如何做得更好TED---How to Get Better at the Things You Care About.doc

0:11Most of us go through life trying to do our best at whatever we do,whether its our job, family, schoolor anything else.I feel that way. I try my best.But some time ago, I came to a realizationthat I wasnt getting much better at the things I cared most about,whether it was being a husband or a friendor a professional or teammate,and I wasnt improving much at those thingseven though I was spending a lot of timeworking hard at them.Ive since realized from conversations Ive had and from researchthat this stagnation, despite hard work,turns out to be pretty common.0:50So Id like to share with you some insights into why that isand what we can all do about it.What Ive learned is that the most effective peopleand teams in any domaindo something we can all emulate. They go through life deliberately alternating between two zones:the learning zone and the performance zone.1:09The learning zone is when our goal is to improve.Then we do activities designed for improvement, concentrating on what we havent mastered yet,which means we have to expect to make mistakes, knowing that we will learn from them.That is very different from what we do when were in our performance zone,which is when our goal is to do something as best as we can, to execute.Then we concentrate on what we have already masteredand we try to minimize mistakes.1:35Both of these zones should be part of our lives,but being clear about when we want to be in each of them,with what goal, focus and expectations,helps us better perform and better improve.The performance zone maximizes our immediate performance,while the learning zone maximizes our growthand our future performance.The reason many of us dont improve muchdespite our hard work is that we tend to spend almost all of our time in the performance zone.This hinders our growth,and ironically, over the long term, also our performance.2:09So what does the learning zone look like?Take Demosthenes, a political leaderand the greatest orator and lawyer in ancient Greece.To become great, he didnt spend all his timejust being an orator or a lawyer,which would be his performance zone.But instead, he did activities designed for improvement. Of course, he studied a lot.He studied law and philosophy with guidance from mentors,but he also realized that being a lawyer involved persuading other people,so he also studied great speechesand acting.To get rid of an odd habit he had of involuntarily lifting his shoulder,he practiced his speeches in front of a mirror,and he suspended a sword from the ceilingso that if he raised his shoulder,it would hurt.2:54(Laughter)2:56To speak more clearly despite a lisp,he went through his speeches with stones in his mouth.He built an underground roomwhere he could practice without interruptionsand not disturb other people.And since courts at the time were very noisy,he also practiced by the ocean,projecting his voice above the roar of the waves.3:14His activities in the learning zonewere very different from his activities in court,his performance zone. In the learning zone,he did what Dr. Anders Ericsson calls deliberate practice.This involves breaking down abilities into component skills,being clear about what subskill were working to improve,like keeping our shoulders down,giving full concentration to a high level of challengeoutside our comfort zone,just beyond what we can currently do,using frequent feedback with repetition and adjustments, and ideally engaging the guidance of a skilled coach,because activities designed for improvementare domain-specific,and great teachers and coaches know what those activities areand can also give us expert feedback.It is this type of practice in the learning zonewhich leads to substantial improvement, not just time on task performing.For example, research shows that after the first couple of years working in a profession,performance usually plateaus.This has been shown to be true in teaching, general medicine,nursing and other fields,and it happens because once we think we have become good enough,adequate,then we stop spending time in the learning zone.We focus all our time on just doing our