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

Transcriber: Ivana Korom Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

翻译人员: Danni Hu 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

玛丽亚走进了公司的电梯。

她去按按钮时，手机从手上滑落。

手机掉到地上弹了一下，然后——

Maria walked into the elevator at work.

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

径直掉入了电梯和 楼层之间的狭窄缝隙。

It bounced on the floor and --

她发现掉的不仅仅是她的手机，

还有她的手机卡夹，里面有她的 驾照、信用卡，她的整个人生。

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

And she realized it wasn't just her phone,

她跑去前台找保安，雷。

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

雷很高兴见到她。

玛丽亚是少数每天 都停下与他打招呼的人之一。

her credit card, her whole life.

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

实际上，她是那种会记住你生日，

Ray was really happy to see her.

Maria is one of the few people

知道你喜欢吃什么， 上个假期去了哪里的人。

that actually stops and says hello to him each day.

她不是怪人，

她就是真的很喜欢别人， 喜欢让他们感觉被看见了。

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

and your favorite food, and your last vacation,

她告诉雷发生了什么事，

雷说至少要花费 500 美元 才可以拿回她的手机。

not because she's weird,

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

当玛丽亚回到她的座位时， 雷则去要报价。

She tells Ray what happened,

二十分钟后， 雷打电话给玛丽亚，

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

to get her phone back

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

“玛丽亚， 我刚看到电梯里的检修证书，

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

下个月就该做年检了。

我今天就联系他们来检修，这样 不花什么钱就能拿回你的手机了。”

I was looking at the inspection certificate in the elevator.

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

发生这件事的同一天，

我读到了一篇关于嘉信理财首席执行官 沃尔特·拜廷格（Walter Bettinger）的文章。

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."

他说他的全优大学生涯即将迎来 最后一场考试，他对此满怀信心。

The same day this happened,

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

教授问了一个问题：

He's describing his straight-A career at university

“打扫这间教室的人叫什么名字？”

going in to his last exam expecting to ace it,

他考试没过。

when the professor gives one question:

他见过打扫的人， 但从不曾好好认识她。

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

她的名字是多蒂，他在那天发誓 一定要认识他人生中的众多多蒂。

And he failed the exam.

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

因为沃尔特和玛丽亚都了解 让别人被看见的力量，

Her name was Dottie and he made a vow that day

尤其是作为领导者。

to always know the Dotties in his life

我在通用电气公司时就用过这个故事，

because both Walter and Maria

understand this power of helping people feel seen,

我负责为这个 有 9 万雇员的企业构建文化，

especially as a leader.

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

其业务遍及全球 150 个国家。

我发觉讲故事是非常棒的方法，

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

与人联结，

让他们思考，

“我在这种情况下会怎么办？

in 150 countries.

And I found that stories were such a great way

我会认识多蒂吗？

或者在我的人生里， 谁是我该认识的多蒂呢？”

to connect with people

and have them think,

我发现对任何人， 不论其性别或世代，

"What would I do in this situation?

或身在世界何处，

Would I have known Dottie

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

故事都能产生共鸣并发挥作用。

但在我的工作中，

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

我发现领导人通常会对说故事过敏。

or their geography in the world,

他们不确定要到哪里找故事，

the stories resonated and worked.

或者不知道怎么讲故事，

But in my work with leaders,

又或者他们认为他们该展示资料，

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

这样就没有讲故事的空间了。

They're not sure where to find them,

而这就是我今天要谈的重点。

or they're not sure how to tell them,

因为讲故事和展示资料 其实并不矛盾，

or they think they have to present data

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

它们可以共存， 甚至创造出一种力量民谣，

And that's where I want to focus today.

用不同的方式连接资讯。

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

若要了解这如何发生，

我们先要了解

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

当你听故事和资讯时的 神经运作方式。

that connects you to information differently.

当你在听课或参加会议时，

To understand how,

we have to first understand what happens neurologically

你大脑中的两个小部分会被激活，

when you're listening to a story and data.

韦尼克区（Wernicke）和 布罗卡区（Broca）。

它们负责处理信息，

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

也就是你听到信息后

two small parts of your brain are activated,

通常很快就会忘掉 50% 的原因。

Wernicke and Broca's area.

当你听故事时，

This is where you're processing information,

你的整个大脑都会开始被点亮。

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

所有脑叶都会亮起来，

right after you hear it.

When you listen to a story,

因为你的感官和情绪都参与了。

your entire brain starts to light up.

当我说到手机砰的一声掉在地上，

Each of your lobes will light up

你的枕叶和颞叶都会亮起来，

as your senses and your emotions are engaged.

