How to motivate people to do good for others | Erez Yoeli

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Doris Mangalu

How can we get people to do more good,

Namna gani tunaweza wafanya watu kutenda mema zaidi,

to go to the polls, give to charity, conserve resources,

kwenda katika uchaguzi, kujitolea msaada, kutunza rasilimali,

or even to do something as simple as washing their mugs at work

au hata kufanya kitu rahisi kama kuosha vikombe vyao wakiwa kazini

so that the sink isn't always full of dirty dishes?

ili sinki lisiwe muda wote limejaa vyombo vichafu?

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

(Applause)

(Makofi)

When I first started working on this problem,

Nilipoanza kushughulikia hili tatizo,

I collaborated with a power company

Nilishirikiana na kampuni ya nishati

to recruit customers for a program that prevents blackouts

kuwapa mafunzo wateja kuhusu programu inayozuia kukatika kwa umeme

by reducing energy demand during peaks.

kwa kupunguza mahitaji ya nishati kipindi cha juu.

The program is based on a tried-and-true technology.

Programu imetengenezwa na teknolojia iliyojaribiwa na ya ukweli.

It's one the Obama administration even called

Ni ambayo hata utawala wa Obama uliita

"the cornerstone to modernizing America's electrical grid."

"jiwe la msingi la kuleta ukisasa katika mfumo wa umeme Amerika."

But, like so many great technological solutions,

Lakini, kama ilivyo mifumo mingi mikubwa ya teknlolojia,

it has a key weakness:

huwa na udhaifu:

people.

watu.

People need to sign up.

Watu wanahitaji kujisajili.

To try to get people to sign up, the power company sent them a nice letter,

Ili kufanya watu wajisajili, kampuni iliwatumia wateja barua nzuri,

told them about all the program's benefits,

kuwaambia kuhusu faida zote za programu,

and it asked them to call into a hotline if they were interested.

na kuwaambia wapige huduma kwa wateja kama wangependa.

Those letters went out,

Barua zilitumwa,

but the phones, they were silent.

lakini simu, zilikuwa kimya.

So when we got involved, we suggested one small change.

Hivyo tulivyohusishwa, tulipendekeza badiliko moja dogo.

Instead of that hotline,

Badala ya simu ya huduma kwa wateja,

we suggested that they use sign-up sheets that they'd post near the mailboxes

tulipendekeza watumie karatasi za kujisajili zitakazotumwa kwenye sanduku za barua zilizokaribu

in people's buildings.

katika majengo ya watu.

This tripled participation.

Hii iliongeza walioshiriki kwa mara tatu.

Why?

Kwanini?

Well, we all know people care deeply about what others think of them,

Sasa, wote tunajua watu wanajali sana kuhusu kile wengine wanachofikiri juu yao,

that we try to be seen as generous and kind,

kua tunajaribu kuonekana kama tuna heshima na tunaojali,

and we try to avoid being seen as selfish or a mooch.

na tunajaribu kuepuka kuonekana kama wabinafsi au mabaradhuli.

Whether we are aware of it or not, this is a big part of why people do good,

Iwe tunatambua au la, hii ni nafasi kubwa ya kwanini watu wanatenda mema,

and so small changes that give people more credit for doing good,

hivyo mabadiliko madogo ambayo huwapa watu sifa kwa kutenda mema,

those changes can make a really big difference.

hayo mabadiliko yanaweza leta utofauti mkubwa.

Small changes like switching from a hotline,

Mabadiliko madogo kama kubadili kutoka simu ya huduma kwa wateja,

where nobody will ever find out about your good deed,

ambapo hamna mtu atayeweza tambua kuhusu mwenendo wako mwema,

to a sign-up sheet

hadi kwenye karatasi ya kujisajili

where anyone who walks by can see your name.

ambapo kila mtu anayepita anaweza kuona jina lako.

In our collaborations with governments, nonprofits, companies,

Katika ushirikiano na serikali, mashirika ya kujitolea, makampuni,

when we're trying to get people to do more good,

tunajaribu kuwafanya watu kufanya mema zaidi,

we harness the power of reputations.

tunavuna nguvu ya sifa.

And we have a simple checklist for this.

Na tuna karatasi rahisi ya kuangalia hili.

And in fact, you already know the first item on that checklist.

Kwa uwazi, tayari unatambua kitu cha kwanza katika listi hiyo.

It's to increase observability,

Ni katika kuongeza uangalizi,

to make sure people find out about good deeds.

kuhakikisha watu wanatambua kuhusu matendo mema.

