TED - How To Get Better At The Things You Care About

TED01 - How To Get Better At The Things You Care About

昨天我发布了攻克英语口语的宣言,今天就行动。TED是我们学习口语的好地方，本着学以致用的原则，作为一名教师，我优先选择的内容都是和学习和教学相关的，第一篇是How To Get Better At The Things You Care About

听说过「刻意练习」的人都知道三个概念：舒适区、学习区、恐慌区。How To Get Better At The Things You Care About给出两个概念：学习区和展现区。这里的展现区与舒适区有相近的地方，但还是有让我们感受到不一样的地方：

在学习区，我们希冀进步， 我们为了进步而计划行为， 将精力集中在那些我们还没有掌握的东西上， 我们意识到自己会犯错， 并且知道我们会从中汲取什么教训。 这和我们在展现区做的完全不同，

在展现区我们的目标是做到最好，去执行， 我们在已经掌握的东西上集中精力， 并尽力把错误缩小。

理解了这两个区会对我们的学习有很大帮助：

这两个区域都应是我们生活的一部分， 但是在进入区域之前，想清楚我们进的是哪个区， 我们的目标是什么、精力放在哪、有什么样的期望， 这会帮助我们更好的提升或表现 在展现区将展现最大化， 在学习区将进步最大化 并在未来的展现中将其表现。 我们努力工作却没有太多进步的原因， 是我们往往将时间都花在了展现区里。 这阻碍着我们的进步， 更讽刺的是，长久来看，这也影响着我们的展现。

群体性学习是证明非常有效的方法，我为英语学习突破在蓝墨云班课建立了一个课程，欢迎和我一起学习。

新词

• stagnation

原文及注音

我转化的MP3：链接 密码: 3uqq

Most of us go through life trying to do our best at whatever we do, whether it's our job, family, school or anything else.

məust ɔv ʌs gəu θruː laɪf ˈtraɪɪŋ tuː duː ˈauə best æt wɔtˈevə wiː duː, ˈweðər ɪts ˈauə ʤɔb, ˈfæmɪli, skuːl ɔːr ˈenɪθɪŋ els.

I feel that way. I try my best. But some time ago, I came to a realization that I wasn't getting much better at the things I cared most about,

aɪ fiːl ðæt weɪ. aɪ traɪ maɪ best. bʌt sʌm taɪm əˈgəu, aɪ keɪm tuː ə ˌrɪəlaɪˈzeɪʃən ðæt aɪ wɔznt ˈgetɪŋ mʌʧ ˈbetər æt ðə θɪŋz aɪ keəd məust əˈbaut,

whether it was being a husband or a friend or a professional or teammate, and I wasn't improving much at those things even though I was spending a lot of time working hard at them.

ˈweðər ɪt wɔz ˈbiːɪŋ ə ˈhʌzbənd ɔːr ə frend ɔːr ə prəˈfeʃənl ɔː ˈtiːmmeɪt, ænd aɪ wɔznt ɪmˈpruːvɪŋ mʌʧ æt ðəuz θɪŋz ˈiːvən ðəu aɪ wɔz ˈspendɪŋ ə lɔt ɔv taɪm ˈwɜːkɪŋ hɑːd æt ðem.

I've since realized from conversations I've had and from research that this stagnation, despite hard work, turns out to be pretty common.

aɪv sɪns ˈrɪəlaɪzd frɔm ˌkɔnvəˈseɪʃənz aɪv hæd ænd frɔm rɪˈsɜːʧ ðæt ðɪs stægˈneɪʃən, dɪsˈpaɪt hɑːd wɜːk, tɜːnz aut tuː biː ˈprɪti ˈkɔmən.

So I'd like to share with you some insights into why that is and what we can all do about it.

səu aɪd laɪk tuː ʃeə wɪð juː sʌm ˈɪnsaɪts ˈɪntuː waɪ ðæt ɪz ænd wɔt wiː kæn ɔːl duː əˈbaut ɪt.

What I've learned is that the most effective people and teams in any domain do something we can all emulate.

wɔt aɪv lɜːnt ɪz ðæt ðə məust ɪˈfektɪv ˈpiːpl ænd tiːmz ɪn ˈeni dəuˈmeɪn duː ˈsʌmθɪŋ wiː kæn ɔːl ˈemjuleɪt.

