One of the things that defines a TEDster is you've taken your passion, and you've turned it into stewardship. You actually put action to the issues you care about. But what you're going to find eventually is you may need to actually get elected officials to help you out. So, how do you do that?
其中一個 定義TED成員的特點 就是你有熱情, 而且將其轉化為責任感。 你確實為了你所關注的問題採取行動, 但是你終究會發現, 你可能需要找被選舉出來的官員 來幫助你。 那麼,你該怎麼做?
One of the things I should probably tell you is, I worked for the Discovery Channel early in my career, and that sort of warped my framework. So, when you start to think about politicians, you've got to realize these are strange creatures. Other than the fact that they can't tell directions, and they have very strange breeding habits, how do you actually work with these things? (Laughter) What we need to understand is: What drives the political creature? And there are two things that are primary in a politician's heart: One is reputation and influence. These are the primary tools by which a politician can do his job. The second one -- unlike most animals, which is survival of the species -- this is preservation of self. Now you may think it's money, but that's actually sort of a proxy to what I can do to preserve myself.
有件事我可能應該向你們交代一下, 就是早期我曾經在Discovery頻道工作, 在那兒我的思維方式有點被帶壞了。 因此,當你開始琢磨政客, 你必須要體認到他們是一種古怪的動物。 除了沒有方向感, 他們的繁殖方式也很奇特, 你怎麼和這類動物共事呢? 我們需要知道的是: 什麽東西可以驅使這些政治動物? 在一個政客心裡,最重要的有兩件事。 第一,是名聲和影響力。 這是最基本的工具, 政客得靠這些才能工作。 第二,和大多數動物不同的是, 別的動物重視的是族群的生存, 政客重視的則是保護自己。 你可能以為他們需要的是錢, 但錢只不過是種媒介, 有了錢我就可以保護自己。
Now, the challenge with you moving your issue forward is these animals are getting broadcast to all the time. So, what doesn't work, in terms of getting your issue to be important? You can send them an email. Well, unfortunately, I've got so many Viagra ads coming at me, your email is lost. It doesn't matter, it's spam. How about you get on the phone? Well, chances are I've got a droid who's picking up the phone, "Yes, they called, and they said they didn't like it." That doesn't move. Face to face would work, but it's hard to set it up. It's hard to get the context and actually get the communication to work. Yes, contributions actually do make a difference and they set a context for having a conversation, but it takes some time to build up.
現在,要使你的提議有進展,你所面對的挑戰是 每天都有人在報導這些動物。 究竟是什麽讓你的提案顯得不重要呢? 你可以給他們發電子郵件。 呃,不幸地是,我收到了太多 威而剛廣告, 您的郵件被淹沒了。 那不重要,那是垃圾郵件。 那您打個電話如何? 呃,其實我找了個呆瓜接聽電話, “是的,他們來電話了,他們說他們不滿意。” 這樣也沒用。 面對面談也許有用, 但是很難安排。 尤其很難找到合適的場合,讓溝通起作用。 是的,捐款確實有不同效果, 而且他們也創造了談話的背景, 但是需要花時間去落實。
So what actually works? And the answer is rather strange. It's a letter. We live in a digital world, but we're fairly analog creatures. Letters actually work. Even the top dog himself takes time every day to read 10 letters that are picked out by staff. I can tell you that every official that I've ever worked with will tell you about the letters they get and what they mean. So, how are you going to write your letter? First of all, you're going to pick up an analog device: a pen. I know these are tough, and you may have a hard time getting your hand bent around it, (Laughter) but this is actually critical. And it is critical that you actually handwrite your letter. It is so novel to see this, that somebody actually picked up an analog device and has written to me. Second of all, I'm going to recommend that you get into a proactive stance and write to your elected officials at least once a month. Here's my promise to you: If you are consistent and do this, within three months the elected official will start calling you when that issue comes up and say, "What do you think?"
那麼什麽才是真正有效的? 答案很奇怪。 是寫信。 我們活在一個數位世界, 但我們卻是非常重感情的生物。 書信確實有效果。 即便是領頭狗(總統)自己, 每天也要看10封信。 當然是經過手下挑選的。 我可以告訴你,每一個與我工作過的官員 都會跟你說起他們收到過的信件, 以及這些信的意義。 那麼,你該如何寫好這封信? 首先,你要拿起一個可以產生感情的設備,一隻筆。 我知道這事不容易,而且你也可能很難 讓你的手打彎握住一隻筆, 但是這是非常關鍵的。 之所以關鍵是因為 你是用手在寫信。 多新奇啊, 有人真的拿起一個可以產生感情的設備, 而且還給我寫信。 其次,我建議, 你要採取主動, 至少每月一次給你選出的官員寫封信。 我向你保證, 如果你持之以恆, 在三個月內,這個官員就會打電話找你, 當他碰到相關的問題時,他就會問你“你怎麼看?”