Now, wait a minute, I know some of you are probably thinking,

Sasa, subiri kidogo, najua baadhi yenu pengine mnawaza,

there's no way people here thought,

hakuna namna watu hapa wangefikiri,

"Oh, well, now that I'm getting credit for my good deed,

"Oh, kwa vile sasa ninapata sifa kwa matendo mema,

now it's totally worth it."

matendo yangu yana thamani."

And you're right.

Upo sahihi.

Usually, people don't.

Kawaida, watu hawadhani hivyo.

Rather, when they're making decisions in private,

Bali, pale wanapofanya maamuzi wakiwa peke yao,

they worry about their own problems,

huwa na hofu kuhusu matatizo yao,

about what to put on the table for dinner or how to pay their bills on time.

kuhusu nini cha kuweka mezani mda wa kula au jinsi ya kulipa ankara zao kwa wakati.

But, when we make their decision more observable,

Lakini, pale tunapofanya maamuzi yao kuwa wazi zaidi,

they start to attend more to the opportunity to do good.

wanaanza kutumia nafasi ya kufanya mema zaidi.

In other words, what's so powerful about our approach

Kwa maneno mengine, kilicho na nguvu sana kuhusu njia yetu

is that it could turn on people's existing desire to do good,

ni kwamba inaweza ongeza mshawasha wa kutenda mema,

in this case, to help to prevent a blackout.

kwa suala hili, kuzuia kukatika kwa umeme.

Back to observability.

Turudi katika uangalizi.

I want to give you another example.

Nataka niwape mfano mwingine.

This one is from a collaboration

Huu unatoka katika ushirikiano

with a nonprofit that gets out the vote,

na taasisi isiyo ya kibiashara inayohamasisha upigaji kura,

and it does this by sending hundreds of thousands of letters every election

na inafanya hivi kwa kutuma mamia ya maelfu ya barua kila uchaguzi

in order to remind people and try to motivate them to go to the polls.

ili kuwakumbusha watu na kujaribu kuwashawishi kwenda katika uchaguzi.

We suggested adding the following sentence:

Tulishauri kuongezwa kwa hii sentensi:

"Someone may call you to find out about your experience at the polls."

"Unaweza pigiwa simu na mtu na kuulizwa ni namna gani uliuona uchaguzi."

This sentence makes it feel more observable when you go to the polls,

Sentensi hii inafanya uangalizi zaidi unapoenda katika uchaguzi,

and it increased the effect of the letter by 50 percent.

na inaongeza matokeo ya barua kwa asilimia 50.

Making the letter more effective reduced the cost of getting an additional vote

Kufanya barua kuwa fanisi zaidi kuli- punguza gharama za kupata kura ya nyongeza

from 70 dollars down to about 40 dollars.

kutoka dola 70 hadi takribani dola 40.

Observability has been used to do things

Uangalizi umetumika kufanya vitu

like get people to donate blood more frequently

kama kufanya watu kuchangia damu mara kwa mara

by listing the names of donors on local newsletters,

kwa kuorodhesha majina ya wachangiaji katika vijarida,

or to pay their taxes on time

au kulipa kodi kwa wakati

by listing the names of delinquents on a public website.

kwa kuorodhesha majina ya wakwepaji katika tovuti ya umma.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

What about this example?

Vipi kuhusu huu mfano?

Toyota got hundreds of thousands of people to buy a more fuel-efficient car

Toyota ina mamia ya maelfu ya watu wa kununua magari yatumiayo mafuta vizuri

by making the Prius so unique ...

kwa kufanya gari la Prius kuwa tofauti ...

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

that their good deed was observable from a mile away.

kua matendo yao mema yalionekana kutokea umbali wa maili.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

Alright, so observability is great,

Sawa, kwa hivyo uangalizi ni bora,

but we all know, we've all seen

lakini wote tunajua, wote tumejionea

people walk by an opportunity to do good.

watu huipitiliza nafasi ya kufanya mema.

They'll see somebody asking for money on the sidewalk

Watamuona mtu akiomba hela pembeni ya njia

and they'll pull out their phones and look really busy,

na watatoa simu zao na kuonekana wapo bize sana,

or they'll go to the museum and they'll waltz right on by the donation box.

au watakwenda makumbusho na watachakacha pembeni ya boksi la mchango.

Imagine it's the holiday season

Fikiria kwamba ni muda wa mapumziko

and you're going to the supermarket, and there's a Salvation Army volunteer,

na unakwenda supamaketi, na kuna mtu anayejitolea katika jeshi la wokovu,

and he's ringing his bell.

na anapiga kengele yake.

