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

Transcriber: Ivana Korom Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Maria walked into the elevator at work.

瑪莉亞走進工作場所的電梯。

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

她去按按鈕時，手機從手上掉落。

It bounced on the floor and --

手機在地上彈了一下，然後——

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

直接掉進了電梯和樓層之間的縫隙。

And she realized it wasn't just her phone,

她發現，掉的不只是她的手機，

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

還有她的手機卡夾， 裡面有她的駕照，

她的信用卡，她的整個人生。

her credit card, her whole life.

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

她跑去櫃檯找警衛，雷。

Ray was really happy to see her.

雷很高興見到她。

Maria is one of the few people

瑪莉亞是少數每天都會

that actually stops and says hello to him each day.

停下來和他打招呼的人之一。

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

事實上，她是屬於那種 會記住你的生日、

and your favorite food, and your last vacation,

你喜歡吃什麼、 你上次何時休假的人，

not because she's weird,

她不是怪人，

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

她就是真的很喜歡人， 喜歡讓別人感覺被看見了。

She tells Ray what happened,

她告訴雷發生了什麼事， 雷說至少要花五百美金

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

to get her phone back

才能把手機撿回來。

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

當她返回座位時，他則去要報價。

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

二十分鐘後，他打電話給她，

他說：「瑪莉亞，

I was looking at the inspection certificate in the elevator.

我剛看到電梯的檢查證明，

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

下個月就要做年度檢查了。

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

我今天就去請人來做檢查， 你就能不花一毛把手機拿回來。

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

The same day this happened,

發生這件事的同一天，

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

我讀到一篇文章，談到嘉信 理財集團的執行長華特·貝汀傑。

He's describing his straight-A career at university

他說到，他的全優大學生涯

going in to his last exam expecting to ace it,

進入到最後一次考試，他信心滿滿，

when the professor gives one question:

而教授丟出了一個問題：

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

「打掃這間教室的人叫什麼名字？」

And he failed the exam.

他考試沒過。

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

他見過打掃的人， 但從來沒有認識過她。

Her name was Dottie and he made a vow that day

她叫做朵提，而他那天發了誓，

to always know the Dotties in his life

一定要認識他人生中所有的朵提，

because both Walter and Maria

因為華特和瑪莉亞

understand this power of helping people feel seen,

都了解這種讓別人被看見的力量，

especially as a leader.

特別是他們身為領導者。

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

我在奇異（GE）工作時 用過那個故事。

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

我負責幫這間有九萬 員工的企業形塑文化，

in 150 countries.

它是跨一百五十國的企業。

And I found that stories were such a great way

而我發現，說故事是很棒的方法，

to connect with people

可以和人連結，

and have them think,

並讓他們去思考：

"What would I do in this situation?

「換成是我在這個情況會怎麼做？

Would I have known Dottie

我會認識朵提嗎？或我人生中 該認識的朵提是誰？」

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

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

我發現，對任何人， 不論性別、世代，

or their geography in the world,

或身在世界的哪個地方，

the stories resonated and worked.

故事都能產生共鳴且行得通。

But in my work with leaders,

但在我的工作中，我發現 領導人通常會對說故事過敏。

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

They're not sure where to find them,

他們不確定要到哪裡找故事， 或不確定該怎麼說故事，

or they're not sure how to tell them,

或者他們認為他們得要呈現資料， 就沒有任何空間可以說故事了。

or they think they have to present data

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

And that's where I want to focus today.

那就是我今天要談的重點。

因為說故事和資料並沒有那麼互斥，

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

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

它們可以共存，且能 創造出一種抒情搖滾，

that connects you to information differently.

用不同的方式讓你和資訊連結。

To understand how,

若要了解怎麼發生的，

we have to first understand what happens neurologically

我們得要先了解，當你在

when you're listening to a story and data.

聽故事和資料時的神經運作方式。

當你在聽授課或在會議中時，

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

two small parts of your brain are activated,

你的大腦中有兩小部分會被啟動，

Wernicke and Broca's area.

韋尼克區和布洛卡區。

This is where you're processing information,

它們負責處理資訊，

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

也是你聽到資訊之後通常 馬上就會忘掉 50% 的原因。

right after you hear it.

When you listen to a story,

當你聽故事時，

your entire brain starts to light up.

你的整個大腦都會開始亮起來。

Each of your lobes will light up

所有腦葉都會亮起來，

as your senses and your emotions are engaged.

因為你的感官和情緒都參與了。

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

當我說到手機掉到地上砰了一聲，

your occipital and your temporal lobes are lighting up

你的枕葉和顳葉會亮起來，

as though you are actually seeing that falling phone

就好像你真的看到了手機落地，

and hearing it hit with a thud.