就好像你真的看到手机掉下，

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

听到了砰的一声。

your occipital and your temporal lobes are lighting up

这术语称为“神经耦合”，

意思是说，身为听者，

as though you are actually seeing that falling phone

你的大脑亮起来的状况，就和我

and hearing it hit with a thud.

说故事的人完全一样

There's this term, neural coupling,

它会像镜子一样， 反映出这个活动，

which says, as the listener,

就好像你正经历这些事情。

your brain will light up exactly as mine

讲故事能带给你这种虚拟现实。

as the storyteller.

It mirrors this activity

如果我告诉你，走过雪地

as though you are actually experiencing these things.

随着每一步，

雪在我的鞋底嘎吱作响。

Storytelling gives you this artificial reality.

大片潮湿的雪花落在我的脸颊上，

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

你的大脑现在亮了起来，

and with each step,

the snow is crunching under my shoes,

就好像你正走过这片雪地， 正经历这些事。

and big, wet flakes are falling on my cheeks,

这就是为什么你能坐在那里看动作片，

身体没有动，

your brains are now lighting up

但你的心跳加速， 就好像你是银幕上的明星。

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

因为神经耦合让你的大脑亮了起来，

It's why you can sit in an action movie

就好像你正经历着那项活动。

and not be moving,

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

当你听故事的时候，

because this neural coupling has your brain lighting up

你会自动地 对讲故事的人产生同理心。

as though you are having that activity.

你感受到的同理心越多，

你大脑中分泌的催产素就越多。

As you listen to stories,

you automatically gain empathy for the storyteller.

催产素是让你感觉很好的化学物质，

The more empathy you experience,

你的催产素越多，

你就越会觉得讲者值得信任。

the more oxytocin is released in your brain.

Oxytocin is the feel-good chemical

这也是为什么讲故事是领导者的 一项关键技能，

and the more oxytocin you have,

因为讲故事这件事本身

the more trustworthy you actually view the speaker.

就能让人们更加信任你。

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

当你开始听资料数据时， 发生的状况就不一样了。

because the very act of telling a story

有些错误观念需要澄清。

makes people trust you more.

首先，资料数据 不会改变我们的行为，

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

情绪才会。

There are some misconceptions to understand.

如果资料信息可以改变我们的行为，

我们都会每天睡八小时，锻炼身体， 用好牙线，

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

喝足八杯水。

emotions do.

但我们事实上不是这样做决定的。

If data changed our behavior,

we would all sleep eight hours and exercise and floss daily

神经科学家研究了决策，

and drink eight glasses of water.

决策开始于杏仁核。

But that's not how we actually decide.

这是我们的情绪中心，

让我们可以感受到情绪，

Neuroscientists have studied decision-making,

我们的决策是从潜意识层开始的。

and it starts in our amygdala.

This is our emotional epicenter

我们选择去追求快乐，

where we have the ability to experience emotions

或是躲避风险，

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

在我们意识到之前 就已经进行选择了。

当我们意识到时，

We make choices to pursue pleasure

也就是到了意识层面，

or to avoid risk,

我们开始运用理性和逻辑，

all before we become aware of it.

这就是为什么我们认为 我们是基于理性进行决策，

At the point we become aware,

where it comes to the conscious level,

而没有发现我们其实早在潜意识中 就已经做好了决定。

we start to apply rationalization and logic,

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

神经科学家安东尼奥·达马西奥 （Antonio Damasio）

开始研究杏仁核受损的病人。

not realizing that they were already decided in our subconscious.

各方面的功能都完全正常，

Antonio Damasio is a neuroscientist

除了他们感受不到情绪。

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

结果，他们无法做决策。

Fully functioning in every way,

简单到 如“我要走这条路还是那条路”，

except they could not experience emotions.

他们都无法做决定，

And as a result, they could not make decisions.

因为他们无法感受情绪。

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

这些人在他们杏仁核受损之前，

都是非常成功的人。

they were incapable of doing,

而现在，他们无法完成任何项目，

because they could not experience emotions.

他们的事业受到重创，

These were people that were wildly successful

全都是因为他们面对决策时， 无法感受到情绪。

before they had the damage to their amygdala

and now they couldn't complete any of their projects

另一个关于资料数据的错误观点。

and their careers took big hits,

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

资讯从不会不言自明。

我们的大脑喜欢做预期，

Another data misconception.

当我们做预期时，

我们会把我们 所见所闻中的空白填补起来，

Data never speaks for itself.

用我们自己的知识和经验，

以及我们的偏见。

Our brains love to anticipate

也就是说我对资讯的理解 和你的不一样。

and as we anticipate,

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

也和你的不一样，

with our own knowledge and experience

因为如果没有方法来引导我们的话，

and our own bias.