A few years ago, researchers in San Diego

Miaka kadhaa iliyopita, watafiti wa San Diego

teamed up with a local chapter from the Salvation Army

waliungana na tawi la wenyeji kutoka jeshi la wokovu

to try to find ways to increase donations.

kutafuta njia za kuongeza michango.

What they found was kind of funny.

Walichogundua kilikuwa kinafurahisha.

When the volunteer stood in front of just one door,

Wanaojitolea waliposimama mbele ya mlango mmoja,

people would avoid giving by going out the other door.

watu walikwepa kuchangia kwa kutokea mlango mwingine.

Why?

Kwanini?

Well, because they can always claim, "Oh, I didn't see the volunteer,"

Kwa sababu muda wote walidai, "Oh, sijamuona mtu wa kujitolea,"

or, "I wanted to get something from over there,"

au, "Nilikuwa nafata kitu fulani kule,"

or, "That's where my car is."

au, "Gari langu lipo huko."

In other words, there's lots of excuses.

Kwa maneno mengine, kuna sababu nyingi.

And that brings us to the second item on our checklist:

Na hilo linatupeleka katika kitu cha pili katika listi yetu:

to eliminate excuses.

kuondoa visingizio.

In the case of the Salvation Army,

Katika suala la jeshi la wokovu,

eliminating excuses just means standing in front of both doors,

kuondoa visingizio ina maana kusimama katika milango yote,

and sure enough, when they did this,

na hakika, walipofanya hivi,

donations rose.

michango iliongezeka.

But that's when things got kind of funny,

Lakini ndipo ambapo vitu vilianza kuchekesha,

even funnier.

kuchekesha zaidi.

The researchers were out in the parking lot,

Watafiti walikuwa nje katika eneo la kuegesha magari,

and they were counting people as they came in and out of the store,

na walikuwa wakihesabu watu walipoingia na kutoka katika duka,

and they noticed that when the volunteers stood in front of both doors,

na waligundua kua pale wanaojitolea waliposimama mbele ya milango yote,

people stopped coming out of the store at all.

watu waliacha kutoka nje ya duka kabisa.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

Obviously, they were surprised by this, so they decided to look into it further,

Kihalisia, walishangazwa na hili, hivyo waliamua kuangalia kwa undani,

and that's when they found that there was actually a third, smaller utility door

na ndipo waligundua kwamba kulikuwa na mlango mdogo wa wafanyakazi

usually used to take out the recycling --

kawaida hutoa bidhaa za kutengeneza upya --

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

and now people were going out that door in order to avoid the volunteers.

na sasa watu walikuwa wanatokea mlango huo ili kukwepa wanaojitolea.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

This teaches us an important lesson though.

Hii inatufundisha somo muhimu.

When we're trying to eliminate excuses, we need to be very thorough,

Pale tunapojaribu kuondoa visingizio, tunatakiwa kuwa makini,

because people are really creative in making them.

kwa sababu watu ni wabunifu kweli kuvitengeneza.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

Alright, I want to switch to a setting

Sawa, nataka kuhamia katika mpangilio

where excuses can have deadly consequences.

ambapo visingizio vinakuwa na madhara ya mauti.

What if I told you that the world's deadliest infectious disease has a cure,

Inakuwaje kama ningekuambia kwamba ugonjwa wa kuambukiza unaoua sana una tiba,

in fact, that it's had one for 70 years,

kiuwazi, ilikuwa na tiba moja kwa miaka 70,

a good one, one that works almost every time?

iliyo bora, ifanyayo kazi karibia kila wakati?

It's incredible, but it's true.

Ni ajabu, lakini ni kweli.

The disease is tuberculosis.

Ugonjwa huu ni kifua kikuu.

It infects some 10 million people a year,

Huambukiza watu milioni 10 kwa mwaka,

and it kills almost two million of them.

na huua takribani watu milioni mbili yao.

Like the blackout prevention program, we've got the solution.

Kama ilivyo programu ya kuzuia kukatika kwa umeme, tumepata suluhisho.

The problem is people.

Tatizo ni watu.

People need to take their medication

Watu wanatakiwa kunywa dawa

so that they're cured,

ili waweze kupona,

and so that they don't get other people sick.

na pia wasiweze ambukiza watu wengine.

For a few years now, we've been collaborating

Miaka michache sasa, tumekuwa tukishirikiana

with a mobile health startup called Keheala

na taasisi mpya ya afya iitwayo Keheala

to support TB patients as they undergo treatment.

kusaidia wagonjwa wa kifua kikuu wakipata matibabu.

Now, you have to understand, TB treatment, it's really tough.

Sasa, unatakiwa kuelewa, matibabu ya kifua kikuu, ni magumu sana.