且聽見了砰的一聲。

There's this term, neural coupling,

有個詞叫做「神經耦合」，

which says, as the listener,

意思是說，身為聽者，

your brain will light up exactly as mine

你的大腦亮起來的狀況

會和我，說故事的人完全一樣。

as the storyteller.

It mirrors this activity

它會反應出這個活動，

as though you are actually experiencing these things.

就好像你真的經歷了這些事。

Storytelling gives you this artificial reality.

說故事能帶給你這種人造實境。

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

如果你告訴你，比如，在雪中走路，

and with each step,

隨著每一步，

the snow is crunching under my shoes,

雪都在我的鞋子下嘎吱作響，

and big, wet flakes are falling on my cheeks,

又大又濕的雪花落在我的臉頰上，

your brains are now lighting up

你的大腦現在亮起來的狀況 就好似你在雪中走路，

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

經歷這一切。

這就是為什麼你坐著看一場 動作片時，你明明沒有動，

It's why you can sit in an action movie

and not be moving,

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

但你的心跳加速， 好似你就是銀幕上的明星，

because this neural coupling has your brain lighting up

因為神經耦合讓你的 大腦亮起來的方式，

as though you are having that activity.

正如同你在進行那項活動。

As you listen to stories,

當你在聽故事時，

you automatically gain empathy for the storyteller.

你會自動對說故事的人產生同理心。

The more empathy you experience,

你感受到越大的同理心，

the more oxytocin is released in your brain.

你的大腦釋放的催產素就越多。

Oxytocin is the feel-good chemical

催產素是種感覺很好的化學物質，

and the more oxytocin you have,

你的催產素越多，

the more trustworthy you actually view the speaker.

你就會越覺得講者值得信任。

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

這就是為什麼對領導者而言 說故事是很重要的技能，

because the very act of telling a story

因為光是說故事這個動作，

makes people trust you more.

就能讓別人更相信你。

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

當你開始聽資料時， 會發生的狀況就不同。

There are some misconceptions to understand.

有些錯誤觀念，讓我說明一下。

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

首先，資料不會改變我們的行為，

emotions do.

情緒才會。

If data changed our behavior,

如果資料會改變行為，

那我們早就每天都會睡滿八小時、

we would all sleep eight hours and exercise and floss daily

做運動、用牙線、喝八杯水。

and drink eight glasses of water.

But that's not how we actually decide.

但我們不是這樣做決定的。

Neuroscientists have studied decision-making,

神經科學家研究了決策，

and it starts in our amygdala.

決策從杏仁核開始。

This is our emotional epicenter

那是我們的情緒中心， 讓我們能夠感受到情緒，

where we have the ability to experience emotions

且我們的決策是從 潛意識層級就開始了。

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

We make choices to pursue pleasure

我們會選擇去追求愉悅或避開風險，

or to avoid risk,

all before we become aware of it.

在我們意識到之前就選擇了。

At the point we become aware,

當我們意識到時，

where it comes to the conscious level,

決策來到意識層級，

we start to apply rationalization and logic,

我們會開始運用合理化和邏輯，

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

這就是為什麼我們會認為 我們是根據理性在做決策，

not realizing that they were already decided in our subconscious.

卻不知道其實在潛意識中 就已經決定好了。

Antonio Damasio is a neuroscientist

神經科學家安東尼·奧達馬西奧

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

開始研究杏仁核受損的病人。

Fully functioning in every way,

在各方面的功能都完全正常，

except they could not experience emotions.

除了他們感受不到情緒。

And as a result, they could not make decisions.

結果，他們就無法做決策。

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

簡單到如「我要走 這條路還是那條路」

they were incapable of doing,

他們也無法決定， 就因為他們感受不到情緒。

because they could not experience emotions.

These were people that were wildly successful

這些人在杏仁核受損之前

都是各方面十分成功的人士，

before they had the damage to their amygdala

and now they couldn't complete any of their projects

現在他們卻無法完成任何專案，

and their careers took big hits,

他們的職涯受到重挫，

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

全都是因為他們無法感受到情緒， 即我們做決策的地方。

Another data misconception.

還有一個關於資料的錯誤觀念。

Data never speaks for itself.

資料從來就不會不言自明。

Our brains love to anticipate

我們的大腦喜愛做預期，

and as we anticipate,

當我們做預期時，會把 所見所聞中的空白處填補起來，

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

with our own knowledge and experience

用我們自己的知識經歷來填補，

and our own bias.

還有我們的偏見。

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

意即，我對資料的理解 會和你的不一樣，

也和你的不一樣。

and it's going to differ from yours,

because we're all going to have our own interpretation

因為如果沒有方法來引導我們的話，

我們都會有我們自己的詮釋。

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

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

我並不是在說資料不好、故事才好。

They both play a key role.

