Being a real estate agent can be really hard. It consists of long days, fickle clients, failed closings, and so much more. But it’s also highly rewarding. Finding a client the perfect home or selling a property for a family desperate to move—not to mention the financial rewards that come with being a great agent—all feel wonderful. Still, when times are tough, it helps to have a source of motivation, inspiration, and insight. For that, turn to these six powerful TED Talks.
10 ways to have a better conversation
In real estate, how well you communicate with people is absolutely critical to your success. Some days, it can feel like you are talking to a brick wall, completely incapable of getting through to your clients, coworkers, and others. In this TED Talk, Celeste Headlee, an experienced radio host, tells you how to conduct great conversations with just about anyone.
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance
In this brief video, Angela Lee Duckworth tells the story of leaving a high-profile job in management consulting to teach 7th-grade math in a New York public school and what she learned as a result. She talks about how grit and passion are often much more predictive of success than factors like I.Q., talent, and looks.
How to make work-life balance work
You can’t leave it up to your company to create a work-life balance for you. In this honest presentation, Nigel Marsh cuts through the rubbish and offers an ideal day balanced between family time, personal time, and productivity, along with plenty of encouragement for how you can make it happen.
Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!
As a real estate agent, you are in the service industry. Your job is to help people, to guide them to make wise decisions, and to help them fulfill their dreams. If that feels like an overwhelming responsibility, it is. It’s definitely one you shouldn’t take lightly. In this impassioned speech, Ernesto Sirolli talks about how the first step in helping anyone is to listen to them—before you act. While his examples focus on aid workers and helping communities, the advice applies to anyone in a position to share knowledge.
How to make stress your friend
As a busy agent, stress is inevitable. You will work for people who stress you out and deal with situations that seem impossible to overcome. However, stress doesn’t have to be all bad. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal confesses to perpetuating the belief that stress is all bad, and shares how one study radically changed her opinion of stress. Now she wants to show you how to make stress your friend.
Why the buildings of the future will be shaped by … you
In real estate, it is critical to keep an eye on the trends that will change the industry. In this talk, Marc Kushner shares a history of architecture along with insight on how the public will become an essential part of designing buildings. The result, he says, is architecture that will do more for us than ever before.
What are your favorite TED Talks for real estate agents?
Have you discovered TED Talks that transformed the way you work, interact with clients, motivate yourself, or cope with problems? Please share your favorite TED Talks in the comments section so that your fellow readers can benefit.