We're talking about taking a really strong antibiotic

Tunaongelea kuhusu kunywa dawa kali sana

every single day for six months or more.

kila siku kwa miezi sita au zaidi.

That antibiotic is so strong that it will make you feel sick.

Dawa hiyo ni kali sana mpaka itakufanya ujisikie mgonjwa.

It will make you feel nauseous and dizzy.

Itakufanya ujisikie kichefuchefu na homa.

It will make your pee turn funny colors.

Itafanya mkojo kuwa na rangi za ajabu.

It's also a problem because you have to go back to the clinic

Ni tatizo pia kwa sababu unatakiwa kurudi tena kliniki

about every week in order to get more pills,

karibuni kila wiki ili kupata dawa zaidi,

and in sub-Saharan Africa or other places where TB is common,

na Afrika ya kusini mwa Sahara au sehemu ambapo kifua kikuu ni janga,

now you're talking about going someplace pretty far,

sasa unaongelea kuhusu kwenda sehemu ya mbali kweli,

taking tough and slow public transport,

na kupanda usafiri wa jumuiya ambao upo taratibu,

maybe the clinic is inefficient.

pengine kliniki haina ufanisi.

So now you're talking about taking a half day off of work every week

Sasa unaongelea kuhusu kuchukua nusu siku kazini kila wiki

from a job you desperately can't afford to lose.

kwenye kazi usiyoweza kumudu kuipoteza.

It's even worse when you consider the fact that there's a terrible stigma,

Ni mbaya zaidi ukizingatia ukweli kwamba kuna unyanyapaa wa kutisha,

and you desperately don't want people to find that you have the disease.

na kwa namna yoyote hutaki watu watambue kwamba una ugonjwa.

Some of the toughest stories we hear are actually from women

Baadhi ya simulizi tunazosikia huwa zinasimuliwa na wanawake

who, in these places where domestic violence can be kind of common,

ambao, katika sehemu hizi ambapo ukatil wa kijinsia ni suala la kawaida,

they tell us that they have to hide it from their husbands

wanatuambia kwamba wanahitajika kuficha kwa waume zao

that they're coming to the clinic.

kwamba wanakwenda kliniki.

So it's no surprise that people don't complete treatment.

Hivyo siyo jambo la kushangaza kua watu hawamalizi tiba.

Can our approach really help them?

Mikakati yetu inaweza kuwasaidia kweli?

Can we really get them to stick it out?

Tutawasaidia kweli kupona?

Yeah.

Ndiyo.

Every day, we text patients to remind them to take their medication,

Kila siku, tunawatumia wagonjwa ujumbe wa simu kuwakumbusha kunywa dawa,

but if we stopped there,

lakini kama tungekwama pale,

there'd be lots of excuses.

kungekuwa na visingizio vingi.

"Well, I didn't see the text."

"Basi, sikuona ujumbe."

Or, "You know, I saw the text, but then I totally forgot,

Au, "Unajua, niliona ujumbe, ila nikasahau kabisa

put the phone down and I just forgot about it."

niliweka simu chini na nikasahau."

Or, "I lent the phone out to my mom."

Au, "Nilimuazima mama yangu simu."

We have to eliminate these excuses

Tunatakiwa kuondokana na hivi visingizio

and we do that by asking patients

na tunafanya hivyo kwa kuwauliza wagonjwa

to log in and verify that they've taken their medication.

kujiandikisha na kuthibitisha kwamba wamekunywa dawa.

If they don't log in, we text them again.

Kama wasipojisajili, tunawatumia ujumbe tena.

If they don't log in, we text them yet again.

Kama hawajisajili, tunawatumia ujumbe tena.

If, after three times, they still haven't verified,

Kama, baada ya mara tatu bado hawajathibitisha,

we notify a team of supporters

tunawajulisha timu ya wahisani

and that team will call and text them

na timu hiyo itawapigia na kuwatumia ujumbe

to try to get them back on the wagon.

ili waweze kunywa dawa.

No excuses.

Hamna visingizio.

Our approach, which, admittedly, uses all sorts of behavioral techniques,

Mkakati wetu, ambao, kwa kukubali, unatumia njia zote za kuelewa tabia,

including, as you've probably noticed, observability,

ukijumuisha, kama ambavyo umegundua, uangalizi,

it was very effective.

ulikuwa na ufanisi sana.

Patients without access to our platform

Wagonjwa wasiopata huduma yetu

were three times more likely not to complete treatment.

walikuwa na nafasi mara tatu zaidi kutomaliza tiba yao.

