Bozoma Saint John: The creative power of your intuition | TED

翻译人员: gigide Hulu 校对人员: Helen Chang

So I am here ...

我来了，

to recruit you ...

来招募你到

to the liberation movement.

这个解放运动中。

Now don't worry, this is not the uniform that you have to wear.

别担心，你不必穿这样的制服。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

You can come as yourself.

你能以你自己的模样加入。

So you're probably wondering, "Well, what are we being liberated from?"

那么你可能在想， “好吧，我们是从什么中解放出来？”

We are being liberated from the endless weight of data.

我们正在从无穷无尽的 数据负担中被解放出来。

It keeps us bound ...

数据束缚我们，

so that we can't move into the future,

让我们不能走向未来，

because we're so busy being tied to the past.

因为我们被过去所缚。

So how do we get free?

那么我们怎么才能自由？

The freedom comes from our intuition.

自由来自于我们的直觉。

The thing that's right here,

这里的东西

you know, that you can't really quite quantify.

真的无法量化，

Sometimes, you can't even really describe it.

有时候甚至无法真正地描述。

That intuition, that's the thing.

你的直觉是关键。

Now I'm fortunate to have had a career in marketing,

我很幸运从事过营销这个职业，

where data and intuition and creative ideas

那里的数据、直觉和有创意的想法

are sort of intertwined.

相互交织。

But at the beginning of my career, I had a boss who told me

但是在我职业的开端， 我的老板曾告诉我，

that the data was going to be extraordinarily important

数据将会对我的想法的实现

to the success of my ideas.

异常重要。

Right?

对吗？

Anchor the idea in the data,

将想法锚定在数据的海洋中，

you can predict whether or not it's going to work,

你可以预测想法是否将会起作用，

and then you can see if it actually did work, and vice versa.

看它是不是真的有用,

反之亦然。

Well, I mean, look, I took that advice.

看哪，我采纳了他的建议。

I baked a lot my ideas right there in the data.

我在数据中丰富、发展了我的想法。

I was inspired, sometimes.

有时，我也被数据启发。

I'd see a pattern of something moving, and I would say,

我看到一些事情发展的方向，我会说，

"Look, I can follow that!

“看哪，跟着数据走，

Maybe it'll work."

也许它会奏效。”

But the challenge was that my ideas stopped right there.

但是真正的挑战在于 我的想法可能就停在那，

They didn't really take flight.

它们并没有起飞。

Because, you know, the ideas are based off of electricity, you know?

你可知道想法像电一样，

Ideas, like, come sharp.

想法来得快而且突然，

They sprint here, and they go here, and they move there.

冲到这儿，到了那儿， 然后又去到别处。

They're nonlinear.

它们是非线性的。

I kind of feel like they're like daydreams.

我有点觉得它们像白日梦。

You know? Intuition gets you there.

知道吗？直觉会把你带到那。

It feels like something that is just on the horizon.

就感觉有点像它刚刚出现在地平线，

And then, sometimes, it comes into sharp focus.

然后，有时候突然成为焦点，

You wake up and you remember exactly what it was.

你从梦中醒来还清楚记得它。

That's what ideas feel like.

这就是想法的感觉。

And your intuition is actually what helps you get there.

而实际上直觉帮你实现，

It takes it from something that is so practical

直觉把实用的东西

to something that is magical.

变得神奇。

Now, I'm also very, very, very grateful for a boss I had early on,

我非常非常感谢我早期的一个老板，

who affirmed my intuition.

他肯定了我的直觉。

I worked for Spike Lee at his advertising agency.

我曾为斯派克·李（Spike Lee）的 广告公司工作。

This was in the early 2000s.

那是在2000年代初期。

And at the time,

在那个时候，

Pepsi had commissioned him to create a commercial

百事可乐委托他

为他们试图开展的活动制作广告，

for a campaign that they were trying to run

on the main brand.

