Eduardo Briceño: How to get better at the things you care about | TED

635,514 views ・ 2017-02-23

TED


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:12
Most of us go through life trying to do our best at whatever we do,
0
12580
4016
00:16
whether it's our job, family, school
1
16620
2576
00:19
or anything else.
2
19220
1200
00:21
I feel that way. I try my best.
3
21060
1800
00:23
But some time ago, I came to a realization
4
23740
2896
00:26
that I wasn't getting much better at the things I cared most about,
5
26660
3776
00:30
whether it was being a husband or a friend
6
30460
3176
00:33
or a professional or teammate,
7
33660
2216
00:35
and I wasn't improving much at those things
8
35900
2016
00:37
even though I was spending a lot of time
9
37940
2536
00:40
working hard at them.
10
40500
1200
00:43
I've since realized from conversations I've had and from research
11
43020
3376
00:46
that this stagnation, despite hard work,
12
46420
2656
00:49
turns out to be pretty common.
13
49100
1736
00:50
So I'd like to share with you some insights into why that is
14
50860
2856
00:53
and what we can all do about it.
15
53740
1524
00:55
What I've learned is that the most effective people
16
55980
2496
00:58
and teams in any domain
17
58500
1976
01:00
do something we can all emulate.
18
60500
1640
01:02
They go through life deliberately alternating between two zones:
19
62820
4056
01:06
the learning zone and the performance zone.
20
66900
2080
01:09
The learning zone is when our goal is to improve.
21
69980
2656
01:12
Then we do activities designed for improvement,
22
72660
3096
01:15
concentrating on what we haven't mastered yet,
23
75780
2456
01:18
which means we have to expect to make mistakes,
24
78260
2456
01:20
knowing that we will learn from them.
25
80740
1800
01:22
That is very different from what we do when we're in our performance zone,
26
82980
3736
01:26
which is when our goal is to do something as best as we can, to execute.
27
86740
4296
01:31
Then we concentrate on what we have already mastered
28
91060
2616
01:33
and we try to minimize mistakes.
29
93700
1760
01:36
Both of these zones should be part of our lives,
30
96660
2416
01:39
but being clear about when we want to be in each of them,
31
99100
3256
01:42
with what goal, focus and expectations,
32
102380
2296
01:44
helps us better perform and better improve.
33
104700
2816
01:47
The performance zone maximizes our immediate performance,
34
107540
2936
01:50
while the learning zone maximizes our growth
35
110500
2096
01:52
and our future performance.
36
112620
1286
01:55
The reason many of us don't improve much
37
115140
2056
01:57
despite our hard work
38
117220
1736
01:58
is that we tend to spend almost all of our time in the performance zone.
39
118980
4000
02:03
This hinders our growth,
40
123700
1376
02:05
and ironically, over the long term, also our performance.
41
125100
3080
02:09
So what does the learning zone look like?
42
129860
1960
02:12
Take Demosthenes, a political leader
43
132580
2016
02:14
and the greatest orator and lawyer in ancient Greece.
44
134620
2840
02:18
To become great, he didn't spend all his time
45
138060
3655
02:21
just being an orator or a lawyer,
46
141739
2417
02:24
which would be his performance zone.
47
144180
2176
02:26
But instead, he did activities designed for improvement.
48
146380
2620
02:29
Of course, he studied a lot.
49
149420
1376
02:30
He studied law and philosophy with guidance from mentors,
50
150820
2816
02:33
but he also realized that being a lawyer involved persuading other people,
51
153660
4536
02:38
so he also studied great speeches
52
158220
2376
02:40
and acting.
53
160620
1200
02:42
To get rid of an odd habit he had of involuntarily lifting his shoulder,
54
162460
4296
02:46
he practiced his speeches in front of a mirror,
55
166780
2416
02:49
and he suspended a sword from the ceiling
56
169220
2976
02:52
so that if he raised his shoulder,
57
172220
1736
02:53
it would hurt.
58
173980
1216
02:55
(Laughter)
59
175220
1616
02:56
To speak more clearly despite a lisp,
60
176860
2136
02:59
he went through his speeches with stones in his mouth.
61
179020
2840
03:02
He built an underground room
62
182660
1376
03:04
where he could practice without interruptions
63
184060
2136
03:06
and not disturb other people.
64
186220
1416
03:07
And since courts at the time were very noisy,
65
187660
2136
03:09
he also practiced by the ocean,
66
189820
1856
03:11
projecting his voice above the roar of the waves.
67
191700
2560
03:15
His activities in the learning zone
68
195220
1696
03:16
were very different from his activities in court,
69
196940
2496
03:19
his performance zone.
70
199460
1280
03:21
In the learning zone,
71
201580
1216
03:22
he did what Dr. Anders Ericsson calls deliberate practice.
72
202820
2776
03:25
This involves breaking down abilities into component skills,
73
205620
3536
03:29
being clear about what subskill we're working to improve,
74
209180
2896
03:32
like keeping our shoulders down,
75
212100
1976
03:34
giving full concentration to a high level of challenge
76
214100
2856
03:36
outside our comfort zone,
77
216980
1416
03:38
just beyond what we can currently do,
78
218420
2336
03:40
using frequent feedback with repetition and adjustments,
79
220780
3216
03:44
and ideally engaging the guidance of a skilled coach,
80
224020
2976
03:47
because activities designed for improvement
81
227020
2056
03:49
are domain-specific,
82
229100
1256
03:50
and great teachers and coaches know what those activities are
83
230380
2896
03:53
and can also give us expert feedback.
84
233300
1880
03:55
It is this type of practice in the learning zone
85
235780
2696
03:58
which leads to substantial improvement,
86
238500
1896
04:00
not just time on task performing.
87
240420
2360
04:03
For example, research shows that after the first couple of years
88
243780
3176
04:06
working in a profession,
89
246980
1256
04:08
performance usually plateaus.
90
248260
2336
04:10
This has been shown to be true in teaching, general medicine,
91
250620
3056
04:13
nursing and other fields,
92
253700
1696
04:15
and it happens because once we think we have become good enough,
93
255420
3736
04:19
adequate,
94
259180
1216
04:20
then we stop spending time in the learning zone.
95
260420
2256
04:22
We focus all our time on just doing our job,
96
262700
2176
04:24
performing,
97
264900
1216
04:26
which turns out not to be a great way to improve.
98
266140
2320
04:28
But the people who continue to spend time in the learning zone
99
268980
2936
04:31
do continue to always improve.
100
271940
2136
04:34
The best salespeople at least once a week
101
274100
2416
04:36
do activities with the goal of improvement.
102
276540
2616
04:39
They read to extend their knowledge,
103
279180
1776
04:40
consult with colleagues or domain experts,
104
280980
2416
04:43
try out new strategies, solicit feedback and reflect.
105
283420
3000
04:47
The best chess players
106
287180
1616
04:48
spend a lot of time not playing games of chess,
107
288820
3536
04:52
which would be their performance zone,
108
292380
1936
04:54
but trying to predict the moves grand masters made and analyzing them.
109
294340
3480
04:58
Each of us has probably spent many, many, many hours
110
298740
4096
05:02
typing on a computer
111
302860
1536
05:04
without getting faster,
112
304420
1576
05:06
but if we spent 10 to 20 minutes each day
113
306020
3416
05:09
fully concentrating on typing 10 to 20 percent faster
114
309460
3176
05:12
than our current reliable speed,
115
312660
1576
05:14
we would get faster,
116
314260
1256
05:15
especially if we also identified what mistakes we're making
117
315540
3016
05:18
and practiced typing those words.
118
318580
1960
05:21
That's deliberate practice.
119
321220
1400
05:24
In what other parts of our lives,
120
324100
1736
05:25
perhaps that we care more about,
121
325860
1696
05:27
are we working hard but not improving much
122
327580
2536
05:30
because we're always in the performance zone?
123
330140
2320
05:34
Now, this is not to say that the performance zone has no value.
124
334380
2976
05:37
It very much does.
125
337380
1216
05:38
When I needed a knee surgery, I didn't tell the surgeon,
126
338620
2656
05:41
"Poke around in there and focus on what you don't know."
