卡耐基演讲·一、练习即席演讲的技巧

任何常人、能控制自己的人，都能够发表令人接受、有时还是很精彩的即席演讲。当然有几个方法，可以帮助你在突然被人邀请讲几句话时流畅地表达自己。其一是采用一些著名演员使用过的一种方法。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·费班克为《美国》杂志写了篇文章，叙述了一种益智游戏。在两年的时间里，查理·卓别林、玛丽·皮克福和他几乎每晚都玩。这不仅仅是游戏，也包含演讲技巧里最困难的练习——站着思考。根据费班克写的，这个“游戏”这样进行：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:

“我们每个人各在一张小纸条上写下一个题目，然后把纸条折起，混在一块儿。一个人抽出题目，要求马上站起来用那个题目说上一分钟。同一题目不可以用两次。一天晚上，我必须谈‘灯罩’。如果你以为容易，不妨试试。不过，好歹我总算过了关。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，从我们开始玩这个游戏以来，我们都变得机敏多了。对于五花八门的题目，我们也有了更多的了解。但是，更有用的是，我们都学会了在瞬间就能根据任何题目收集自己的知识和思想，我们学会了怎样站着思考。”But 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.

在我的训练班里，我会经常请我的学生起来即席演讲。我的经验告诉我，这种练习有这样两个作用： ——它可以增强班上学员的信心，让他们相信自己能够站着思考; ——这种经验让他们在作有准备的讲演时，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.

他们知道，就算在作有准备的演讲时，也会有脑中突然一片空白这样糟糕的情况发生，但是，他们有即席讲演的根基，就还能条理清晰地谈话，直到重新回到原来的话题上。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，班上总会给学生这样的通知：“今晚将给你们不同的题目进行演讲，但要到站起来时你才会知道自己的题目是什么。祝大家好运！”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!"

结果会是这样：会计师发现自己要讲做广告，而广告销售员发现要讲幼稚园；也许老师的题目是银行业务，而银行家的题目却是学校教学；伙计也被指定谈生产，而生产专家则要讨论运输。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.

他们是不是觉得很难而最终放弃呢？Do they hang their heads, and give up? Never!

从没有发生过这样的事情！他们不把自己当做是这方面的权威，而是深思熟虑之后，把题目和他们熟悉的知识联系起来。开始尝试这种方法的时候，他们也许讲得不是很好，可是他们有勇气站起来了，并且张开嘴讲话了！有些人觉得简单些，有些人觉得困难些，但总的来说，是一种兴奋和刺激。他们看见自己竟然可以运用不敢相信自己会拥有的能力。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.

他们都能做到这些，我相信人人都可以做到——用你的意志力与信心——越多地尝试，你越会觉得简单。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.

我们的另一个方法，是即席讲演的联结技巧。这是我们训练班一个十分刺激的特点。我们告诉一个学生，要他以他能想出来的最奇妙的方式来讲述一个故事。比如：“前几天我正驾着直升机，突然，一大群飞碟朝我靠近，我被迫下降。不料靠近的飞碟里，有个小人开始向我开火。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 ... "

铃声响起，这个人的时间到了。然后另一个学生继续，必须把故事接下去。等到每个人都讲完，这个故事也许结束在火星的运河边，或是在国会的大厅里了。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.

这种方法，用于培养即席演讲技巧的效果很好。一个人能获得越多的这种练习，当他必须发表演讲时，他就越能轻车熟路地应付可能发生的任何情况。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.