卡耐基演講·一、練習(xí)即席演講的技巧

任何常人、能控制自己的人，都能夠發(fā)表令人接受、有時(shí)還是很精彩的即席演講。當(dāng)然有幾個(gè)方法，可以幫助你在突然被人邀請(qǐng)講幾句話時(shí)流暢地表達(dá)自己。其一是采用一些著名演員使用過的一種方法。Anyone of normal intelligence who possesses a fair portion of self-control can make an acceptable, often a brilliant, impromptu talk-which simply means "talking off the cuff". There are several ways you can improve your ability to express yourself fluently when called upon suddenly to say a few words. One method is to use a device that some famous movie actors used.

很多年前，道格拉斯·費(fèi)班克為《美國》雜志寫了篇文章，敘述了一種益智游戲。在兩年的時(shí)間里，查理·卓別林、瑪麗·皮克福和他幾乎每晚都玩。這不僅僅是游戲，也包含演講技巧里最困難的練習(xí)——站著思考。根據(jù)費(fèi)班克寫的，這個(gè)“游戲”這樣進(jìn)行：Years ago Douglas Fairbanks wrote an article for American Magazine in which he described a game of wits he, Charlie Chaplin, and Mary Piekford played almost every night for two years. It was more than a game. It was practice in that most difficult of all speaking arts-thinking on one's feet. As Fairbanks wrote, the" game" went like this:

“我們每個(gè)人各在一張小紙條上寫下一個(gè)題目，然后把紙條折起，混在一塊兒。一個(gè)人抽出題目，要求馬上站起來用那個(gè)題目說上一分鐘。同一題目不可以用兩次。一天晚上，我必須談‘燈罩’。如果你以為容易，不妨試試。不過，好歹我總算過了關(guān)。Each of us would write a subject on a slip of paper. Then we folded the slips and shook them up. One would draw. Immediately he would have to stand and talk for sixty seconds on that subject. We never used the same subject twice. One night I had to talk on "lampshades." Just try it if you think it is easy. I got through somehow.

“重要的是，從我們開始玩這個(gè)游戲以來，我們都變得機(jī)敏多了。對(duì)于五花八門的題目，我們也有了更多的了解。但是，更有用的是，我們都學(xué)會(huì)了在瞬間就能根據(jù)任何題目收集自己的知識(shí)和思想，我們學(xué)會(huì)了怎樣站著思考?！盉ut the point is all three of us have sharpened up since we began the game. We know a lot more about a variety of miscellaneous subjects. But, far better than that, we are learning to assemble our knowledge and thoughts on any topic at a moment's notice. We are learning how to think on our feet.

在我的訓(xùn)練班里，我會(huì)經(jīng)常請(qǐng)我的學(xué)生起來即席演講。我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)告訴我，這種練習(xí)有這樣兩個(gè)作用： ——它可以增強(qiáng)班上學(xué)員的信心，讓他們相信自己能夠站著思考; ——這種經(jīng)驗(yàn)讓他們?cè)谧饔袦?zhǔn)備的講演時(shí)，更不慌不忙，更有十足的信心。Several times during my course the class members are asked to talk impromptu. Long experience has taught me that this kind of practice does two things: (1) it proves to the people in the class that they can think on their feet, and (2) this experience makes them much more secure and confident when they are giving their prepared talks.

他們知道，就算在作有準(zhǔn)備的演講時(shí)，也會(huì)有腦中突然一片空白這樣糟糕的情況發(fā)生，但是，他們有即席講演的根基，就還能條理清晰地談話，直到重新回到原來的話題上。They realize that, if the worst should happen and they experience a blackout while giving their prepared material, they still can talk intelligently on an impromptu basis until they get back on the track again.

所以，班上總會(huì)給學(xué)生這樣的通知：“今晚將給你們不同的題目進(jìn)行演講，但要到站起來時(shí)你才會(huì)知道自己的題目是什么。祝大家好運(yùn)！”So, at one time or another, the class member hears, "Tonight each of you will be given a different subject on which to talk. You won't know what it is until you stand up to speak. Good luck!"

結(jié)果會(huì)是這樣：會(huì)計(jì)師發(fā)現(xiàn)自己要講做廣告，而廣告銷售員發(fā)現(xiàn)要講幼稚園；也許老師的題目是銀行業(yè)務(wù)，而銀行家的題目卻是學(xué)校教學(xué)；伙計(jì)也被指定談生產(chǎn)，而生產(chǎn)專家則要討論運(yùn)輸。What happens? An accountant finds he is called on to speak about advertising. An advertising salesman has to talk on kindergartens. A schoolteacher's topic may be banking, and a banker's topic may be schoolteacher's. A clerk may be assigned to talk on production, and a production expert may be asked to discuss transportation.

他們是不是覺得很難而最終放棄呢？Do they hang their heads, and give up? Never!

從沒有發(fā)生過這樣的事情！他們不把自己當(dāng)做是這方面的權(quán)威，而是深思熟慮之后，把題目和他們熟悉的知識(shí)聯(lián)系起來。開始嘗試這種方法的時(shí)候，他們也許講得不是很好，可是他們有勇氣站起來了，并且張開嘴講話了！有些人覺得簡單些，有些人覺得困難些，但總的來說，是一種興奮和刺激。他們看見自己竟然可以運(yùn)用不敢相信自己會(huì)擁有的能力。They don't pretend to be authorities. They work the subjects around to fit their knowledge of something familiar to them. In their first efforts, they may not give a fine talk. But they do get up; they do talk. For some it is easy; for some it is hard, but they don't give up; they all find that they can do far better than they'd thought they would. This is thrilling to them. They see that they can develop an ability which they didn't believe they had.

他們都能做到這些，我相信人人都可以做到——用你的意志力與信心——越多地嘗試，你越會(huì)覺得簡單。I believe that if they can do this, anybody can do it-with will power and confidence-and that the more often one tries to do it, the easier it will be.

我們的另一個(gè)方法，是即席講演的聯(lián)結(jié)技巧。這是我們訓(xùn)練班一個(gè)十分刺激的特點(diǎn)。我們告訴一個(gè)學(xué)生，要他以他能想出來的最奇妙的方式來講述一個(gè)故事。比如：“前幾天我正駕著直升機(jī)，突然，一大群飛碟朝我靠近，我被迫下降。不料靠近的飛碟里，有個(gè)小人開始向我開火。我……”Another method we use to train people to speak on their feet is the linkage technique of impromptu speaking. It is a stimulating feature of one of our class sessions. One class member is told to begin a story in the most fantastic terms he can invent. For instance he might say, "The other day I was piloting my helicopter when I noticed a swarm of flying saucers approaching. I started to descend. But a little man in the nearest saucer started to open fife. I ... "

鈴聲響起，這個(gè)人的時(shí)間到了。然后另一個(gè)學(xué)生繼續(xù)，必須把故事接下去。等到每個(gè)人都講完，這個(gè)故事也許結(jié)束在火星的運(yùn)河邊，或是在國會(huì)的大廳里了。At this point a bell sounds indicating the end of this speaker's time, and the next class member in line must continue the story. By the time everyone in the class has contributed his share, the action may end along the canals of Mars or in the halls of Congress.

這種方法，用于培養(yǎng)即席演講技巧的效果很好。一個(gè)人能獲得越多的這種練習(xí)，當(dāng)他必須發(fā)表演講時(shí)，他就越能輕車熟路地應(yīng)付可能發(fā)生的任何情況。This method of developing skill in speaking without preparation is admirable as a training device. The more such practice a person gets the better he will be qualified to meet the real situations that may arise when he has to speak "for keeps" in his business and social life.