TED@State Street Boston
David Grady: How to save the world (or at least yourself) from bad meetings
大卫·格雷迪: 如何将世界（或者至少你自己）从糟糕会议中拯救出来
Filmed:
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2,459,605 views
糟糕、低效、人数过多的会议已成为全世界公司都有的一种疫病——它让员工们非常痛苦。大卫·格雷迪有想法来阻止它。
David Grady - Information security manager
David Grady is on a crusade to help you take back your calendar. Full bio
David Grady is on a crusade to help you take back your calendar. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Picture this:
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想象一下：
00:14
It's Monday morning,
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星期一的早晨
00:15
you're at the office,
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你在办公室
00:16
you're settling in for the day at work,
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准备开始一天的工作
00:18
and this guy that you sort of
recognize from down the hall,
recognize from down the hall,
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这时，坐在附近、你勉强认得的那个人
00:21
walks right into your cubicle
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径直走到你的隔间
00:23
and he steals your chair.
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把你的椅子拿走了
00:24
Doesn't say a word —
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并且没有对此说一个字
00:25
just rolls away with it.
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就直接把它推走了
00:27
Doesn't give you any information
about why he took your chair
about why he took your chair
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没告诉你为何那么多椅子摆在那
00:29
out of all the other chairs
that are out there.
that are out there.
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却偏偏拿走了你的
00:31
Doesn't acknowledge the fact
that you might need your chair
that you might need your chair
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不了解你或许需要这把椅子
00:34
to get some work done today.
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来完成今天的工作
00:35
You wouldn't stand for
it. You'd make a stink.
it. You'd make a stink.
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你不能容忍这样的事
00:37
You'd follow that guy
back to his cubicle
back to his cubicle
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你会跟着那人走到他的隔间
00:39
and you'd say, "Why my chair?"
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然后质问：“为什么拿我的椅子？”
00:43
Okay, so now it's Tuesday morning
and you're at the office,
and you're at the office,
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现在是星期二的早晨，你在办公室
00:47
and a meeting invitation pops
up in your calendar.
up in your calendar.
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日历上突然跳出一个会议邀请
00:50
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
00:51
And it's from this woman who you
kind of know from down the hall,
kind of know from down the hall,
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来自于你在走廊里有点头之交的这位女士
00:54
and the subject line references some
project that you heard a little bit about.
project that you heard a little bit about.
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标题栏显示会议是有关一个你勉强听说过的项目
00:58
But there's no agenda.
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但是没有议程
01:00
There's no information about why
you were invited to the meeting.
you were invited to the meeting.
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没有任何信息告诉你被邀请到这个会议的原因
01:03
And yet you accept the
meeting invitation, and you go.
meeting invitation, and you go.
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但你接受了邀请并去参会
01:07
And when this highly
unproductive session is over,
unproductive session is over,
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当这个毫无成果的会议结束
01:10
you go back to your desk,
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你回到自己的办公桌
01:12
and you stand at your
desk and you say,
desk and you say,
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你站在办公桌旁说
01:14
"Boy, I wish I had those two hours back,
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“天，我希望拿回过去的两小时
01:16
like I wish I had my chair back."
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就像我希望拿回我的椅子。”
01:18
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
01:20
Every day, we allow our coworkers,
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每一天
01:22
who are otherwise very,
very nice people,
very nice people,
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我们都在让好心的同事们
01:24
to steal from us.
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从我们身上窃取
01:26
And I'm talking about something far
more valuable than office furniture.
more valuable than office furniture.
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我说的是远比办公室家具更有价值的东西
01:30
I'm talking about time. Your time.
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我说的是时间。你的时间
01:33
In fact, I believe that
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事实上，我认为
01:36
we are in the middle
of a global epidemic
of a global epidemic
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我们正处在一种叫MAS的
01:38
of a terrible new illness
known as MAS:
known as MAS:
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可怕的新型全球性疫病中
01:43
Mindless Accept Syndrome.
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M（盲目）A（接受）S（综合症）
01:46
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
01:48
The primary symptom of
Mindless Accept Syndrome
Mindless Accept Syndrome
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盲目接受综合症的主要症状是
01:50
is just accepting a meeting invitation
the minute it pops up in your calendar.
the minute it pops up in your calendar.
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当会议邀请一出现在你的日历上时就接受它
01:54
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
01:55
It's an involuntary reflex — ding,
click, bing — it's in your calendar,
click, bing — it's in your calendar,
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这是不自觉地反应——叮，点击，哔——把它加到你的日历上了
01:59
"Gotta go, I'm already late
for a meeting." (Laughter)
for a meeting." (Laughter)
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“得走了。我开会已经迟到了” （笑声）
02:02
Meetings are important, right?
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会议很重要，是吧？
02:05
And collaboration is key to
the success of any enterprise.
the success of any enterprise.
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合作是任何企业成功的关键
02:08
And a well-run meeting can yield
really positive, actionable results.
really positive, actionable results.
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一个进展良好的会议可以收获非常正向，可行性高的成果
02:11
But between globalization
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但是在全球化
02:13
and pervasive information technology,
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以及大型信息技术之间
02:15
the way that we work
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我们工作的方式
02:17
has really changed dramatically
over the last few years.
over the last few years.