They go through life deliberately alternating between two zones: the learning zone and the performance zone.

ðeɪ gəu θruː laɪf dɪˈlɪbərɪtli ˈɔːltəneɪtɪŋ bɪˈtwiːn tuː zəunz: ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun ænd ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun.

The learning zone is when our goal is to improve.

ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun ɪz wen ˈauə gəul ɪz tuː ɪmˈpruːv.

Then we do activities designed for improvement, concentrating on what we haven't mastered yet, which means we have to expect to make mistakes, knowing that we will learn from them.

ðen wiː duː ækˈtɪvɪtiz dɪˈzaɪnd fɔːr ɪmˈpruːvmənt, ˈkɔnsəntreɪtɪŋ ɔn wɔt wiː hævnt ˈmɑːstəd jet, wɪʧ miːnz wiː hæv tuː ɪksˈpekt tuː meɪk mɪsˈteɪks, ˈnəuɪŋ ðæt wiː wɪl lɜːn frɔm ðem

That is very different from what we do when we're in our performance zone, which is when our goal is to do something as best as we can, to execute.

ðæt ɪz ˈveri ˈdɪfrənt frɔm wɔt wiː duː wen wɪər ɪn ˈauə pəˈfɔːməns zəun, wɪʧ ɪz wen ˈauə gəul ɪz tuː duː ˈsʌmθɪŋ æz best æz wiː kæn, tuː ˈeksɪkjuːt.

Then we concentrate on what we have already mastered and we try to minimize mistakes.

ðen wiː ˈkɔnsəntreɪt ɔn wɔt wiː hæv ɔːlˈredi ˈmɑːstəd ænd wiː traɪ tuː ˈmɪnɪmaɪz mɪsˈteɪks.

Both 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.

bəuθ ɔv ðiːz zəunz ʃud biː pɑːt ɔv ˈauə lɪvz, bʌt ˈbiːɪŋ klɪər əˈbaut wen wiː wɔnt tuː biː ɪn iːʧ ɔv ðem, wɪð wɔt gəul, ˈfəukəs ænd ˌekspekˈteɪʃənz, helps ʌs ˈbetə pəˈfɔːm ænd ˈbetər ɪmˈpruːv.

The performance zone maximizes our immediate performance, while the learning zone maximizes our growth and our future performance.

ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun ˈmæksɪmaɪzɪz ˈauər ɪˈmiːdjət pəˈfɔːməns, waɪl ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun ˈmæksɪmaɪzɪz ˈauə grəuθ ænd ˈauə ˈfjuːʧə pəˈfɔːməns.

The reason many of us don't improve much despite 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.

ðə ˈriːzn ˈmeni ɔv ʌs dəunt ɪmˈpruːv mʌʧ dɪsˈpaɪt ˈauə hɑːd wɜːk ɪz ðæt wiː tend tuː spend ˈɔːlməust ɔːl ɔv ˈauə taɪm ɪn ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun. ðɪs ˈhaɪndəz ˈauə grəuθ, ænd aɪˈrɔnɪkəli, ˈəuvə ðə lɔŋ tɜːm, ˈɔːlsəu ˈauə pəˈfɔːməns.

So what does the learning zone look like? Take Demosthenes, a political leader and the greatest orator and lawyer in ancient Greece.

səu wɔt dʌz ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun luk laɪk? teɪk Demosthenes, ə pəˈlɪtɪkəl ˈliːdər ænd ðə ˈgreɪtɪst ˈɔrətər ænd ˈlɔːjər ɪn ˈeɪnʃ(ə)nt griːs.

To become great, he didn't spend all his time just being an orator or a lawyer, which would be his performance zone. But instead, he did activities designed for improvement.

tuː bɪˈkʌm greɪt, hiː dɪdnt spend ɔːl hɪz taɪm ʤʌst ˈbiːɪŋ ən ˈɔrətər ɔːr ə ˈlɔːjə, wɪʧ wud biː hɪz pəˈfɔːməns zəun. bʌt ɪnˈsted, hiː dɪd ækˈtɪvɪtiz dɪˈzaɪnd fɔːr ɪmˈpruːvmənt.

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 speeches and acting.