Now, I'm going to give you a four paragraph format to work with. Now, when you approach these animals, you need to understand there's a dangerous end to them, and you also need to approach them with some level of respect and a little bit of wariness. So in paragraph number one, what I'm going to tell you to do is very simply this: You appreciate them. You may not appreciate the person, you may not appreciate anything else, but maybe you appreciate the fact that they've got a tough gig. When animals are going to make a point, they make the point. They don't spend a lot of time dicking around. So, here you go. (Laughter) Paragraph number two: You may actually have to just get very blunt and say what's really on your mind. When you do this, don't attack people; you attack tactics. Ad hominem attacks will get you nowhere. Paragraph number three: When animals are attacked or cornered, they will fight to the death, so you have to give them an exit. Most of the time, if they have an exit strategy, they should take it. "Obviously, you're intelligent. If you had the right information, you would have done the right thing." (Laughter) Lastly, you want to be the nurturing agent. You're the safe place to come in to. So, in paragraph number four, you're going to tell people, "If no one is providing you with this information, let me help." (Laughter)
現在,我要給你們 一個四段落的格式。 當你接觸這些動物時, 你要瞭解,他們也有危險的地方, 你在靠近他們的時候要保持 某種程度的尊重和一些警覺。 因此,在第一段, 我要告訴你們的非常簡單,就是 讚賞他們。 你可以不讚賞這個人,或者別的什麽, 但也許你該讚賞一個事實,就是他們重任在身。 當這些動物特別重視某事時,他們直奔主題。 他們不會花時間繞圈子。 所以,就是這樣。 第二段, 你可以真正地直言不諱, 說說你真正在意的事。 當你說的時候, 不要對人, 只是對事。 人身攻擊不會有任何效果。 第三段: 當這些動物受到攻擊或被逼到絕路, 他們會抵死反抗, 所以你必須給他們一個退路。 大多數時候,如果給他們一個退路,他們一般都會接受。 (假裝寫信的內容:)“顯然,以您的聰明才智, 如果您得到正確情報, 您肯定會把事辦好。” 最後,你要扮演教養者的角色。 你是一個可以投奔的安全所在。 因此,在第四段, 你要告訴他們, “如果沒人向您提供這個訊息,讓我來幫助您。”
Animals do displays. They do two things: They warn you or they try to attract you and say, "We need to mate." You're going to do that by the way you sign your letter. You do a number of things: you're a vice president, you volunteer, you do something else. Why is is this important? Because this establishes the two primary criteria for the political creature: that you have influence in a large sphere, and that my preservation depends on you.
動物會主動表現自己,這表示兩件事, 要麼是警告你,要麼是試圖吸引你, 告訴你“來約會吧。” 你表現的方式就是在信上署名。 你做過很多事,你是一個副總裁, 你做過義工,你還做過別的什麽。 爲什麽署名這麼重要? 因為這樣就符合 對政治動物而言的兩個重要準則, 即你有廣泛的影響力, 以及我的生存仰賴於你。
Here is one very quick hack, especially for the feds in the audience. Here's how you mail your letter. First of all, you send the original to the district office. So, you send the copy to the main office. If they follow protocol, they'll pick up the phone and say, "Hey, do you have the original?" Then some droid in the back puts the name on a tickler and says, "Oh, this is an important letter." And you actually get into the folder that the elected official actually has to read.
還有一個小竅門, 尤其針對在座的聯邦政府官員。 你應該這樣郵寄你的書信。 首先,你把正本郵寄到地區辦公室, 然後把副本寄到他的上級單位。 如果他們照章辦事,他們會拿起電話問,“你那兒有正本嗎?” 然後裡頭某個呆瓜就會在貼紙上寫上名字, 說,“哦,這是一封很重要的信。” 這樣你的信就真的被放到 官員會看到的公文匣裡了。
So, what your letter means: I've got to tell you, we are all in a party, and political officials are the pinatas. (Laughter) We are harangued, lectured to, sold, marketed, but a letter is actually one of the few times that we have honest communication. I got this letter when I was first elected, and I still carry it to every council meeting I go to. This is an opportunity at real dialogue, and if you have stewardship and want to communicate, that dialogue is incredibly powerful. So when you do that, here's what I can promise: You're going to be the 800 pound gorilla in the forest.
那麼,你的信有啥意義呢? 我必須告訴你,我們都是在一個大派對裡, 而政治動物就是PINATAS (PINATAS:陶土或紙做成的彩罐,裝有糖果或禮物,高吊起來,讓蒙著眼睛的人用棒子打碎)(觀眾笑聲) 我們老是聽到長篇大論,滔滔不絕, 老王賣瓜,自賣自誇。 但是一封信是真正少有的機會, 讓我們可以坦誠的溝通。 在我第一次當選時收到了這樣一封信, 而且我至今仍帶著它, 出席每次議會。 這才是真正對話的機會。 而如果你有責任感, 想要溝通, 這種對話的力量之大令人難以相信。 因此,當你這樣做時,我可以保證; 你將成為雨林裡800磅重的大猩猩。
Get writing.
動手寫信吧。
(Applause)
(觀眾掌聲)