卡耐基演讲·五、认真准备颁奖辞

“我们已经证实，人类心灵最深挚的渴望是被认可——得到荣誉。”“It has been proved that the deepest yearning of the human heart is for recognition-for honor!"

作家玛娇莉·威尔森的这一句话表达了人们的一种共同的感受。我们都想一生与他人和睦相处，受人称赞。别人的好评，哪怕仅是一个字——更别说是在正式场合里接受别人的赠奖——都能神奇地使人的精神亢奋起来。When Margery Wilson, the author, wrote this she expressed a universal feeling. We all want to get along well in life. We want to be appreciated. Someone else's commendation, if it is only a word-let alone a gift presented at a formal affair-lifts the spirit magically.

网球明星爱尔蒂·吉柏森，就把这份“人类心灵的渴望”极其恰当地用于自传的书名里。她称它为“我要做重要人物”。Althea Gibson, the tennis star, managed to get this" yearning of the human heart" most aptly into the title of her autobiography. She called it, I Wanted To Be Somebody.

我们在做颁奖辞时，是要对接受者重新保证，他真是“重要人物”——他的某项努力已经成功，他应该得到荣誉，我们聚在一起就是给他这份光荣。我们的颁奖辞应该简短，但却应该经过仔细思考，对经常接受荣誉的人来说，这或许意义不大，可是对那些没有那么幸运的人来说，却可能终生记忆鲜明了。When we make a speech of presentation, we reassure the recipient that he really is somebody. He has succeeded in a certain effort. He is deserving of honor. We have come together to pay him this honor. What we have to say should be brief but we should give it careful thought. It may not mean much to those who are used to receiving honors, but to others less fortunate it may be something to he remembered brightly all the rest of a lifetime.

因此，我们在介绍这样的荣誉时，应慎重地选用词语。这里有一套屡试不爽的公式：We, therefore, should give serious consideration to our choice of words in presenting the honor. Here is a timetested formula:

（1）说明是为什么颁奖。也许是因为长时间的服务，或赢得竞赛，或因某一项重要成就。只说明这个即可。1.Tell why the award is made. Perhaps it is for long service, or for winning a contest, or for a single notable achievement. Explain this simply.

（2）讲述得奖人的生活言行，这是听众感兴趣的事。2.Tell something of the group's interest in the life and activities of the person to be honored.

（3）讲述得奖人多么值得领取该奖，大家对他的感情多么热烈。3.Tell how much the award is deserved and how cordially the group feels toward the recipient.

（4）恭贺得奖人，并转达大家对他前途的衷心祝福。4.Congratulate the recipient and convey everyone's good wishes for the future.

对于这类小型的讲演，最重要的就是要真诚，我想不必细说，人人都了解这一点。所以，你若被挑选出来发表颁奖辞，你就已经像那位接受者一样，获得荣耀了，因为你的朋友们知道，能把这份需要心思与头脑的任务托付给你，是不会让你去犯某些演讲家所犯的那些夸大其辞的过错的。Nothing is so essential to this little talk as sincerity. Everyone realizes this, perhaps without saying so. So if you have been chosen to make a speech of presentation you, as well as the recipient, have been honored. Your associates know you can be trusted with the task that demands a heart as well as a head. This must not tempt you to make certain mistakes that some speakers make. They are mistakes concerned with exaggeration.

像这样的一个时刻，最容易言过其实地夸大某人的优点。如果确实值得颁奖，就应该实说，但不宜添油加醋。瞎捧力吹会让接受者难过，更说服不了眼睛雪亮的听众。At a time such as this it is easy to exaggerate someone's virtues far beyond their real measure. If the award is deserved, we must say so, but we should not add words of over-praise. Exaggerated praise makes the recipient uncomfortable and it doesn't convince an audience which knows better.

我们也应该避免夸大奖品本身的重要性，也不要强调它的价值，而应该强调赠奖人的友善心境。We also should avoid exaggerating the importance of the gift itself. Instead of stressing its intrinsic value, we should emphasize the friendly sentiments of those who are giving it.