ɔv kɔːs, hiː ˈstʌdɪd ə lɔt. hiː ˈstʌdɪd lɔː ænd fɪˈlɔsəfi wɪð ˈgaɪdəns frɔm ˈmentɔːz, bʌt hiː ˈɔːlsəu ˈrɪəlaɪzd ðæt ˈbiːɪŋ ə ˈlɔːjər ɪnˈvɔlvd pəˈsweɪdɪŋ ˈʌðə ˈpiːpl, səu hiː ˈɔːlsəu ˈstʌdɪd greɪt ˈspiːʧɪz ænd ˈæktɪŋ.

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 ceiling so that if he raised his shoulder, it would hurt.

tuː get rɪd ɔv ən ɔd ˈhæbɪt hiː hæd ɔv ɪnˈvɔləntərɪli ˈlɪftɪŋ hɪz ˈʃəuldə, hiː ˈpræktɪst hɪz ˈspiːʧɪz ɪn frʌnt ɔv ə ˈmɪrə, ænd hiː səsˈpendɪd ə sɔːd frɔm ðə ˈsiːlɪŋ səu ðæt ɪf hiː reɪzd hɪz ˈʃəuldə, ɪt wud hɜːt.

To speak more clearly despite a lisp, he went through his speeches with stones in his mouth.

He built an underground room where he could practice without interruptions and 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.

tuː spiːk mɔː ˈklɪəli dɪsˈpaɪt ə lɪsp, hiː went θruː hɪz ˈspiːʧɪz wɪð stəunz ɪn hɪz mauθ.

hiː bɪlt ən ˈʌndəgraund ruːm weə hiː kud ˈpræktɪs wɪˈðaut ˌɪntəˈrʌpʃənz ænd nɔt dɪsˈtɜːb ˈʌðə ˈpiːpl. ænd sɪns kɔːts æt ðə taɪm wɜː ˈveri ˈnɔɪzi, hiː ˈɔːlsəu ˈpræktɪst baɪ ði ˈəuʃən, prəˈʤektɪŋ hɪz vɔɪs əˈbʌv ðə rɔːr ɔv ðə weɪvz.

His activities in the learning zone were very different from his activities in court, his performance zone. In the learning zone, he did what Dr. Anders Ericsson calls deliberate practice.

hɪz ækˈtɪvɪtiz ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun wɜː ˈveri ˈdɪfrənt frɔm hɪz ækˈtɪvɪtiz ɪn kɔːt, hɪz pəˈfɔːməns zəun. ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun, hiː dɪd wɔt Dr. Anders Ericsson kɔːlz dɪˈlɪbərɪt ˈpræktɪs.

This involves breaking down abilities into component skills, being clear about what subskill we're working to improve, like keeping our shoulders down, giving full concentration to a high level of challenge outside 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,

ðɪs ɪnˈvɔlvz ˈbreɪkɪŋ daun əˈbɪlɪtiz ˈɪntuː kəmˈpəunənt skɪlz, ˈbiːɪŋ klɪər əˈbaut wɔt subskill wɪə ˈwɜːkɪŋ tuː ɪmˈpruːv, laɪk ˈkiːpɪŋ ˈauə ˈʃəuldəz daun, ˈgɪvɪŋ ful ˌkɔnsənˈtreɪʃən tuː ə haɪ ˈlevl ɔv ˈʧælɪnʤ ˌautˈsaɪd ˈauə ˈkʌmfət zəun, ʤʌst bɪˈjɔnd wɔt wiː kæn ˈkʌrəntli duː, ˈjuːzɪŋ ˈfriːkwənt ˈfiːdbæk wɪð ˌrepɪˈtɪʃən ænd əˈʤʌstmənts, ænd aɪˈdɪəli ɪnˈgeɪʤɪŋ ðə ˈgaɪdəns ɔv ə skɪld kəuʧ,

because activities designed for improvement are domain-specific, and great teachers and coaches know what those activities are and can also give us expert feedback.

bɪˈkɔz ækˈtɪvɪtiz dɪˈzaɪnd fɔːr ɪmˈpruːvmənt ɑː dəuˈmeɪn-spɪˈsɪfɪk, ænd greɪt ˈtiːʧəz ænd ˈkəuʧɪz nəu wɔt ðəuz ækˈtɪvɪtiz ɑːr ænd kæn ˈɔːlsəu gɪv ʌs ˈekspɜːt ˈfiːdbæk.

