former NPR host, makes the case instead for objectivity — parking your own opinions for a moment so you can focus on someone else's story. He shares three quick ways to turn your most frustrating conversations into real understanding.

The talk

  1. Idiots are everywhere. Here's how to cope 7 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED2026
Speaker
Joshua Johnson
Year
2026
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Society and politics
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed