Karen Eber: How your brain responds to stories -- and why they're crucial for leaders | TED

Transcriber: Ivana Korom Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

Translator: Andi Wahyuni Reviewer: Yolanda Raintina

Maria memasuki lift kantor.

Saat menekan tombol, ponselnya terjatuh dari tangannya.

Ponsel itu terpantul di lantai dan --

Maria walked into the elevator at work.

She went to press the button when her phone fell out of her hand.

melenting ke celah kecil antara lift dan lantai.

It bounced on the floor and --

Dan dia tersadar jika tak hanya ponselnya,

tapi juga dompet ponsel yang berisi SIM,

went straight down that little opening between the elevator and the floor.

kartu kredit, seluruh hidupnya.

And she realized it wasn't just her phone,

Dia ke meja resepsionis untuk melapor ke Ray, sang satpam.

it was her phone wallet that had her driver's license,

Ray sangat senang melihat dia.

Maria adalah salah satu dari sedikit orang

her credit card, her whole life.

She went to the front desk to talk to Ray, the security guard.

yang mampir dan menyapanya tiap hari.

Bahkan, dia salah satu orang yang tahu tanggal lahir,

Ray was really happy to see her.

Maria is one of the few people

makanan favorit, liburan terakhir Anda,

that actually stops and says hello to him each day.

bukan karena dia orang aneh,

dia memang peduli dengan orang dan membuat mereka merasa diperhatikan.

In fact, she's one of these people that knows your birthday

and your favorite food, and your last vacation,

Dia beritahu Ray kejadian itu,

dan Ray mengatakan minimal perlu 500 dolar

not because she's weird,

she just genuinely likes people and likes them to feel seen.

untuk mengambil ponselnya

dan Ray mencari estimasi harga sementara Maria kembali ke meja kerjanya.

She tells Ray what happened,

Dua puluh menit kemudian, Ray menghubunginya dan berkata,

and he said it's going to cost at least 500 dollars

to get her phone back

“Maria, saya mengecek sertifikat inspeksi di lift.

and he goes to get a quote while she goes back to her desk.

Twenty minutes later, he calls her and he says, "Maria,

Bulan depan dijadwalkan untuk inspeksi tahunan.

Saya coba telepon minta diajukan ke hari ini

I was looking at the inspection certificate in the elevator.

dan kami bisa mengambil ponsel itu tanpa mengeluarkan biaya.”

It's actually due for its annual inspection next month.

Di hari yang sama dengan kejadian ini,

saya membaca artikel tentang CEO Charles Schwab, Walter Bettinger.

I'm going to go ahead and call that in today

and we'll be able to get your phone back and it won't cost you anything."

Dia menjelaskan karier cemerlangnya di universitas

The same day this happened,

waktu di ujian terakhir dengan harapan akan sukses,

I read an article about the CEO of Charles Schwab, Walter Bettinger.

ketika profesor memberikan satu pertanyaan:

He's describing his straight-A career at university

“Siapa nama orang yang membersihkan ruangan ini?”

going in to his last exam expecting to ace it,

Dia gagal di ujian itu.

when the professor gives one question:

Dia pernah melihatnya, tapi belum pernah bertemu dengannya.

"What is the name of the person that cleans this room?"

Namanya adalah Dottie dan hari itu dia berjanji

And he failed the exam.

untuk selalu mengenal Dottie lainnya di dalam hidup

He had seen her, but he had never met her before.

sebab Walter maupun Maria

sadar kekuatan dari membantu orang untuk merasa diperhatikan,

Her name was Dottie and he made a vow that day

khususnya sebagai pemimpin.

to always know the Dotties in his life

Saya memakai kisah itu waktu bekerja di General Electric.

because both Walter and Maria

understand this power of helping people feel seen,

Saya bertanggung jawab membentuk budaya di bisnis dari 90.000 karyawan

especially as a leader.

I used that story back when I worked at General Electric.

di 150 negara.

Saya menemukan jika cerita adalah cara yang bagus

I was responsible for shaping culture in a business of 90,000 employees

untuk saling berhubungan

lalu membuat mereka berpikir,

“Apa yang akan saya lakukan di situasi ini?

in 150 countries.