It is this type of practice in the learning zone which 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.

ɪt ɪz ðɪs taɪp ɔv ˈpræktɪs ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun wɪʧ liːdz tuː səbˈstænʃəl ɪmˈpruːvmənt, nɔt ʤʌst taɪm ɔn tɑːsk pəˈfɔːmɪŋ. fɔːr ɪgˈzɑːmpl, rɪˈsɜːʧ ʃəuz ðæt ˈɑːftə ðə fɜːst ˈkʌpl ɔv jɪəz ˈwɜːkɪŋ ɪn ə prəˈfeʃən, pəˈfɔːməns ˈjuːʒuəli ˈplætəuz.

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.

ðɪs hæz biːn ʃəun tuː biː truː ɪn ˈtiːʧɪŋ, ˈʤenərəl ˈmedsɪn, ˈnɜːsɪŋ ænd ˈʌðə fiːldz, ænd ɪt ˈhæpənz bɪˈkɔz wʌns wiː θɪŋk wiː hæv bɪˈkʌm gud ɪˈnʌf, ˈædɪkwɪt, ðen wiː stɔp ˈspendɪŋ taɪm ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun.

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 zone do continue to always improve.

wiː ˈfəukəs ɔːl ˈauə taɪm ɔn ʤʌst ˈdu(ː)ɪŋ ˈauə ʤɔb, pəˈfɔːmɪŋ, wɪʧ tɜːnz aut nɔt tuː biː ə greɪt weɪ tuː ɪmˈpruːv. bʌt ðə ˈpiːpl huː kənˈtɪnju(ː) tuː spend taɪm ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun duː kənˈtɪnju(ː) tuː ˈɔːlweɪz ɪmˈpruːv.

The best salespeople at least once a week do 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 players spend 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.

ðə best ˈseɪlzˌpiːpl æt liːst wʌns ə wiːk duː ækˈtɪvɪtiz wɪð ðə gəul ɔv ɪmˈpruːvmənt. ðeɪ riːd tuː ɪksˈtend ðeə ˈnɔlɪʤ, kənˈsʌlt wɪð ˈkɔliːgz ɔː dəuˈmeɪn ˈekspɜːts, traɪ aut njuː ˈstrætɪʤiz, səˈlɪsɪt ˈfiːdbæk ænd rɪˈflekt. ðə best ʧes ˈpleɪəz spend ə lɔt ɔv taɪm nɔt ˈpleɪɪŋ geɪmz ɔv ʧes, wɪʧ wud biː ðeə pəˈfɔːməns zəun, bʌt ˈtraɪɪŋ tuː prɪˈdɪkt ðə muːvz grænd ˈmɑːstəz meɪd ænd ˈænəlaɪzɪŋ ðem.

Each of us has probably spent many, many, many hours typing on a computer without getting faster, but if we spent 10 to 20 minutes each day fully concentrating on typing 10 to 20 percent faster than our current reliable speed, we would get faster, especially if we also identified what mistakes we're making and practiced typing those words. That's deliberate practice.

iːʧ ɔv ʌs hæz ˈprɔbəbli spent ˈmeni, ˈmeni, ˈmeni ˈauəz ˈtaɪpɪŋ ɔn ə kəmˈpjuːtə wɪˈðaut ˈgetɪŋ ˈfɑːstə, bʌt ɪf wiː spent 10 tuː 20 ˈmɪnɪts iːʧ deɪ ˈfuli ˈkɔnsəntreɪtɪŋ ɔn ˈtaɪpɪŋ 10 tuː 20 pəˈsent ˈfɑːstə ðæn ˈauə ˈkʌrənt rɪˈlaɪəbl spiːd, wiː wud get ˈfɑːstə, ɪsˈpeʃəli ɪf wiː ˈɔːlsəu aɪˈdentɪfaɪd wɔt mɪsˈteɪks wɪə ˈmeɪkɪŋ ænd ˈpræktɪst ˈtaɪpɪŋ ðəuz wɜːdz. ðæts dɪˈlɪbərɪt ˈpræktɪs.

In what other parts of our lives, perhaps that we care more about, are we working hard but not improving much because we're always in the performance zone? Now, this is not to say that the performance zone has no value.

ɪn wɔt ˈʌðə pɑːts ɔv ˈauə lɪvz, pəˈhæps ðæt wiː keə mɔːr əˈbaut, ɑː wiː ˈwɜːkɪŋ hɑːd bʌt nɔt ɪmˈpruːvɪŋ mʌʧ bɪˈkɔz wɪər ˈɔːlweɪz ɪn ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun? nau, ðɪs ɪz nɔt tuː seɪ ðæt ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun hæz nəu ˈvæljuː.

It very much does. When I needed a knee surgery, I didn't tell the surgeon, "Poke around in there and focus on what you don't know."

ɪt ˈveri mʌʧ dʌz. wen aɪ ˈniːdɪd ə niː ˈsɜːʤəri, aɪ dɪdnt tel ðə ˈsɜːʤən, "pəuk əˈraund ɪn ðeər ænd ˈfəukəs ɔn wɔt juː dəunt nəu."

"We'll 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 zone allows us to get things done as best as we can.

"wiːl lɜːn frɔm jɔː mɪsˈteɪks!" aɪ lukt fɔːr ə ˈsɜːʤən huː aɪ felt wud duː ə gud ʤɔb, ænd aɪ ˈwɔntɪd hɜː tuː duː ə gud ʤɔb. ˈbiːɪŋ ɪn ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun əˈlauz ʌs tuː get θɪŋz dʌn æz best æz wiː kæn.

It can also be motivating, and it provides us with information to identify what to focus on next when we go back to the learning zone. So the way to high performance is 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.

ɪt kæn ˈɔːlsəu biː ˈməutɪveɪtɪŋ, ænd ɪt prəˈvaɪdz ʌs wɪð ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃən tuː aɪˈdentɪfaɪ wɔt tuː ˈfəukəs ɔn nekst wen wiː gəu bæk tuː ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun. səu ðə weɪ tuː haɪ pəˈfɔːməns ɪz tuː ɔːlˈtɜːnɪt bɪˈtwiːn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun ænd ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun, ˈpɜːpəsfuli ˈbɪldɪŋ ˈauə skɪlz ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun, ðen əˈplaɪɪŋ ðəuz skɪlz ɪn ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun.

When Beyoncé is on tour, during the concert, she's 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.

wen Beyoncé ɪz ɔn tuə, ˈdjuərɪŋ ðə ˈkɔnsə(ː)t, ʃiːz ɪn hɜː pəˈfɔːməns zəun, bʌt ˈevri naɪt wen ʃiː gets bæk tuː ðə həuˈtel ruːm, ʃiː gəuz raɪt bæk ˈɪntuː hɜː ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun. ʃiː ˈwɔʧɪz ə ˈvɪdɪəu ɔv ðə ʃəu ðæt ʤʌst ˈendɪd.

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.

ʃiː aɪˈdentɪfaɪz ˌɔpəˈtjuːnɪtiz fɔːr ɪmˈpruːvmənt, fɔː hɜːˈself, hɜː ˈdɑːnsəz ænd hɜː ˈkæmərə stɑːf. ænd ðə nekst ˈmɔːnɪŋ, ˈevrɪwʌn rɪˈsiːvz ˈpeɪʤɪz ɔv nəuts wɪð wɔt tuː əˈʤʌst, wɪʧ ðeɪ ðen wɜːk ɔn ˈdjuərɪŋ ðə deɪ bɪˈfɔː ðə nekst pəˈfɔːməns.

It's a spiral to 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 we'll improve.

ɪts ə ˈspaɪərəl tuː ˈevər-ɪnˈkriːsɪŋ ˌkeɪpəˈbɪlɪtiz, bʌt wiː niːd tuː nəu wen wiː siːk tuː lɜːn, ænd wen wiː siːk tuː pəˈfɔːm, ænd waɪl wiː wɔnt tuː spend taɪm ˈdu(ː)ɪŋ bəuθ, ðə mɔː taɪm wiː spend ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun, ðə mɔː wiːl ɪmˈpruːv.

So how can we spend more time in the learning zone? First, we must believe and understand that 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.

səu hau kæn wiː spend mɔː taɪm ɪn ðə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun? fɜːst, wiː mʌst bɪˈliːv ænd ˌʌndəˈstænd ðæt wiː kæn ɪmˈpruːv, wɔt wiː kɔːl ə grəuθ ˈmaɪndset. ˈsekənd, wiː mʌst wɔnt tuː ɪmˈpruːv æt ðæt pəˈtɪkjulə skɪl. ðeə hæz tuː biː ə ˈpɜːpəs wiː keər əˈbaut, bɪˈkɔz ɪt teɪks taɪm ænd ˈefət.

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.

θɜːd, wiː mʌst hæv ən aɪˈdɪə əˈbaut hau tuː ɪmˈpruːv, wɔt wiː kæn duː tuː ɪmˈpruːv, nɔt hau aɪ juːzd tuː ˈpræktɪs ðə gɪˈtɑːr æz ə ˈtiːnˌeɪʤə, pəˈfɔːmɪŋ sɔŋz ˈəuvər ænd ˈəuvər əˈgen, bʌt ˈdu(ː)ɪŋ dɪˈlɪbərɪt ˈpræktɪs.

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 doesn't practice new tricks without a net underneath, and an athlete wouldn't set out to first try a new move during a championship match.

ænd fɔːθ, wiː mʌst biː ɪn ə ləu-steɪks ˌsɪtjuˈeɪʃən, bɪˈkɔz ɪf mɪsˈteɪks ɑː tuː biː ɪksˈpektɪd, ðen ðə ˈkɔnsɪkwəns ɔv ˈmeɪkɪŋ ðem mʌst nɔt biː ˌkætəˈstrɔfɪk, ɔːr ˈiːvən ˈveri sɪgˈnɪfɪkənt. ə ˈtaɪtrəup ˈwɔːkə dʌznt ˈpræktɪs njuː trɪks wɪˈðaut ə net ˌʌndəˈniːθ, ænd ən ˈæθliːt ˈwudnt set aut tuː fɜːst traɪ ə njuː muːv ˈdjuərɪŋ ə ˈʧæmpjənʃɪp mæʧ.

One reason that in our lives we spend so much time in the performance zone is 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 I'm not talking about standardized tests.

wʌn ˈriːzn ðæt ɪn ˈauə lɪvz wiː spend səu mʌʧ taɪm ɪn ðə pəˈfɔːməns zəun ɪz ðæt ˈauər ɪnˈvaɪərənmənts ˈɔf(ə)n ɑː, ʌnˈnesɪsərɪli, haɪ steɪks. wiː kri(ː)ˈeɪt ˈsəuʃəl rɪsks fɔː wʌn əˈnʌðə, ˈiːvən ɪn skuːlz wɪʧ ɑː səˈpəuzd tuː biː ɔːl əˈbaut ˈlɜːnɪŋ, ænd aɪm nɔt ˈtɔːkɪŋ əˈbaut ˈstændədaɪzd tests.

I mean that every minute of every day, many students in elementary schools through colleges feel that if they make a mistake, others will think less of them. No wonder they're always stressed out and not taking the risks necessary for learning.

aɪ miːn ðæt ˈevri ˈmɪnɪt ɔv ˈevri deɪ, ˈmeni ˈstjuːdənts ɪn ˌelɪˈmentəri skuːlz θruː ˈkɔlɪʤɪz fiːl ðæt ɪf ðeɪ meɪk ə mɪsˈteɪk, ˈʌðəz wɪl θɪŋk les ɔv ðem. nəu ˈwʌndə ðeər ˈɔːlweɪz strest aut ænd nɔt ˈteɪkɪŋ ðə rɪsks ˈnesɪsəri fɔː ˈlɜːnɪŋ.

But they learn that mistakes are undesirable inadvertently when teachers or parents are eager to hear just correct answers and reject mistakes rather than welcome and examine them to learn from them, or when we look for narrow responses rather than encourage more exploratory thinking that we can all learn from.

bʌt ðeɪ lɜːn ðæt mɪsˈteɪks ɑːr ˌʌndɪˈzaɪərəbl ˌɪnədˈvɜːtəntli wen ˈtiːʧəz ɔː ˈpeərənts ɑːr ˈiːgə tuː hɪə ʤʌst kəˈrekt ˈɑːnsəz ænd ˈriːʤekt mɪsˈteɪks ˈrɑːðə ðæn ˈwelkəm ænd ɪgˈzæmɪn ðem tuː lɜːn frɔm ðem, ɔː wen wiː luk fɔː ˈnærəu rɪsˈpɔnsɪz ˈrɑːðə ðæn ɪnˈkʌrɪʤ mɔːr eksˈplɔːrətəri ˈθɪŋkɪŋ ðæt wiː kæn ɔːl lɜːn frɔm.

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.

wen ɔːl ˈhəumˌwɜːk ɔː ˈstjuːdənt wɜːk hæz ə ˈnʌmbər ɔːr ə ˈletər ɔn ɪt, ænd kaunts təˈwɔːdz ə ˈfaɪnl greɪd, ˈrɑːðə ðæn ˈbiːɪŋ juːzd fɔː ˈpræktɪs, mɪsˈteɪks, ˈfiːdbæk ænd rɪˈvɪʒən, wiː send ðə ˈmesɪʤ ðæt skuːl ɪz ə pəˈfɔːməns zəun.

The same is true in our workplaces. In the companies I consult with, I often see flawless execution cultures which leaders foster to encourage great work. But that leads employees to stay within what they know and not try new things, so companies struggle to innovate and improve, and they fall behind.

ðə seɪm ɪz truː ɪn ˈauə ˈwɜːkˌpleɪsɪz. ɪn ðə ˈkʌmpəniz aɪ kənˈsʌlt wɪð, aɪ ˈɔf(ə)n siː ˈflɔːlɪs ˌeksɪˈkjuːʃən ˈkʌlʧəz wɪʧ ˈliːdəz ˈfɔstə tuː ɪnˈkʌrɪʤ greɪt wɜːk. bʌt ðæt liːdz ˌemplɔɪˈiːz tuː steɪ wɪˈðɪn wɔt ðeɪ nəu ænd nɔt traɪ njuː θɪŋz, səu ˈkʌmpəniz ˈstrʌgl tuː ˈɪnəuveɪt ænd ɪmˈpruːv, ænd ðeɪ fɔːl bɪˈhaɪnd.

We can create more spaces for growth by starting conversations with one another about 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.

wiː kæn kri(ː)ˈeɪt mɔː ˈspeɪsɪz fɔː grəuθ baɪ ˈstɑːtɪŋ ˌkɔnvəˈseɪʃənz wɪð wʌn əˈnʌðər əˈbaut wen wiː wɔnt tuː biː ɪn iːʧ zəun. wɔt duː wiː wɔnt tuː get ˈbetər æt ænd hau? ænd wen duː wiː wɔnt tuː ˈeksɪkjuːt ænd ˈmɪnɪmaɪz mɪsˈteɪks? ðæt weɪ, wiː geɪn ˈklærɪti əˈbaut wɔt səkˈses ɪz, wen, ænd hau tuː best səˈpɔːt wʌn əˈnʌðə.

But what if we find ourselves in a chronic high-stakes setting and we feel we can't start those conversations yet? Then here are three things that we can still do as individuals.

bʌt wɔt ɪf wiː faɪnd ˌauəˈselvz ɪn ə ˈkrɔnɪk haɪ-steɪks ˈsetɪŋ ænd wiː fiːl wiː kɑːnt stɑːt ðəuz ˌkɔnvəˈseɪʃənz jet? ðen hɪər ɑː θriː θɪŋz ðæt wiː kæn stɪl duː æz ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjuəlz.