127
341300
2656
05:43
(Laughter)
128
343980
1016
05:45
"We'll learn from your mistakes!"
129
345020
1600
05:47
I looked for a surgeon who I felt would do a good job,
130
347500
3256
05:50
and I wanted her to do a good job.
131
350780
1640
05:52
Being in the performance zone
132
352980
1416
05:54
allows us to get things done as best as we can.
133
354420
2640
05:57
It can also be motivating,
134
357620
1376
05:59
and it provides us with information to identify what to focus on next
135
359020
3576
06:02
when we go back to the learning zone.
136
362620
2296
06:04
So the way to high performance
137
364940
1696
06:06
is to alternate between the learning zone and the performance zone,
138
366660
3696
06:10
purposefully building our skills in the learning zone,
139
370380
2536
06:12
then applying those skills in the performance zone.
140
372940
2400
06:16
When Beyoncé is on tour,
141
376380
2016
06:18
during the concert, she's in her performance zone,
142
378420
3176
06:21
but every night when she gets back to the hotel room,
143
381620
2496
06:24
she goes right back into her learning zone.
144
384140
2216
06:26
She watches a video of the show that just ended.
145
386380
2776
06:29
She identifies opportunities for improvement,
146
389180
2136
06:31
for herself, her dancers and her camera staff.
147
391340
2616
06:33
And the next morning,
148
393980
1256
06:35
everyone receives pages of notes with what to adjust,
149
395260
3056
06:38
which they then work on during the day before the next performance.
150
398340
3976
06:42
It's a spiral
151
402340
1216
06:43
to ever-increasing capabilities,
152
403580
1576
06:45
but we need to know when we seek to learn, and when we seek to perform,
153
405180
3616
06:48
and while we want to spend time doing both,
154
408820
2056
06:50
the more time we spend in the learning zone,
155
410900
2096
06:53
the more we'll improve.
156
413020
1240
06:55
So how can we spend more time in the learning zone?
157
415180
2400
06:58
First, we must believe and understand
158
418860
3176
07:02
that we can improve,
159
422060
1336
07:03
what we call a growth mindset.
160
423420
1520
07:05
Second, we must want to improve at that particular skill.
161
425660
3256
07:08
There has to be a purpose we care about,
162
428940
1936
07:10
because it takes time and effort.
163
430900
1600
07:13
Third, we must have an idea about how to improve,
164
433180
3016
07:16
what we can do to improve,
165
436220
1696
07:17
not how I used to practice the guitar as a teenager,
166
437940
2576
07:20
performing songs over and over again,
167
440540
2096
07:22
but doing deliberate practice.
168
442660
1480
07:24
And fourth, we must be in a low-stakes situation,
169
444780
3600
07:28
because if mistakes are to be expected,
170
448980
2216
07:31
then the consequence of making them must not be catastrophic,
171
451220
3016
07:34
or even very significant.
172
454260
1240
07:36
A tightrope walker doesn't practice new tricks without a net underneath,
173
456060
3696
07:39
and an athlete wouldn't set out to first try a new move
174
459780
2616
07:42
during a championship match.
175
462420
1334
07:44
One reason that in our lives
176
464940
1656
07:46
we spend so much time in the performance zone
177
466620
2456
07:49
is that our environments often are, unnecessarily, high stakes.
178
469100
4080
07:54
We create social risks for one another,
179
474020
2216
07:56
even in schools which are supposed to be all about learning,
180
476260
2856
07:59
and I'm not talking about standardized tests.
181
479140
2136
08:01
I mean that every minute of every day,
182
481300
2216
08:03
many students in elementary schools through colleges
183
483540
2696
08:06
feel that if they make a mistake, others will think less of them.
184
486260
3416
08:09
No wonder they're always stressed out
185
489700
1936
08:11
and not taking the risks necessary for learning.
186
491660
2240
08:14
But they learn that mistakes are undesirable
187
494580
2256
08:16
inadvertently
188
496860
1256
08:18
when teachers or parents are eager to hear just correct answers
189
498140
3496
08:21
and reject mistakes rather than welcome and examine them
190
501660
2656
08:24
to learn from them,
191
504340
1256
08:25
or when we look for narrow responses
192
505620
1736
08:27
rather than encourage more exploratory thinking
193
507380
2216
08:29
that we can all learn from.