And I found that stories were such a great way

Akankah saya mengenal Dottie

atau Dottie mana yang perlu saya kenal dalam hidup?”

to connect with people

and have them think,

Saya dapati bahwa apapun jenis kelamin atau generasinya

"What would I do in this situation?

atau geografi mereka di dunia,

Would I have known Dottie

or who are the Dotties I need to know in my life?"

kisah ini menggema dan bekerja.

Saat bekerja bersama pemimpin,

I found that no matter people's gender or their generation

saya juga dapati bahwa mereka cenderung alergi bercerita.

or their geography in the world,

Mereka tak yakin di mana mendapatnya,

the stories resonated and worked.

atau tak yakin bagaimana menyampaikannya,

But in my work with leaders,

atau mereka kira harus menyajikan data

I've also found they tend to be allergic to telling stories.

dan tak ada peluang untuk bercerita.

They're not sure where to find them,

Dan hari ini saya ingin fokus ke situ.

or they're not sure how to tell them,

Sebab bercerita dan data sebetulnya bukan buah simalakama.

or they think they have to present data

and that there's just not room to tell a story.

Itu adalah “dan,” yang sebenarnya membuat balada kekuatan ini

And that's where I want to focus today.

yang menghubungkan Anda ke informasi secara berbeda.

Because storytelling and data is actually not this either-or.

Untuk memahaminya,

kita harus tahu dulu apa yang terjadi secara neurologis

It's an "and," they actually create this power ballad

saat kita mendengar kisah dan data.

that connects you to information differently.

Jadi saat Anda sedang kuliah atau rapat,

To understand how,

we have to first understand what happens neurologically

dua bagian kecil di otak teraktivasi,

when you're listening to a story and data.

area Wernicke dan Broca.

Di sinilah tempat informasi diproses,

So as you're in a lecture or you're in a meeting,

juga alasan kenapa Anda cenderung melupakan 50 persennya

two small parts of your brain are activated,

tepat setelah mendengarnya.

Wernicke and Broca's area.

Saat mendengarkan kisah,

This is where you're processing information,

seluruh bagian otak mulai menyala.

and it's also why you tend to forget 50 percent of it

Tiap lobus akan menyala

right after you hear it.

When you listen to a story,

saat indra dan emosi Anda terlibat.

your entire brain starts to light up.

Saat saya bicara soal telepon jatuh dan membentur lantai

Each of your lobes will light up

oksipital dan lobus temporal Anda menyala

as your senses and your emotions are engaged.

seakan Anda melihat nyata telepon jatuh itu

As I talk about a phone falling and hitting the ground with a thud

dan mendengar suara gedebuk.

your occipital and your temporal lobes are lighting up

Ada istilah kopling saraf,

katanya, sebagai pendengar,

as though you are actually seeing that falling phone

otak Anda akan menyala persis seperti otak saya sebagai pencerita.

and hearing it hit with a thud.

There's this term, neural coupling,

Otak meniru aktivitas ini

which says, as the listener,

seakan Anda yang sebenarnya mengalaminya.

your brain will light up exactly as mine

Pencerita memberikan realitas buatan ini.

as the storyteller.

It mirrors this activity

Kalau saya bicara mengenai berjalan melewati salju

as though you are actually experiencing these things.

dan di tiap langkah,

salju berderak di bawah sepatu saya,

Storytelling gives you this artificial reality.

dan butiran salju yang besar dan basah jatuh ke pipi saya,

If I talked to you about, like, walking through the snow

otak Anda sekarang menyala

and with each step,

the snow is crunching under my shoes,

seakan Anda berjalan melewati salju dan merasakan hal-hal ini.

and big, wet flakes are falling on my cheeks,

Itu sebabnya Anda bisa duduk saat menonton film laga dan tak bergerak,

your brains are now lighting up

tapi jantung Anda berdebar seakan Anda bintang di film itu

as though you are walking through the snow and experiencing these things.

sebab kopling saraf ini yang menyalakan otak Anda

It's why you can sit in an action movie

seakan Anda yang menjalankan hal itu.

and not be moving,

but your heart is racing as though you're the star on-screen

Saat mendengarkan cerita,

because this neural coupling has your brain lighting up

secara otomatis Anda mendapat empati untuk pencerita.

as though you are having that activity.