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 colleague with whom we can exchange ideas or have vulnerable conversations or 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.

fɜːst, wiː kæn kri(ː)ˈeɪt ləu-steɪks ˈaɪləndz ɪn ən ˈʌðəwaɪz haɪ-steɪks siː. ðiːz ɑː ˈspeɪsɪz weə mɪsˈteɪks hæv ˈlɪtl ˈkɔnsɪkwəns. fɔːr ɪgˈzɑːmpl, wiː maɪt faɪnd ə ˈmentɔːr ɔːr ə ˈtrʌstɪd ˈkɔliːg wɪð huːm wiː kæn ɪksˈʧeɪnʤ aɪˈdɪəz ɔː hæv ˈvʌlnərəbl ˌkɔnvəˈseɪʃənz ɔːr ˈiːvən rəul-pleɪ. ɔː wiː kæn ɑːsk fɔː ˈfiːdbæk-ˈɔːrɪentɪd ˈmiːtɪŋz æz ˈprɔʤekts ˈprəugrəs. ɔː wiː kæn set əˈsaɪd taɪm tuː riːd ɔː wɔʧ ˈvɪdɪəuz ɔː teɪk ˈɔnˌlaɪn ˈkɔːsɪz. ðəuz ɑː ʤʌst sʌm ɪgˈzɑːmplz.

Second, we can execute and perform as we're expected, but then reflect on what we could do better next time, like Beyoncé does, and we can observe and emulate experts. The observation, reflection and adjustment is a learning zone.

ˈsekənd, wiː kæn ˈeksɪkjuːt ænd pəˈfɔːm æz wɪər ɪksˈpektɪd, bʌt ðen rɪˈflekt ɔn wɔt wiː kud duː ˈbetə nekst taɪm, laɪk Beyoncé dʌz, ænd wiː kæn əbˈzɜːv ænd ˈemjuleɪt ˈekspɜːts. ði ˌɔbzə(ː)ˈveɪʃən, rɪˈflekʃən ænd əˈʤʌstmənt ɪz ə ˈlɜːnɪŋ zəun.

And finally, we can lead and lower the stakes for others by sharing what we want to get better at, by asking questions about what we don't know, by soliciting feedback and by sharing our mistakes and what we've learned from them, so that others can feel safe to do the same.

ænd ˈfaɪnəli, wiː kæn liːd ænd ˈləuə ðə steɪks fɔːr ˈʌðəz baɪ ˈʃeərɪŋ wɔt wiː wɔnt tuː get ˈbetər æt, baɪ ˈɑːskɪŋ ˈkwesʧənz əˈbaut wɔt wiː dəunt nəu, baɪ səˈlɪsɪtɪŋ ˈfiːdbæk ænd baɪ ˈʃeərɪŋ ˈauə mɪsˈteɪks ænd wɔt wiːv lɜːnt frɔm ðem, səu ðæt ˈʌðəz kæn fiːl seɪf tuː duː ðə seɪm.

Real 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?

rɪəl ˈkɔnfɪdəns ɪz əˈbaut ˈmɔdlɪŋ ˈɔŋˌgəuɪŋ ˈlɜːnɪŋ. wɔt ɪf, ɪnˈsted ɔv ˈspendɪŋ ˈauə lɪvz ˈdu(ː)ɪŋ, ˈdu(ː)ɪŋ, ˈdu(ː)ɪŋ, pəˈfɔːmɪŋ, pəˈfɔːmɪŋ, pəˈfɔːmɪŋ, wiː spent mɔː taɪm ɪksˈplɔːrɪŋ, ˈɑːskɪŋ, ˈlɪsnɪŋ, ɪksˈperɪmentɪŋ, rɪˈflektɪŋ, ˈstraɪvɪŋ ænd bɪˈkʌmɪŋ?

What if we each always had something we were working to improve? What if we created more low-stakes islands and 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-ending and our best even better?

wɔt ɪf wiː iːʧ ˈɔːlweɪz hæd ˈsʌmθɪŋ wiː wɜː ˈwɜːkɪŋ tuː ɪmˈpruːv? wɔt ɪf wiː kri(ː)ˈeɪtɪd mɔːr ləu-steɪks ˈaɪləndz ænd ˈwɔːtəz? ænd wɔt ɪf wiː gɔt klɪə, wɪˈðɪn ˌauəˈselvz ænd wɪð ˈauə ˈtiːmmeɪts, əˈbaut wen wiː siːk tuː lɜːn ænd wen wiː siːk tuː pəˈfɔːm, səu ðæt ˈauər ˈefəts kæn bɪˈkʌm mɔː ˌkɔnsɪˈkwenʃəl, ˈauər ɪmˈpruːvmənt ˈnevərˈendɪŋ ænd ˈauə best ˈiːvən ˈbetə?

Thank you.

θæŋk juː.

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