194
509620
1336
08:30
When all homework or student work has a number or a letter on it,
195
510980
3096
08:34
and counts towards a final grade,
196
514100
1736
08:35
rather than being used for practice, mistakes, feedback and revision,
197
515860
3576
08:39
we send the message that school is a performance zone.
198
519460
3200
08:44
The same is true in our workplaces.
199
524060
2056
08:46
In the companies I consult with, I often see flawless execution cultures
200
526140
4016
08:50
which leaders foster to encourage great work.
201
530180
2576
08:52
But that leads employees to stay within what they know
202
532780
2536
08:55
and not try new things,
203
535340
1256
08:56
so companies struggle to innovate and improve,
204
536620
2336
08:58
and they fall behind.
205
538980
1200
09:01
We can create more spaces for growth
206
541780
2296
09:04
by starting conversations with one another
207
544100
2056
09:06
about when we want to be in each zone.
208
546180
2280
09:09
What do we want to get better at and how?
209
549060
2696
09:11
And when do we want to execute and minimize mistakes?
210
551780
3000
09:15
That way, we gain clarity about what success is,
211
555500
3016
09:18
when, and how to best support one another.
212
558540
2080
09:21
But what if we find ourselves in a chronic high-stakes setting
213
561820
3096
09:24
and we feel we can't start those conversations yet?
214
564940
2720
09:28
Then here are three things that we can still do as individuals.
215
568540
3096
09:31
First, we can create low-stakes islands in an otherwise high-stakes sea.
216
571660
4280
09:36
These are spaces where mistakes have little consequence.
217
576460
2736
09:39
For example, we might find a mentor or a trusted colleague
218
579220
3456
09:42
with whom we can exchange ideas or have vulnerable conversations
219
582700
3176
09:45
or even role-play.
220
585900
1376
09:47
Or we can ask for feedback-oriented meetings as projects progress.
221
587300
3616
09:50
Or we can set aside time to read or watch videos or take online courses.
222
590940
4136
09:55
Those are just some examples.
223
595100
1400
09:57
Second, we can execute and perform as we're expected,
224
597180
4176
10:01
but then reflect on what we could do better next time,
225
601380
2576
10:03
like Beyoncé does,
226
603980
1256
10:05
and we can observe and emulate experts.
227
605260
2136
10:07
The observation, reflection and adjustment is a learning zone.
228
607420
3520
10:11
And finally, we can lead
229
611700
2200
10:14
and lower the stakes for others by sharing what we want to get better at,
230
614580
3576
10:18
by asking questions about what we don't know,
231
618180
2496
10:20
by soliciting feedback and by sharing our mistakes
232
620700
2496
10:23
and what we've learned from them,
233
623220
1616
10:24
so that others can feel safe to do the same.
234
624860
2080
10:27
Real confidence is about modeling ongoing learning.
235
627580
3520
10:32
What if, instead of spending our lives doing, doing, doing,
236
632700
4456
10:37
performing, performing, performing,
237
637180
2096
10:39
we spent more time exploring,
238
639300
2280
10:42
asking,
239
642460
1416
10:43
listening,
240
643900
1296
10:45
experimenting, reflecting,
241
645220
3096
10:48
striving and becoming?
242
648340
2480
10:52
What if we each always had something
243
652140
2816
10:54
we were working to improve?
244
654980
1520
10:57
What if we created more low-stakes islands
245
657580
2416
11:00
and waters?
246
660020
1200
11:01
And what if we got clear,
247
661660
2456
11:04
within ourselves and with our teammates,
248
664140
2376
11:06
about when we seek to learn and when we seek to perform,
249
666540
3536
11:10
so that our efforts can become more consequential,
250
670100
3056
11:13
our improvement never-ending
251
673180
2656
11:15
and our best even better?
252
675860
2280
11:18
Thank you.
253
678820
1200
About this website

This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.

https://forms.gle/WvT1wiN1qDtmnspy7