Semakin banyak empati yang Anda alami,

semakin banyak oksitosin yang dilepaskan di otak.

As you listen to stories,

you automatically gain empathy for the storyteller.

Oksitosin adalah bahan kimia rasa senang

The more empathy you experience,

dan semakin banyak oksitosin,

Anda akan melihat si pencerita makin dapat dipercaya.

the more oxytocin is released in your brain.

Oxytocin is the feel-good chemical

Ini sebabnya bercerita adalah keterampilan bagi pemimpin

and the more oxytocin you have,

sebab tindakan menceritakan kisah itu sendiri

the more trustworthy you actually view the speaker.

membuat orang makin percaya pada Anda.

This is why storytelling is such a critical skill for a leader

Saat mulai mendengarkan data, beberapa hal berbeda terjadi.

because the very act of telling a story

Ada beberapa kesalahpahaman yang harus dipahami.

makes people trust you more.

Yang pertama adalah data tak mengubah perilaku kita,

As you begin to listen to data, some different things happen.

melainkan emosi.

There are some misconceptions to understand.

Jika data mengubah perilaku,

tiap hari kita akan tidur delapan jam, berolahraga, membersihkan gigi,

And the first is that data doesn't change our behavior,

dan minum delapan gelas air.

emotions do.

Tapi sebenarnya itu bukan cara kita mengambil keputusan.

If data changed our behavior,

we would all sleep eight hours and exercise and floss daily

Ahli saraf telah mempelajari pengambilan keputusan,

and drink eight glasses of water.

dan itu dimulai di amigdala kita.

But that's not how we actually decide.

Ini adalah pusat emosi kita

sehingga kita punya kemampuan merasakan emosi

Neuroscientists have studied decision-making,

dan di tingkat bawah sadar kita mulai membuat keputusan.

and it starts in our amygdala.

This is our emotional epicenter

Kita membuat pilihan untuk mengejar kesenangan atau menghindari risiko,

where we have the ability to experience emotions

and it's here at a subconscious level where we begin to decide.

semua itu sebelum kita menyadarinya.

Saat kita sudah sadar,

We make choices to pursue pleasure

saat sampai ke tingkat sadar,

or to avoid risk,

kita mulai menerapkan rasionalisasi dan logika,

all before we become aware of it.

sehingga kita pikir kita membuat keputusan berdasarkan rasional,

At the point we become aware,

where it comes to the conscious level,

tanpa sadar kalau sudah diputuskan di alam bawah sadar.

we start to apply rationalization and logic,

which is why we think we're making these rationally-based decisions,

Antonio Damasio adalah seorang ahli saraf

yang mulai mempelajari pasien yang mengalami kerusakan di amigdala.

not realizing that they were already decided in our subconscious.

Seluruh tubuh berfungsi penuh,

Antonio Damasio is a neuroscientist

kecuali tak bisa merasakan emosi.

that started to study patients that had damage to their amygdala.

Membuat mereka tak bisa ambil keputusan.

Fully functioning in every way,

Hal sederhana seperti “pergi ke arah sini atau sana?”

except they could not experience emotions.

mereka tak mampu melakukannya,

And as a result, they could not make decisions.

sebab tak bisa merasakan emosi.

Something as simple as "do I go this way or this way"

Mereka dulu orang yang sangat sukses

sebelum mereka mengalami kerusakan di amigdala.

they were incapable of doing,

Sekarang mereka tak bisa menyelesaikan setiap proyek

because they could not experience emotions.

dan karir mereka jadi hancur,

These were people that were wildly successful

ini akibat mereka tak bisa merasakan emosi saat memutuskan.

before they had the damage to their amygdala

and now they couldn't complete any of their projects

Satu lagi salah kaprah soal data.

and their careers took big hits,

all because they couldn't experience emotions where we decide.

Data tak pernah berbicara sendiri.

Otak kita suka berantisipasi

Another data misconception.

ketika kita berantisipasi,

kita isi kekosongan dari yang kita lihat atau dengar

Data never speaks for itself.

dengan pengetahuan dan pengalaman kita

serta prasangka kita.