job,performing,which turns out not to be a great way to improve.But the people who continue to spend time in the learning zonedo continue to always improve.The best salespeople at least once a weekdo activities with the goal of improvement.They read to extend their knowledge, consult with colleagues or domain experts,try out new strategies, solicit feedback and reflect.The best chess playersspend a lot of time not playing games of chess,which would be their performance zone, but trying to predict the moves grand masters made and analyzing them.Each of us has probably spent many, many, many hourstyping on a computerwithout getting faster,but if we spent 10 to 20 minutes each dayfully concentrating on typing 10 to 20 percent fasterthan our current reliable speed,we would get faster,especially if we also identified what mistakes were makingand practiced typing those words.Thats deliberate practice.5:23In what other parts of our lives,perhaps that we care more about,are we working hard but not improving muchbecause were always in the performance zone?Now, this is not to say that the performance zone has no value.It very much does.When I needed a knee surgery, I didnt tell the surgeon,Poke around in there and focus on what you dont know.5:43(Laughter)5:44Well learn from your mistakes!I looked for a surgeon who I felt would do a good job,and I wanted her to do a good job.Being in the performance zoneallows us to get things done as best as we can.It can also be motivating,and it provides us with information to identify what to focus on nextwhen we go back to the learning zone.So the way to high performanceis to alternate between the learning zone and the performance zone,purposefully building our skills in the learning zone,then applying those skills in the performance zone.6:15When Beyonc is on tour,during the concert, shes in her performance zone,but every night when she gets back to the hotel room,she goes right back into her learning zone.She watches a video of the show that just ended.She identifies opportunities for improvement,for herself, her dancers and her camera staff.And the next morning,everyone receives pages of notes with what to adjust,which they then work on during the day before the next performance.Its a spiralto ever-increasing capabilities, but we need to know when we seek to learn, and when we seek to perform,and while we want to spend time doing both,the more time we spend in the learning zone,the more well improve.6:54So how can we spend more time in the learning zone?First, we must believe and understandthat we can improve,what we call a growth mindset.Second, we must want to improve at that particular skill. There has to be a purpose we care about,because it takes time and effort.Third, we must have an idea about how to improve,what we can do to improve,not how I used to practice the guitar as a teenager,performing songs over and over again,but doing deliberate practice.And fourth, we must be in a low-stakes situation,because if mistakes are to be expected,then the consequence of making them must not be catastrophic,or even very significant.A tightrope walker doesnt practice new tricks without a net underneath,and an athlete wouldnt set out to first try a new moveduring a championship match.7:44One reason that in our liveswe spend so much time in the performance zoneis that our environments often are, unnecessarily, high stakes.We create social risks for one another,even in schools which are supposed to be all about learning,and Im not talking about standardized tests.I mean that every minute of every day,many students in elementary schools through collegesfeel that if they make a mistake, others will think less of them.No wonder theyre always stressed outand not taking the risks necessary for learning.But they learn that mistakes are undesirableinadvertentlywhen teachers or parents are eager to hear just correct answersand reject mistakes rather than welcome and examine themto learn from them,or when we look for narrow responsesrather than encourage more exploratory thinkingthat we can all learn from.When all homework or student work has a number or a letter on it,and counts towards a final grade,rather than being used for practice, mistakes, feedback and revision,we send the message that school is a performance zone.8:43The same is true in our workplaces.In the companies I consult with, I often see flawless execution cultureswhich leaders foster to encourage great work.But that leads employees to stay within what they knowand not try new things,so companies struggle to innovate and improve,and they fall behind.9:00We can create more spaces for growthby starting conversations with one anotherabout when we want to be in each zone.What do we want to get better at and how?And when do we want to execute and minimize mistakes?That way, we gain clarity about what success is,when, and how to best support one another.9:21But what if we find ourselves in a chronic high-stakes settingand we feel we cant start those conversations yet?Then here are three things that we can still do as individuals.First, we can create low-stakes islands in an otherwise high-stakes sea.These are spaces where mistakes have little consequence.For example, we might find a mentor or a trusted colleaguewith whom we can exchange ideas or have vulnerable conversationsor even role-play.Or we can ask for feedback-oriented meetings as projects progress.Or we can set aside time to read or watch videos or take online courses.Those are just some examples.Second, we can execute and perform as were expected,but then reflect on what we could do better next time,like Beyonc does,and we can observe and emulate experts.The observation, reflection and adjustment is a learning zone.And finally, we can leadand lower the stakes for others by sharing what we want to get better at,by asking questions about what we dont know,by soliciting feedback and by sharing our mistakesand what weve learned from them, so that others can feel safe to do the same.10:26Real confidence is about modeling ongoing learning.What if, instead of spending our lives doing, doing, doing,performing, performing, performing,we spent more time exploring,asking,listening, experimenting, reflecting,striving and becoming?What if we each always had somethingwe were working to improve?What if we created more low-stakes islandsand waters?And what if we got clear, within ourselves and with our teammates,about when we seek to learn and when we seek to perform, so that our efforts can become more consequential,our improvement never-endingand our best even better?11:18Thank you.0：11我们中的大部分人都在尝试尽我们所能做的一切，无论是我们的工作，家庭，学校还是其他任何事情。我觉得这样。我尽力了。不过前段时间，我来到了一个认识，对于我最关心的事情，无论是作为一个丈夫还是一个朋友，还是一个职业或者队友，我并没有好多了，所以我花了很多时间努力工作。我已经从通过谈话和自己的研究意识到，即使努力工作，这种停滞也是很常见的。0：50我想和大家分享一些原因，为什么会这样，我们都可以做什么。我所学到的是，任何领域中最有效的人员和团队，我们都是模仿生活故意在两个区域之间交替的生活：学习区域和表演区域。1：09学习区是我们的目标是提高。然后，我们做音乐设计改进，集中在我们掌握的方面，这意味着我们必须期待犯错误，知道我们将从中学习。这与我们在演出区域所做的工作有很大的不同，当我们的目标是尽可能地做一些事情来执行。然后我们集中在我们已经掌握的，我们尝试1：35这些区域应该是我们生活的一部分，但是要清楚我们想要在每一个人身上，以什么目标，重点和期望，帮助我们更好地表现和更好的改善。性能区域最大限度地提高了我们的即时性能。学习区域最大化了我们的发展和未来的表现。我们许多人不会改善我们的工作的原因是我们倾向于花费我们几乎所有的时间在表演区。这阻碍了我们的成长，讽刺的是，从长远来看，也是我们的表现。2：09学习区是什么样子的？采取Demosthenes，政治领袖和古希腊最伟大的演说家和律师。为了成为伟大的人，他并没有花所有的时间只是一个演说家或律师，这将是他的练习区。他而不是设计改进。当然，他学习了很多。他以导师的指导学习法律哲学，但他也意识到，作为律师的补偿说服别人，所以他仍然学习了伟大的演讲和演艺。为了摆脱一个奇怪的习惯，他不由自主地抬起肩膀，他在镜子前练习演讲，他从天花板上吊起一把剑，如果他抬起肩膀，就会受伤。2:54（众笑）2：56为了尽可能多地说出他的最后一次，他用嘴里的石头讲了他的演讲。他建立了一个地下室，他可以不中断地练习，不要打扰别人。而当时的法庭并没有嘈杂，他也被海洋践踏，将他的声音投射在海浪之上。3：14他在学习区的活动与他在演艺圈的法庭活动截然不同。在学习区，他做了爱立信博士所说的故意做法。这是分解能力的组件技能，清楚什么欢迎来到我们的行动者，充分集中在高级别的挑战外面舒适区，超越了我们现在可以做的，使用频繁的反馈与重复和调整，理想情况参与技术教练的指导，旨在改进的气候是特定领域的，伟大的教师和教练知道whatais活动也可以给我们专家的反馈。正是这种在学习领域的做法导致了实质性的改进，而不仅仅是执行任务的时间。例如，研究表明，经过前几年在职业中工作，表现通常是高原。这在教学，普通医学，护理等领域都是如此，发生在我们我们很好，我们都够好，足够的时候，我们停止在学习区花费时间。我们专注于做我们的工作。继续在学习区度过的人们继续总是在改善。最好的销售人员每周至少进行一次活动，目标是改进。最好的棋手花费大量的时间不玩棋子，这将是他们的表现区域，但试图预测莫斯大师们做出反应。我们每个人都花费了许多，许多，许多小时在电脑上打字，而不会变得更快，但是如果我们每天花费10到20分钟完全专注于打字比我们的Curr快10到20的速度，我们会变得更快，特别是如果我们还确定了我们正在做什么错误和练习打字的话。这是故意的做法。5：23在我们生活的其他部分，也许我们关心的更多，我们正在努力工作，但不是因为我们总是在表演区而改善很多？现在，这并不是说表现区没有价值。非常好当我需要膝关节手术时，我没有告诉外科医生，“在那里打招呼，专注于你不知道的事情。”5:43（众笑）5:44“我们会从你的错误中学到！”我找了一个外科医生，我觉得自己做得很好，我希望她做得很好。在表演区域让我们尽可能地完成事情。它也可以是激励，当我们回到学习区域时，它为我们提供了识别下一步要关注的信息。所以高性能的方式是在学习区和演奏区之间交替，有目的地在学习区中建立我们的技能，然后将这些技能应用于演奏区。6：15当碧昂丝进行巡演时，演唱会期间，她在表演区，但是每当她回到酒店房间，她都会回到学习区。她观看刚刚结束的节目的视频。她确定了改善的机会，她自己，她的舞者和她的相机工作人员。第二天早上，每个人都收到一些笔记页面，然后再进行调整，然后在下一次演出之前的一天工作。这