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

我们就会产生各自的诠释。

我并不是说资料数据不好， 讲故事才好。

and it's going to differ from yours,

because we're all going to have our own interpretation

它们都扮演着十分重要的角色。

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

要了解怎样做到这点，

你需要了解构成 一个好故事的要素是什么。

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

好故事要能回答三个问题。

They both play a key role.

第一个问题：

And to understand how,

情境是什么？

you have to see what makes a great story.

意思是，背景是什么？谁涉及其中？

It's going to answer three questions.

和我有什么关系？

The first is:

冲突是什么？

What is the context?

一切都发生改变的时点是什么时候？

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

结果是什么？

why should I even care?

What is the conflict,

有什么不同？要听者带走的是什么？

where is that moment where everything changes?

好故事也有三个特征，

And what is the outcome?

第一，它会制造紧张，再释放紧张。

Where is it different, what is the takeaway?

因为我们的大脑喜欢做预期，

A good story also has three attributes,

一个好故事通过让你好奇来制造紧张：

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

“她接下来会怎么做？”

So because our brains love to anticipate,

“接下来会发生什么？” ，对吧？

a great story builds tension by making you wonder:

好故事让你保持注意力。

"Where is she going with this?"

它通过分享意想不到的事物来 释放这种紧张氛围，

"What's happening next," right?

在整个故事中会一次又一次地 重复这么做。

A good story keeps you, keeps your attention going.

好故事也会建立新想法。

And it releases it by sharing something unexpected

它会帮助你看见那些你将无法 再忽视的事情。

and it does this over and over throughout the story.

就此让你发生改变，

A great story also builds an idea.

因为故事真的会让你发生改变。

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

好故事也会传达价值观。

斯坦福做过研究，

leaving you changed,

because stories actually do leave you changed.

探讨建立组织文化最好的方式之一，

就是讲故事。

And a great story communicates value.

因为它能展会出你重视什么，鼓励什么，

Stanford has done research on one of the best ways

或者你不重视什么，不鼓励什么。

to shape organizational culture,

and it is storytelling,

当你开始写你的力量民谣时，

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

大多数人会从资料数据入手。

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

他们想埋头深挖，

因为我们通常有一堆材料。

As you start to write your power ballad,

但当我们这么做时， 会犯一个常见的错误。

most people want to start with the data.

我曾和一位首席执行官合作。

They want to dig in,

because we often have piles of data.

她来找我准备她的年度公司会议，

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

她有 45 张幻灯片的材料，

I was working with a CEO.

要进行 45 分钟的演讲。

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

这个方式绝对可以做出一场 无聊、毫无记忆点的演讲。

and she had 45 slides of data

而大部分人都是这样做的，

for a 45-minute presentation.

他们带来一大摞资料，

想办法整理出一条路，

A recipe for a boring, unmemorable talk.

却没有全局远景。

And this is what most people do,

接着，就迷失了。

they come armed with all of this data

我们把资料丢到一边，然后我问她，

and they try to sort their way through

“你要解决的问题是什么？

without a big picture

and then they lose their way.

你希望大家的想法和感受有什么改变？

在结束的时候，你希望大家的做法 有什么改变？”

We actually put the data aside and I asked her,

你查找资料和讲故事都应该 从这里开始。

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

What do you want people to think and feel different

你先提出这个框架来引导

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

资料和故事的方向。

That is where you start with data and storytelling.

在她的例子中，

她希望自己的公司能够进军新市场，

You come up with this framework to guide the way through

以保持竞争力。

最后，她讲了她女儿的故事，

both the story and the data.

In her case,

她是一名体操运动员， 在争取奖学金，

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

她得学习越来越难的新动作，

to remain competitive.

She ended up telling a story about her daughter,

来保持她的竞争力。

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

你可以选择，

你可以讲只关于资料的故事，

and she had to learn new routines with increasing difficulty

或者你讲个类比的故事，

to be competitive.

从故事中提炼出重点来强调你的资料。

This is one of your choices.

Do you tell a story about the data itself

当你开始谱写这首曲子，

or do you tell a parallel story,

资料和讲故事的旋律以及和谐之感 会结合在一起。

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

在很久之后还会让你难以忘怀。

As you begin this ballad,

this melody and harmony of data and storytelling come together

布里安娜是位升学顾问。

in a way that will stay with you long after.

她被要求向其所属大学做报告，

因为她发现该学校的自闭症学生

Briana was a college adviser.

大部分没有毕业。

And she was asked to present to her university leadership

她来找我，因为她的上司不断说，

“呈现资料，把焦点放在资料上。”

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

但她觉得大学高层的人已经有资料了。

were not graduating.