Our brains love to anticipate

Artinya pemahaman saya ke data akan berbeda dengan Anda,

and as we anticipate,

we fill in the gaps on what we're seeing or hearing

dan itu akan berbeda dengan Anda

with our own knowledge and experience

sebab kita semua akan punya interpretasi sendiri

and our own bias.

Which means my understanding of data is going to differ from yours,

jika tak ada cara yang membimbing kita.

Saya tidak katakan jika data itu buruk dan cerita itu bagus.

and it's going to differ from yours,

because we're all going to have our own interpretation

Masing-masing memainkan peran penting.

if there isn't a way to guide us through.

Dan untuk memahaminya,

Anda harus tahu apa yang menjadikan sebuah kisah hebat.

Now I'm not suggesting that data is bad and story is good.

Ini akan menjawab tiga pertanyaan.

They both play a key role.

Pertama adalah:

And to understand how,

Apa konteksnya?

you have to see what makes a great story.

Artinya, apa keadaannya, siapa yang terlibat,

It's going to answer three questions.

kenapa saya harus peduli?

The first is:

Apa konfliknya,

What is the context?

di mana saat segalanya berubah?

Meaning, what's the setting, who is involved,

Dan apa hasilnya?

why should I even care?

What is the conflict,

Di mana bedanya, apa pelajaran yang didapat?

where is that moment where everything changes?

Kisah yang bagus juga punya tiga atribut,

And what is the outcome?

yang pertama akan membangun dan melepaskan ketegangan.

Where is it different, what is the takeaway?

Jadi karena otak kita suka berantisipasi,

A good story also has three attributes,

kisah hebat membangun ketegangan dengan membuat Anda ingin tahu:

the first being it is going to build and release tension.

“Apa yang akan dia lakukan?”

So because our brains love to anticipate,

“Apa yang terjadi berikutnya,” ’kan?

a great story builds tension by making you wonder:

Kisah hebat membuat Anda tetap fokus.

"Where is she going with this?"

Lalu dilepaskan dengan membagi sesuatu yang tak terduga

"What's happening next," right?

dan dilakukan berulang kali di sepanjang cerita.

A good story keeps you, keeps your attention going.

Kisah hebat juga membangun ide.

And it releases it by sharing something unexpected

Membantu Anda melihat sesuatu yang tak bisa lagi dihapus,

and it does this over and over throughout the story.

membuat Anda berubah,

A great story also builds an idea.

sebab kisah sebenarnya memang membuat Anda berubah.

It helps you see something that you can no longer unsee,

Dan kisah yang bagus mengomunikasikan nilai.

Standford telah melakukan penelitian pada cara terbaik

leaving you changed,

because stories actually do leave you changed.

untuk membentuk budaya organisasi,

dan itu adalah bercerita,

And a great story communicates value.

sebab hal itu menunjukkan hal yang Anda hargai dan anjurkan

Stanford has done research on one of the best ways

atau hal tidak dihargai dan yang mematahkan semangat.

to shape organizational culture,

and it is storytelling,

Saat mulai menulis balada kekuatan Anda,

because it's going to demonstrate what you value and encourage

kebanyakan orang ingin mulai dengan data.

or what you don't value and what you discourage.

Mereka ingin menggali,

sebab kita sering punya tumpukan data.

As you start to write your power ballad,

Tapi ada kesalahan yang kita buat saat melakukannya.

most people want to start with the data.

Saya bekerja sama dengan seorang CEO.

They want to dig in,

because we often have piles of data.

Dia meminta saya menyiapkan rapat tahunan seluruh perusahaan

But there's a common mistake we make when we do that.

dan dia punya 45 slide data

I was working with a CEO.

untuk presentasi selama 45 menit.

She came to me to prepare for her annual company-wide meeting

Resep dari ceramah membosankan dan mudah dilupakan.

and she had 45 slides of data

Dan ini hal yang dilakukan kebanyakan orang,

for a 45-minute presentation.

mereka mempersenjatai diri dengan data ini

dan mencoba memilah-milah

A recipe for a boring, unmemorable talk.

tanpa adanya gambaran besar

And this is what most people do,

lalu kehilangan arah.

they come armed with all of this data

Akhirnya data itu disampingkan lalu saya tanya dia,

and they try to sort their way through

“Masalah apa yang mau Anda selesaikan?

without a big picture

and then they lose their way.