开展主要的品牌。

Spike asked everybody in the office

斯派克让办公室的每个人

to come up with some thoughts on what the talent could be

提出一些想法，

由谁演出广告。

that would star in the commercial.

And at the time, I was an assistant account executive.

那个时候，我是个业务经理助理。

There were people who were much more senior than I,

有太多的人比我资深，

who knew exactly what they were doing,

更了解他们在做的东西，

who had come up with a bunch of great ideas.

提出了一大堆伟大的想法。

They went to the data.

他们分析数据，

They went to the Billboard charts to look at who was at the top.

看广告牌（Billboard）排行榜 谁的排名最高；

They went to album sales to see who was selling,

看专辑销量谁的正在热卖，

who the public really loved.

谁真正被公众喜欢。

They looked at lists that experts had put together.

他们分析那些专家们列出来的图表。

Who's at the top? Who's really going to win?

谁排名最高？谁真正会赢？

Who has longevity?

谁红得更久？

Well, I didn't really understand any of that data.

好吧，我根本不懂任何数据。

(Laughs)

（笑声）

I could look at it,

我可以去看（数据），

but I didn't really trust myself to interpret it.

但是我并不相信我自己对数据的解释。

So I went to the thing I did know,

所以我去看我了解的东西，

which is MTV.

是音乐电视（MTV）频道。

(Laughs)

（笑声）

There had been a made-for-TV movie

有一部为电视制作的电影，

called "Carmen: A Hip Hopera," on MTV.

叫做“卡门（Carmen）：嘻哈希望”， 在MTV播放。

I loved it.

我太爱它了。

It starred Beyoncé.

是碧昂斯（Beyoncé）主演的。

Now I thought it was magical,

我以为很神奇，因为

because, I mean, who the hell puts hip-hop and opera together?

谁会把嘻哈和歌剧放在一起？

It's fascinating.

这太赞了！

So, I put my vote on Beyoncé.

所以，我投票给碧昂斯。

Now of course, today, everybody would be like,

当然现今每个人都会说，

"Well, of course, that makes so much sense, why wouldn't you?

“好吧，当然，这挺有道理的，

谁会不把赌注押在她身上呢？

Bet on her. Yeah, she's a winner."

是啊，她是赢家。”

But at the time, the data would tell us differently.

但是当时数据说的可不是这样。

No, there are not a lot of solo artists that come out of girl groups

不行，没有几个从女生团体 单飞的独唱歌手

and are successful.

能成功。

In my opinion, there is only one.

在我看来，仅仅一个。

(Laughs)

（笑声）

Diana Ross.

是戴安娜·罗斯（Diana Ross）

Yeah, the one.

是的，唯一的一个。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Beyoncé is another.

碧昂斯是另一个。

So at the time, nobody was betting on her.

所以那时候，没有人会选她。

But I'm so grateful that Spike ...

但是我很感谢斯派克

affirmed my intuition and also followed his.

肯定了我的直觉， 而且听从他自己的直觉，

And I would say, today, that we’re pretty successful.

所以今天我会说，我们很成功。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, 20 years later, I still use my intuition, daily.

现在，20年以后， 我依然每天用我的直觉。

I'm the chief marketing officer at Netflix.

我是网飞（Netflix）的首席营销官。

You'd probably say that maybe the stakes weren't as high

你可能会说，有可能

当我是个业务经理助理的时候， 赌注没有那么高，

when I was an assistant account executive,

so I could use my intuition, and who cared.

所以我可以用我的直觉，管他呢。

And maybe today, that's different.

现在，可能不同。

It’s not.

哈，不是的。

Every day, I am charged with looking at campaigns

每天，我忙着看剧集的广告，

that are 15 seconds long, 60 seconds long, 90 seconds long,

15 秒的，30 秒的，60 秒的，90 秒的，

that will encourage you to watch something that's much longer.

这些会吸引你去看更长的东西。

Every day.