She came to me because her leaders kept saying,

她在想要怎么帮他们看明白这些资料。

"Present the data, focus on the data,"

所以我们一起想办法， 让她讲述了蜜雪儿的故事。

but she felt like university officials already had the data.

蜜雪儿在高中时各项成绩都是优，

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

梦想着要上大学。

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

蜜雪儿也是患有自闭症的学生，

她非常担心她要如何应对

Michelle was a straight-A student in high school

who had these dreams of going to university.

大学带来的变化。

Michelle was also a student with autism

在她和升学顾问初次通话时，

她最担心的事情发生了。

who was terrified about how she would be able to navigate

因为他问了她像这样的问题：

the changes of university.

“你期待你五年后成为怎样的人？”

Her worst fears came true on her first phone call

“你对职业发展有什么抱负？”

with her adviser,

when he asked her questions like,

这些问题对任何人来说都不容易。

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

但对自闭症患者来说，

and "What are your career aspirations?"

要口头回答这些问题？

Questions that are hard for anybody.

他们只会不知所措。

她挂了电话，准备退学，

But for a person with autism

直到她的父母和她一起坐下来，

to have to respond to verbally?

帮她给她的升学顾问写了一封信。

Paralyzing.

她告诉他，自己患有自闭症，

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

她很难说出这些话，

until her parents sat down with her

and helped her write an email to her adviser.

因为她觉得， 光是说出来，就非常的羞耻。

She told him that she was a student with autism,

她告诉他她更喜欢写信沟通，

which was really hard for her to share

如果他能先把问题寄给她，

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

她就能把答案回复给他，

然后他们再通话，进行不同的谈话。

She told him that she preferred to communicate in writing,

if he could send her questions in advance,

他照她的意思做了，

几周之内，

she would be able to send replies back to him

他们发现他们有许多共同点，

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

比如他们都爱日本动画。

He followed her lead

三个学期之后，

蜜雪儿成为大学里各项成绩顶尖的 出色学生。

and within a few weeks,

they found all of these things they have in common,

like a love for Japanese anime.

此时，布里安娜开始分享一些资料数据，

After three semesters,

指出自闭症学生中只有不到 20%

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

能够毕业。

而这不是因为他们无法应付课业。

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

而是他们不知道

that less than 20 percent of the students with autism

如何应对大学生活。

are graduating.

而这不正是升学顾问 应该要协助的事情吗？

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

以一辈子的时间来计算，

It's because they can't figure out

how to navigate the university,

有大学学位可能赚到的收入

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

比高中学位高了

一百万美金。

That over the course of a lifetime

这金额很大。

但对一个想要

the earning potential of someone with a college degree

脱离家庭独立生活的自闭症患者而言，

over a high school degree

这将改变他们的人生。

is a million dollars.

Which is a big amount.

她最终的收尾是，

But for a person with autism

“我们说我们的热忱和目的

that wants to be able to live independent from their family

是帮助人们成为最好的自己，

it's life changing.

是帮助他们成功。

但我们没有提供我们最好的服务，

She closed with,

"We say our whole passion and purpose

用的仍然是‘一刀切’的方法，

is to help people be their best,

这只会让大家被忽视。

to help them be successful.

我们能，我们也应该做得更好。

But we're hardly giving our best service

还有很多像蜜雪儿这样的人。

by applying this one-size-fits-all approach

我知道，因为蜜雪儿是我的女儿。”

and just letting people fall through the cracks.

在那一刻，在场所有人的下巴都——

We can and we should do better.

There are more Michelles out there,

甚至有人在擦眼泪，

and I know because Michelle is my daughter."

因为她做到了。

她用不同的方式 让他们和资讯产生连结。

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

她让他们看见了 他们将无法再忽视的事情。

And someone even wiped away tears,

只靠资料能做到这样吗？

because she had done it,

she had connected them to information differently,

也许可以，但重点是， 他们本来就有资料了。

she helped them see something they couldn't unsee.

这一次，他们没有理由再忽视资料了。

Could she have done that with data alone?

这就是讲故事和资料的力量。

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

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

把两者用这样的方式整合在一起，

能帮助建立想法，

帮助你看见你无法再忽视的事情。

That is the power of storytelling and data.

帮助传达什么才是最重要的，

That together, they come together in this way

帮助深入到我们靠情绪决策的方式。

to help build ideas,

to help you see things you can't unsee.

当你向前前进，

To help communicate what's valued

以领导者的身份为他人塑造 热情和目的时，

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

不要只靠资料，

要用故事。

As you all move forward,

别等着完美的故事出现。

shaping the passion and purpose of others as leaders,

用你的故事，把它变完美。

don't just use data.

谢谢！

（掌声）

Use stories.

And don't wait for the perfect story.

Take your story and make it perfect.

Thank you.

(Applause)