Apa yang Anda mau orang pikir dan rasakan beda

dan akhirnya hal beda apa yang Anda mau mereka buat?”

We actually put the data aside and I asked her,

Disitulah Anda memulai dengan data dan bercerita.

"What's the problem you're trying to solve?

What do you want people to think and feel different

Anda datang dengan kerangka kerja ini untuk memandu jalan

and what do you want people to do different at the end of this?"

lewat kisah dan data.

That is where you start with data and storytelling.

Pada kasus dia,

dia mau perusahaannya bisa menerobos pasar baru,

You come up with this framework to guide the way through

tetap kompetitif.

Akhirnya dia bercerita soal putrinya,

both the story and the data.

In her case,

seorang pesenam yang bersaing untuk mendapat beasiswa,

she wants her company to be able to break into new markets,

dan dia harus belajar teknik baru yang makin sulit

to remain competitive.

She ended up telling a story about her daughter,

agar kompetitif.

who's a gymnast who's competing for a scholarship,

Ini adalah salah satu pilihan Anda.

Apakah bercerita soal data itu sendiri

and she had to learn new routines with increasing difficulty

atau menceritakan kisah paralel,

to be competitive.

di mana Anda beramanat untuk memperkuat data?

This is one of your choices.

Do you tell a story about the data itself

Saat Anda memulai balada ini,

or do you tell a parallel story,

melodi serta harmoni dari data dan kisah bertemu

where you pull out points from the story to reinforce the data?

dengan cara yang akan bertahan lama.

As you begin this ballad,

this melody and harmony of data and storytelling come together

Briana adalah seorang pembimbing perguruan tinggi.

in a way that will stay with you long after.

Dia diminta untuk presentasi di hadapan rektor universitas

saat dia sadar bahwa sebagian besar mahasiswa mereka yang penyandang autisme

Briana was a college adviser.

tidak lulus.

And she was asked to present to her university leadership

Dia menemui saya sebab rektornya terus berkata,

“Sajikan data, fokus ke data,”

when she realized that a large population of their students with autism

tapi dia merasa jika pegawai universitas sudah punya datanya.

were not graduating.

She came to me because her leaders kept saying,

Dia mencoba mencari cara membantu mereka untuk terhubung.

"Present the data, focus on the data,"

Jadi kami bekerja sama membantunya menyampaikan kisah tentang Michelle.

but she felt like university officials already had the data.

Michelle adalah siswa SMA yang cemerlang

She was trying to figure out how to help them connect with it.

yang memiliki impian untuk berkuliah.

So we worked together to help her tell the story about Michelle.

Michelle juga siswa penyandang autisme

yang khawatir bagaimana menghadapi perubahan di universitas.

Michelle was a straight-A student in high school

who had these dreams of going to university.

Michelle was also a student with autism

Ketakutannya jadi kenyataan saat pertama kali ditelepon pembimbingnya,

who was terrified about how she would be able to navigate

saat dia ditanyai,

the changes of university.

“Apa rencana Anda lima tahun kedepan?”

Her worst fears came true on her first phone call

dan “Apa aspirasi karir Anda?”

with her adviser,

when he asked her questions like,

Pertanyaan yang sulit untuk siapa saja.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Tapi bagi penderita autis

and "What are your career aspirations?"

untuk bisa merespon secara verbal?

Questions that are hard for anybody.

Tak berdaya.

Dia tutup teleponnya, siap untuk mundur,

But for a person with autism

hingga orangtuanya mengajak bicara

to have to respond to verbally?

dan membantunya menulis surel ke pembimbingnya.

Paralyzing.

Dia beritahu bahwa putrinya penyandang autisme,

She got off the phone, was ready to drop out,

sangat berat bagi dia untuk memberitahu

until her parents sat down with her

and helped her write an email to her adviser.

sebab dia merasa ada stigma yang terkait bila memberitahu hal itu.

She told him that she was a student with autism,

Michelle bilang bahwa dia lebih memilih komunikasi via tulisan,

which was really hard for her to share

mohon agar dia mengirimkan pertanyaan sebelumnya,

because she felt like there was a stigma associated just by sharing that.

maka Michelle bisa mengirim balasan padanya

sebelum berbicara di telepon mengenai hal yang lain.