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在过去几年里已发生了翻天覆地的变化
02:20
And we're miserable. (Laughter)
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然后我们很痛苦 （笑声）
02:23
And we're miserable not because the
other guy can't run a good meeting,
other guy can't run a good meeting,
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我们痛苦不是因为别人不能运作个好的会议
02:27
it's because of MAS, our
Mindless Accept Syndrome,
Mindless Accept Syndrome,
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而是因为MAS，我们的盲目接受综合症
02:30
which is a self-inflicted wound.
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这个病状是我们自找的
02:33
Actually, I have evidence to prove
that MAS is a global epidemic.
that MAS is a global epidemic.
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事实上，我能证明MAS是一种全球性的疫病
02:39
Let me tell you why.
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我来告诉你为什么
02:40
A couple of years ago, I put a video
on Youtube, and in the video,
on Youtube, and in the video,
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几年前我在Youtube上传了一个视频
02:45
I acted out every terrible
conference call you've ever been on.
conference call you've ever been on.
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在视频中我把所有你曾经历的最糟糕的会议情况展现出来
02:48
It goes on for about five minutes,
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时长大约五分钟
02:49
and it has all the things that we
hate about really bad meetings.
hate about really bad meetings.
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包含了一切有关令我们讨厌的会议
02:53
There's the moderator who has
no idea how to run the meeting.
no idea how to run the meeting.
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主持者完全不知道怎样运作会议
02:56
There are the participants who
have no idea why they're there.
have no idea why they're there.
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参会者完全不知道自己为什么参加
02:58
The whole thing kind of collapses
into this collaborative train wreck.
into this collaborative train wreck.
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整件事演变成一场集体脱轨
03:02
And everybody leaves very angry.
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每个人离开时都很愤怒
03:05
It's kind of funny.
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这仿佛挺可笑的
03:06
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
03:08
Let's take a quick look.
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我们来简单看一下
03:10
(Video) Our goal today is to come to an
agreement on a very important proposal.
agreement on a very important proposal.
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（视频）我们今天的目标是就一个非常重要的提议达成一个共识
03:14
As a group, we need to decide if —
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作为一个团队，我们需要决定如果——
03:16
bloop bloop —
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哔 哔——
03:19
Hi, who just joined?
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嗨，谁刚刚加入了？
03:22
Hi, it's Joe. I'm working from home today.
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嗨，我是乔。我今天在家办公
03:25
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
03:27
Hi, Joe. Thanks for
joining us today, great.
joining us today, great.
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嗨，乔。谢谢你的加入，很好
03:30
I was just saying, we have a lot of people
on the call we'd like to get through,
on the call we'd like to get through,
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我刚提到说，我们此次会议有很多人参加
03:33
so let's skip the roll call
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所以我们跳过点名
03:35
and I'm gonna dive right in.
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我就直接开始了
03:37
Our goal today is to come to an
agreement on a very important proposal.
agreement on a very important proposal.
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我们今天的目标是就一个非常重要的提议达成一个共识
03:41
As a group, we need to decide if —
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作为一个团队，我们需要决定如果——
03:44
bloop bloop —
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哔 哔——
03:45
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
03:47
Hi, who just joined?
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嗨，谁刚刚加入了？
03:49
No? I thought I heard a beep. (Laughter)
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没人？我以为我听到了哔声 （笑声）
03:53
Sound familiar?
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听起来很熟悉吗？
03:55
Yeah, it sounds familiar
to me, too.
to me, too.
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这对我来说也非常熟悉
03:57
A couple of weeks after I put that online,
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在我上传视频之后的几星期
03:59
500,000 people in dozens of countries,
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来自数十个国家的50万人
04:02
I mean dozens of countries,
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真的是数十个国家
04:04
watched this video.
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观看了这个视频
04:05
And three years later, it's still getting
thousands of views every month.
thousands of views every month.
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之后的三年，每个月依然有几千次观看
04:08
It's close to about a million right now.
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到现在大约有一百万次了
04:10
And in fact, some of the biggest
companies in the world,
companies in the world,
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事实上有一些全球大公司
04:12
companies that you've
heard of but I won't name,
heard of but I won't name,
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你肯定知道的公司，但我不会说出名字
04:14
have asked for my permission to use
this video in their new-hire training
this video in their new-hire training
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他们征求我的允许想将此视频用于上岗培训
04:18
to teach their new employees how
not to run a meeting at their company.
not to run a meeting at their company.
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来教导他们的新员工们怎样不要在公司里开这样的会议
04:22
And if the numbers —
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如果
04:24
there are a million views and it's
being used by all these companies —
being used by all these companies —
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几百万次的观看记录和已被大公司使用的事实
04:26
aren't enough proof that we have
a global problem with meetings,
a global problem with meetings,
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不足以证明开会已经是全球性问题
04:30
there are the many, many thousands
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在视频被上传之后
04:31
of comments posted online
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有成千上万条评论
04:33
after the video went up.
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发布在网络上
04:35
Thousands of people wrote things like,
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数千人写下这样的话
04:37
"OMG, that was my day today!"