它們都扮演關鍵的角色。

And to understand how,

要了解怎麼做到，你就得了解 好故事的元素是什麼。

you have to see what makes a great story.

It's going to answer three questions.

好故事能回答三個問題：

The first is:

第一個問題：

What is the context?

情境是什麼？

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

意即：背景是什麼？相關的人有誰？

why should I even care?

關我什麼事？

What is the conflict,

衝突點是什麼？

where is that moment where everything changes?

一切都改變的時點是什麼時候？

And what is the outcome?

結果是什麼？

Where is it different, what is the takeaway?

有什麼不同？要聽者 帶走的訊息是什麼？

A good story also has three attributes,

好故事也有三個特徵。

第一，它會建造張力再釋放張力。

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

So because our brains love to anticipate,

因為我們的大腦喜歡做預期，

a great story builds tension by making you wonder:

好故事建立張力的方式是讓你好奇：

"Where is she going with this?"

「她這樣做到底是要幹嘛？」

"What's happening next," right?

「接下來會發生什麼事？」

A good story keeps you, keeps your attention going.

對吧？好故事能讓你保持注意力。

And it releases it by sharing something unexpected

它釋放張力的方式， 是分享未預期的事物，

在整個故事中會一次又一次這麼做。

and it does this over and over throughout the story.

A great story also builds an idea.

好故事也會建立想法。

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

它能讓你看到你將無法 再忽視的事情。

leaving you changed,

因為故事真的會讓你就此改變。

because stories actually do leave you changed.

And a great story communicates value.

好故事也會傳遞價值觀。

Stanford has done research on one of the best ways

史丹佛做過研究，探討形塑 組織文化最佳的方式之一，

to shape organizational culture,

and it is storytelling,

就是說故事，因為它能展示出 你重視什麼、鼓勵什麼，

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

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

或者你不重視什麼、不鼓勵什麼。

As you start to write your power ballad,

當你開始寫你的抒情搖滾歌曲，

most people want to start with the data.

大部分人會從資料著手。

They want to dig in,

他們想埋頭挖掘，因為 我們通常都有一堆資料。

because we often have piles of data.

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

但當我們這麼做時， 會犯一個常見的錯誤。

I was working with a CEO.

我曾經和一名執行長合作。

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

她來找我協助她準備 公司的年度大會，

and she had 45 slides of data

她有四十五張投影片都是資料，

for a 45-minute presentation.

簡報時間是四十五分鐘。

A recipe for a boring, unmemorable talk.

這個配方絕對能做出一場 無聊、無記憶點的演說。

And this is what most people do,

而大部分人都這麼做，

they come armed with all of this data

他們帶來一大堆資料， 試著想辦法整理出一條路，

and they try to sort their way through

卻沒有全局遠景，

without a big picture

and then they lose their way.

接著就迷失了。

We actually put the data aside and I asked her,

我們把資料丟到一旁，我問她：

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

「你想要解決的問題是什麼？

What do you want people to think and feel different

你希望大家的想法 和感受有什麼改變？

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

在這結束之後，你希望 大家的做法有什麼改變？」

That is where you start with data and storytelling.

你的資料和說故事 都應該從這裡開始。

You come up with this framework to guide the way through

先提出這個架構

來引導資料和故事的方向，

both the story and the data.

In her case,

在她的例子中，

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

她希望她的公司能打入 新市場，以維持競爭力。

to remain competitive.

She ended up telling a story about her daughter,

最後，她說了關於她女兒的故事，

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

她是體操運動員，在爭取獎學金，

and she had to learn new routines with increasing difficulty

她得學習越來越難的新套路， 才能保持競爭力。

to be competitive.

This is one of your choices.

你可以選擇。

Do you tell a story about the data itself

你可以說關於資料本身的故事，

or do you tell a parallel story,

你也可以說個比擬的故事， 從故事中拉出重點，

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

來強調你的資料。

As you begin this ballad,

當你開始寫這首歌曲，

this melody and harmony of data and storytelling come together

資料和說故事的弦律 及和諧感會結合在一起，

in a way that will stay with you long after.

在很久之後還會讓你難以忘懷。

Briana was a college adviser.

布里安娜是升學顧問。

And she was asked to present to her university leadership

她被要求向她所屬大學的 領導階層做簡報，因為她發現

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

該學校的自閉症學生 大部分沒有畢業。

were not graduating.

She came to me because her leaders kept saying,

她來找我是因為她的上司不斷說：

"Present the data, focus on the data,"

「呈現資料，把焦點放在資料上。」

but she felt like university officials already had the data.