She told him that she preferred to communicate in writing,

if he could send her questions in advance,

Pembimbingnya mengikuti arahannya

dan dalam beberapa minggu,

she would be able to send replies back to him

mereka dapati jika mereka punya kesukaan yang sama,

before they got on the phone to have a different conversation.

seperti suka anime Jepang.

He followed her lead

Setelah tiga semester,

Michelle menjadi mahasiswa cemerlang yang sukses di kampus.

and within a few weeks,

they found all of these things they have in common,

like a love for Japanese anime.

Di poin ini, Briana mulai membagikan data

After three semesters,

bahwa kurang dari 20 persen penyandang autis yang lulus.

Michelle is a straight-A student thriving in the university.

Bukan karena mereka tak sanggup dengan tugas kuliah.

At this point, Briana starts to share some of the data

Tapi karena mereka tak tahu menjalani perkuliahannya,

that less than 20 percent of the students with autism

are graduating.

hal yang seharusnya bisa dibantu oleh pembimbing.

And it's not because they can't handle the coursework.

Selama seumur hidup

It's because they can't figure out

how to navigate the university,

potensi penghasilan seseorang dengan gelar sarjana

the very thing an adviser is supposed to be able to help you do.

dibandingkan lulusan SMA

adalah jutaan dolar.

That over the course of a lifetime

Sungguh jumlah yang besar.

Tapi bagi penyandang autisme

the earning potential of someone with a college degree

yang ingin bisa hidup mandiri dari keluarga

over a high school degree

itu mengubah hidupnya.

is a million dollars.

Which is a big amount.

Dia tutup dengan,

But for a person with autism

“Kami bilang seluruh semangat dan tujuan kita

that wants to be able to live independent from their family

membantu orang jadi yang terbaik,

it's life changing.

membantu mereka jadi sukses.

Tapi kami nyaris tak beri layanan terbaik

She closed with,

"We say our whole passion and purpose

dengan menerapkan pendekatan satu ukuran

is to help people be their best,

dan membiarkan mereka terjatuh di celah tersebut.

to help them be successful.

Kita bisa dan harus buat lebih baik.

But we're hardly giving our best service

Ada banyak Michelle di luar sana,

by applying this one-size-fits-all approach

dan saya tahu sebab Michelle adalah putri saya.”

and just letting people fall through the cracks.

Dan di saat itu semua tercengang --

We can and we should do better.

There are more Michelles out there,

Bahkan ada yang menyeka air mata,

and I know because Michelle is my daughter."

sebab dia berhasil,

dia menghubungkan informasi ke mereka secara berbeda,

And in that moment, the jaws in the room went --

dia bantu mereka melihat hal yang tak bisa mereka lihat.

And someone even wiped away tears,

Apa dia bisa melakukannya hanya dengan data?

because she had done it,

she had connected them to information differently,

Mereka sudah punya datanya.

she helped them see something they couldn't unsee.

Kali ini mereka tak punya alasan untuk mengabaikan data.

Could she have done that with data alone?

Itulah kekuatan bercerita dan data.

Maybe, but the things is, they already had the data.

They didn't have a reason not to overlook the data this time.

Bahwa bersama-sama, mereka bersatu dengan cara ini

untuk membantu menggagas,

membantu melihat hal yang tak bisa Anda lupa.

That is the power of storytelling and data.

Membantu mengomunikasikan hal yang berharga

That together, they come together in this way

membantu memanfaatkan cara emosional yang kita putuskan.

to help build ideas,

to help you see things you can't unsee.

Saat Anda maju,

To help communicate what's valued

membentuk semangat dan tujuan orang lain sebagai pemimpin,

and to help tap into that emotional way that we all decide.

jangan cuma memakai data.

Gunakan kisah.

As you all move forward,

Jangan tunggu kisah yang sempurna.

shaping the passion and purpose of others as leaders,

Ambil kisah Anda dan jadikan sempurna.

don't just use data.

Terima kasih.

(Tepuk tangan)

Use stories.

And don't wait for the perfect story.

Take your story and make it perfect.

Thank you.

(Applause)