Alright,

Sawa,

you've increased observability,

umeongeza uangalizi.

you've eliminated excuses,

umeondoa visingizio,

but there's still a third thing you need to be aware of.

lakini kuna jambo la tatu ambalo unatakiwa litambua.

If you've been to Washington, DC or Japan or London,

Kama umewahi fika Washington, DC au Japan au London,

you know that metro riders there

unajua kua waendesha treni kule

will be very careful to stand on the right-hand side of the escalator

huwa waangalifu kusimama kwenye upande wa kulia wa kiinuzi

so that people can go by on the left.

ili watu waweze kupita upande wa kushoto

But unfortunately, not everywhere is that the norm,

Lakini bahati mbaya, si kote kuna huo utaratibu,

and there's plenty of places where you can just stand on both sides

na kuna sehemu nyingi ambapo unaweza kusimama pande zote

and block the escalator.

na kuzuia kiinuzi.

Obviously, it's better for others

Hakika, ni bora kwa wengine

when we stand on the right and let them go by,

tunaposimama upande wa kulia na kuwaacha wapite,

but we're only expected to do that some places.

lakini tunategemewa kufanya hivyo baadhi ya sehemu.

This is a general phenomenon.

Hii ni suala la jumla.

Sometimes we're expected to do good

Wakati mwingine tunagemewa kufanya mema

and sometimes not,

na wakati mwingine si hivyo,

and it means that people are really sensitive to cues

na inamaanisha kua watu wanachukulia uzito sana suala la foleni

that they're expected to do good in a particular situation,

na wanategemewa kufanya mema katika suala kama hilo,

which brings us to the third and final item on our checklist:

ambapo inatupeleka katika jambo la tatu na la mwisho katika listi yetu:

to communicate expectations,

kufanya mawasiliano ya mategemeo,

to tell people,

kuwaambia watu,

"Do the good deed right now."

"Fanya jambo jema sasa hivi."

Here's a simple way to communicate expectations;

Hii ni njia rahisi ya kuwasilisha mategemeo;

simply tell them, "Hey, everybody else is doing the good deed."

kwa urahisi waambie, "Jamani, kila mtu anafanya matendo mema."

The company Opower sends people in their electricity bill

Kampuni ya Opower hutumia watu katika ankara zao za umeme

a small insert that compares their energy consumption

maelezo madogo ambayo hulinganisha matumizi yao ya nishati

with that of people with similarly sized homes.

na wale walio na nyumba ambazo zinafanana ukubwa na wao.

And when people find out that their neighbors are using less electricity,

Na pale watu wanapogundua kwamba majirani zao wanatumia umeme kidogo,

they start to consume less.

wanaanza kutumia umeme kidogo pia.

That same approach, it's been used to get people to vote or give to charity

Mkakati huo, umetumika kuwafanya watu kupiga kura au kutoa misaada

or even reuse their towels in hotels.

au kutumia tena mataulo katika hoteli.

What about this one?

Vipi kuhusu hili?

Here's another way to communicate expectations;

Hii ni namna nyingine ya kuwasilisha mategemeo;

simply do it by saying, "Do the good deed" just at the right time.

kwa urahisi fanya kwa kusema, "Tenda yaliyo mema" kwa mda unaofaa.

What about this one?

Vipi kuhusu hii?

This ticker reframes

Hii inatengeneza picha

the kind of mundane task of turning off the lights

ya namna ya kidunia ya kuzima taa

and turns it instead into an environmental contribution.

na kuwasha katika mchango wa kimazingira.

The bottom line is, lots of different ways to do this,

Hitimisho ni kwamba, njia nyingi za kufanya hili,

lots of ways to communicate expectations.

namna nyingi za kuwasilisha mategemeo.

Just don't forget to do it.

Usisahau kufanya.

And that's it.

Hivyo tu.

That's our checklist.

Hiyo ndiyo listi yetu.

Many of you are working on problems with important social consequences,

Wengi wenu mnashughulikia matatizo muhimu yaliyo na madhara kwa jamii,

and sometimes you might need to motivate people to do more good.

na muda mwingine mnaweza hitaji kuwahamasisha watu kutenda mema.

The tools you learned today can help you with this.

Somo la leo linaweza kukusaidia kwa hilo.

And these tools, they don't require that you raise additional funds

Na somo hili, haliihitaji kufanya harambee ya kuongeza fungu

or that you develop any more fancy technologies.

au kuunda teknolojia iliyo na nakshi.

They just require harnessing reputations

Inahitaji kuweza kupata sifa

by increasing observability, eliminating excuses

kwa kuongeza uangalizi, kuondoa visingizio

and communicating expectations.

na kuwasilisha mategemeo.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)