每天。

And so I have to use my intuition to understand

所以我需要用我的直觉来决定

whether or not something is going to make you cry immediately,

这个能不能很快让你哭？

is it going to make you laugh immediately,

会不会让你马上笑？

is it going to scare you?

会吓到你吗？

Is it going to inspire you?

会启发你吗？

And I feel like if I feel that ...

就像如果我觉得我会，

then perhaps you do too.

那么你可能也会。

Now I'm not the only one.

我不是那唯一的一个，

There are other people who do this.

也有其他人做这些。

One is over 100 years ago, Henry Ford.

其中一个是一百多年前的 亨利·福特（Henry Ford）。

He's attributed with saying that if he had asked people,

他说

倘若在他发明 福特T型车（Model T）的时候

at the time when he was inventing the Model T,

if they wanted something like that,

询问别人是否要这样的车子，

(Laughs)

（笑声）

they would have said they wanted faster horses ...

他们会回答宁愿要更快一些的马，

instead of this new invention.

而不是什么新的发明。

I think that's pretty powerful.

我想这强而有力。

Or you can look at today.

你也可以看看今天一个更近的例子，

A more recent example, Ed Bastian and the team at Delta,

埃德·巴斯蒂安和达美航空的团队，

you know, based on intuition, I believe,

我相信他们是基于直觉，

decided that after the restrictions of leaving that middle seat open

决定在（新冠肺炎的）限制之后 将中间的座位留空，

so that those who are flying would feel safer,

这让乘坐飞机的人感觉更安全，

with some distance in-between them,

因为乘客之间保有一些距离；

that after those restrictions were lifted,

在限制被解除之后，

they still kept that middle seat open.

他们依然让中间的座位留空。

Now I'm sure they were losing millions of dollars every day

我确信因为这个决策 他们每天都损失数百万美元，

with that decision,

but the intuition was right.

但是直觉是对的，

Do you feel safer? Do I feel safer?

你觉得更安全吗？我觉得更安全吗？

What would make us feel safer?

什么会让我们感到更安全？

I think that's the right thing.

我想这是正确的决定。

Now look, we can all look at 2020 and 2021

让我们看看2020年和2021年，

and understand that, oof, we can't really predict what happens.

了解到（长吁一口气） 我们无法真正预测什么会发生。

(Laughs)

（笑声）

We don't really know.

我们真的不知道。

But what we do know is right here.

但我们所知道的就在这里。

What are the things that make us feel good,

什么东西让我们感觉良好，

the things that scare us,

什么事情让我们害怕，

the things that make us feel more connected to each other?

什么事情让我们感觉联系更紧密。

You know, today ...

你知道，今天

is a gift.

是一个礼物。

That’s why they call it the present.

因此我们叫它 “present”。 （“礼物”和“当下”同为 present）

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I didn't make that up, but it's so corny and I love it.

不是我编的， 但它太老土了，我喜欢它。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But my addition to it

我要附加的是，

is the question: "Why would we give the present back?"

我们为什么要把礼物还回去？

Oh, your intuition is a gift.

哦，你的直觉是一个礼物。

So we have to use it.

所以我们要利用它。

So then let's talk about you.

来聊聊你，

You have your intuition.

你有你的直觉。

And we'll use some science in here too.

我们会用些科学理论。

We're not totally against data.

我们并不完全反对数据。

(Laughs)

（笑声）

That if you are a set up of molecules, OK?

你是由分子组成的，对吗？

Every one of us has a unique pattern, a unique set.

我们每个人都有个独特的组成方式， 一个独一无二的套装。

How remarkable is that -- no two of us are the same.

多么了不起—— 没有两个人是一样的。

So one molecule changes,

变换一个分子，

and we have a whole other being.