但她覺得大學高層的人 已經有資料了。

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

她在想要怎麼讓這些人和資料連結。

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

所以我們一起想辦法， 讓她講述了關於蜜雪兒的故事。

Michelle was a straight-A student in high school

蜜雪兒在高中時各項成績 都很優，夢想著要上大學。

who had these dreams of going to university.

Michelle was also a student with autism

蜜雪兒也是有自閉症的學生，

who was terrified about how she would be able to navigate

她非常擔心

她要如何處理大學帶來的改變。

the changes of university.

Her worst fears came true on her first phone call

在她和升學顧問初次通電話時， 她最糟糕的夢魘成真了，

with her adviser,

when he asked her questions like,

因為他問了她像這樣的問題：

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

「你期望你五年後變成怎樣的人？」

and "What are your career aspirations?"

「你對職涯有什麼抱負？」

Questions that are hard for anybody.

任何人都會覺得這些問題很難答。

But for a person with autism

但要求自閉症患者

to have to respond to verbally?

要用口頭回答這些問題？

Paralyzing.

他們只會目瞪口呆。

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

她掛了電話，準備退學，

until her parents sat down with her

直到她的父母和她一起坐下來，

and helped her write an email to her adviser.

協助她寫一封信給她的升學顧問。

She told him that she was a student with autism,

她告訴顧問，她是有自閉症的學生，

which was really hard for her to share

她很難說出這件事，

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

因為她覺得，光是說出來， 就可能會扯上汙名。

She told him that she preferred to communicate in writing,

她告訴顧問，她比較希望 能用書寫的方式來溝通，

if he could send her questions in advance,

如果他能先把問題寄給她，

she would be able to send replies back to him

她就能把答案回覆給他，

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

然後他們再來通電話， 進行不同的談話。

He followed her lead

他照她的意思做了，

and within a few weeks,

幾週之內，他們發現 他們有許多共同點，

they found all of these things they have in common,

like a love for Japanese anime.

比如他們都愛日本動畫。

After three semesters,

三個學期之後，

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

蜜雪兒成為大學裡 各項成績頂尖的出色學生。

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

此時，布里安娜開始分享一些資料，

that less than 20 percent of the students with autism

資料指出自閉症學生 只有不到兩成能夠畢業。

are graduating.

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

且原因不是因為他們 無法應付課程作業。

It's because they can't figure out

原因是他們不知道 要如何面對大學生活，

how to navigate the university,

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

而這不就正是升學顧問 應該要協助的事情嗎？

That over the course of a lifetime

以一輩子的時間來算，

the earning potential of someone with a college degree

有大學學位可能賺到的收入

over a high school degree

比高中學位高了一百萬美金。

is a million dollars.

Which is a big amount.

這金額很大。

But for a person with autism

但對一個想要脫離家庭 獨立生活的自閉症患者而言，

that wants to be able to live independent from their family

it's life changing.

這能改變人生。

She closed with,

她最後的收尾是：

"We say our whole passion and purpose

「我們說我們的熱忱和目的

is to help people be their best,

是要協助大家變成最好的 自己，協助他們成功。

to help them be successful.

But we're hardly giving our best service

但我們沒有提供我們最好的服務，

by applying this one-size-fits-all approach

用的是「一招適用所有人」的 方法，只的讓大家被忽視。

and just letting people fall through the cracks.

We can and we should do better.

我們能、我們應該做得更好。

還有很多像蜜雪兒這樣的人，

There are more Michelles out there,

and I know because Michelle is my daughter."

我知道，因為蜜雪兒是我女兒。」

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

在那一刻，在場所有人的下巴都——

And someone even wiped away tears,

甚至有人在拭淚，因為她辦到了，

because she had done it,

she had connected them to information differently,

她用不同的方式讓他們 和資訊產生連結，

she helped them see something they couldn't unsee.

她讓他們看見了 他們將無法再忽視的事情。

Could she have done that with data alone?

只靠資料能做到這樣嗎？

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

也許，但重點是， 這些人本來就有資料了。

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

但這次，他們沒有理由 不再去好好看資料。

That is the power of storytelling and data.

那就是說故事和資料的力量。

That together, they come together in this way

把兩者用這種方式整合在一起，

to help build ideas,

能協助建立想法，協助你看見 你將無法再忽視的事情。

to help you see things you can't unsee.

To help communicate what's valued

協助溝通什麼才是重要的，

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

協助深入到我們靠情緒決策的方式。

As you all move forward,

當各位以領導者的身分向前邁進， 為他人形塑熱忱和目的時，

shaping the passion and purpose of others as leaders,

don't just use data.

別只靠資料。

Use stories.

要用故事。

And don't wait for the perfect story.

且別坐著等完美的故事出現。

Take your story and make it perfect.

用你的故事，把它變完美。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）