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“我的天，这就是我的今天”
04:39
"That was my day every day!"
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“这是我的每一天！”
04:41
"This is my life."
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“这是我的生活”
04:42
One guy wrote,
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有个人写到
04:43
"It's funny because it's true.
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“这很有趣，因为这就是事实
04:45
Eerily, sadly, depressingly true.
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怪异、可悲、令人沮丧的事实
04:46
It made me laugh until I cried.
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它让我笑到哭出来
04:48
And cried. And I cried some more."
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然后我哭了，哭得更伤心了”
04:51
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
04:53
This poor guy said,
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这个可怜的人写到：
04:54
"My daily life until
retirement or death, sigh."
retirement or death, sigh."
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“这是我直到退休或死亡的每一天，叹气”
04:59
These are real quotes
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这些都是真实的评论
05:01
and it's real sad.
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很令人伤感
05:02
A common theme running through
all of these comments online
all of these comments online
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这些网上评论有一个共同点是
05:05
is this fundamental belief
that we are powerless
that we are powerless
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已认定我们无能为力
05:08
to do anything other
than go to meetings
than go to meetings
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来避免参加这些会议
05:10
and suffer through these
poorly run meetings
poorly run meetings
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避免忍受这些效率很差的会议
05:12
and live to meet another day.
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避免日日如此
05:14
But the truth is, we're
not powerless at all.
not powerless at all.
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但其实我们绝不是无能为力
05:17
In fact, the cure for MAS
is right here in our hands.
is right here in our hands.
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实际上盲目接受综合症的解药就在我们手里
05:20
It's right at our fingertips, literally.
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真的就在我们指尖
05:22
It's something that I call ¡No MAS!
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我称其为“拒绝MAS”
05:26
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
05:28
Which, if I remember my
high school Spanish,
high school Spanish,
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我记得高中学过的西班牙语
05:30
means something like,
"Enough already, make it stop!"
"Enough already, make it stop!"
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这句的意思大概是“已经够了，停止吧”
05:33
Here's how No MAS
works. It's very simple.
works. It's very simple.
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拒绝MAS的做法很简单
05:36
First of all, the next time you
get a meeting invitation
get a meeting invitation
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首先，下次你接到会议邀请时
05:39
that doesn't have a lot
of information in it at all,
of information in it at all,
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那种没有包含任何相关信息的会议邀请
05:42
click the tentative button!
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点击“不确定”按钮！
05:44
It's okay, you're allowed,
that's why it's there.
that's why it's there.
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你是可以这么做的，所以才有这个按钮
05:46
It's right next to the accept button.
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就在“接受”按钮旁边
05:48
Or the maybe button, or whatever button
is there for you not to accept immediately.
is there for you not to accept immediately.
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或者是“或许”按钮，或者是别的什么按钮让你不用立刻同意接受
05:51
Then, get in touch with the person
who asked you to the meeting.
who asked you to the meeting.
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接着，找到那个邀请你参加会议的人
05:55
Tell them you're very excited
to support their work,
to support their work,
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告诉他们你很高兴能支持他们的工作
05:58
ask them what the goal
of the meeting is,
of the meeting is,
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问他们会议的目的
06:00
and tell them you're interested in learning
how you can help them achieve their goal.
how you can help them achieve their goal.
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告诉他们你愿意去学习怎样能帮他们打成目标
06:03
And if we do this often enough,
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如果我们总是这样做
06:05
and we do it respectfully,
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以尊重的态度这样做
06:07
people might start to be
a little bit more thoughtful
a little bit more thoughtful
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人们会在邀请别人参加会议时
06:09
about the way they put together
meeting invitations.
meeting invitations.
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多动点脑筋
06:11
And you can make more thoughtful
decisions about accepting it.
decisions about accepting it.
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你在接受与否时做出更周全的决定
06:14
People might actually start
sending out agendas. Imagine!
sending out agendas. Imagine!
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人们或许能真的开始列出议程， 想象一下
06:17
Or they might not have a conference call
with 12 people to talk about a status
with 12 people to talk about a status
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或者他们不会开一个12人参加的电话会议来讨论数据
06:21
when they could just do a quick
email and get it done with.
email and get it done with.
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而用简单电子邮件就把事情搞定的
06:24
People just might start to change their
behavior because you changed yours.
behavior because you changed yours.
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人们的行为会因为你的改变而随之改变
06:29
And they just might bring
your chair back, too. (Laughter)
your chair back, too. (Laughter)
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他们也会把你的椅子还给你 （笑声）
06:33
No MAS!
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拒绝盲目选择综合症！
06:34
Thank you.
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谢谢
06:35
(Applause).
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（鼓掌）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Grady - Information security managerDavid Grady is on a crusade to help you take back your calendar.
Why you should listen
David Grady is an information security manager who believes that strong communication skills are a necessity in today’s global economy. He has been a print journalist, a “PR guy” and a website producer, and has ghostwritten speeches and magazine articles for Fortune 500 company executives. A mid-life career change brought him into the world of information risk management, where every day he uses his communications experience to transform complex problems into understandable challenges.
David Grady | Speaker | TED.com