就是完全不同的人了。

Now if you consider that we take ourselves as a whole --

现在如果你认为我们把自己当成整体---

let's pretend we're one big molecule,

假设我们是一个大的分子，

and that over there, the matter over there,

还有那边，那边是

is life and the experiences, the services, the communities

生活、经历、服务，

我们服务的社区，

that we serve,

and we enter that matter --

我们进入那个世界，

it changes.

它就变了。

You step out of the matter, it changes.

你走出来，它也变了。

So of course you're powerful.

所以，你当然是强大的。

So why wouldn't your intuition,

那么，难道你的直觉，

your own thing that you have,

你自己所拥有的

be powerful?

不强大吗？

I think about that all the time.

我常想着。

And perhaps you don't want to take the big, big swing just yet.

也许你还不想有大的起伏，

You know, you can take the little steps.

你知道，你可以迈出一小步。

You can practice.

你可以练习，

I've practiced for a long time.

我练习了很久，

I want to encourage you to practice too.

我想鼓励你们也练习。

So maybe you don't want to, you know, bet on Beyoncé.

也许你不想赌碧昂斯赢，

(Laughs)

（笑声）

Or maybe you don't want to create the Model T.

或者也许你不想制造T型车，

Maybe you don't want to make the call about the middle seat.

也许你不想做关于中间座位的决定。

So let's take it to something

我们可以先

that may be a little bit easier, a little closer to home.

做一些简单的，离家近一些的事情。

Let's pretend you're curating a dinner party.

假设你要准备一个晚餐聚会，

Going to be safe about it -- we have six people over.

为安全起见，我们只邀来六个人。

And you're considering all the data around who likes what.

你考虑所有的事情， 包括谁喜欢什么，对吗？

Right? There's some people who, you know,

也许有人是鱼素主义者，

maybe somebody is a pescatarian,

another person doesn't eat dairy,

另一个不吃乳制品，

another hates spicy food,

还有的讨厌辣的食物，

somebody only likes their food really, really hot, with heat,

有的只喜欢吃 非常辣、非常烫的食物，

and you have to consider all of this.

你需要考虑所有这些，

Put it all together, think about what to make.

全部放在一起，想想要做什么。

I think you'd come up with a really bland fish dish,

我想你会做一道非常清淡的鱼，

ugh.

啊哈，

Something terrible.

可怕的东西。

But if you used yourself as the curator,

但是如果你自己做策划人，

as one with intuition --

有直觉的策划人，

think about it, yes, put in all the data, you know?

想想这个，是的，考虑所有的信息，

Pescatarian, the spices, all of that.

海鲜素、辣椒，和其他。

I think you would come up with something you wanted to eat too.

我想你会想出一些你也想吃的东西。

You know? Taking all of that into consideration.

考虑全局。

It might be a catfish stew.

可能就是一道炖鲶鱼。

Something really delicious,

非常美味，

something memorable.

令人难忘的。

Now there's probably going to be one person in there who hates it.

也许还有一个人讨厌它，

(Laughs)

（笑声）

Guaranteed, there's always one.

可以保证，总有一个，

But that's OK.

但没关系。

Everybody else will remember that moment,

其他每个人都会记住这个时刻，

remember that experience.

记得这个经历，

It will be something exciting.

这是非常让人激动的。

So consider that.

所以想想吧，

As I think about data

当我考虑数据，

and how we want to live and change our world,

我们想要怎样生活，

改变这个世界，

I'm reminded that sometimes, data is the pill that we take

我被提醒，

有时候数据是我们用来

to calm our insecurity

抚平直觉所带来的不安全感的药丸。

about what we intuitively know.

So I’m advocating

所以我提议，

that we decrease the dosage of our data.

我们要减少数据的服用剂量，

And that we increase the implementation of our intuition.

提高我们直觉的使用，

You’ll feel great,

你会感觉很棒，

you really will ...

真的，

when you're able to prove to yourself

当你能够向你自己证明，

that the power of your intuition is actually accurate.

你的直觉的力量实际上非常准确。

Thank you so much.

谢谢你们！

(Applause)

（掌声）