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29. The Fundamentals of Public Speaking
演講的基本要素
What is the most terrifying experience for most people?
對大多數人來說，什么是最可怕的經驗呢？
Is it drowning? Is it falling from a high place to their death?
是溺水嗎？還是從高處掉下來摔死呢？
Is it being attacked by wild dogs?
或者是被野狗攻擊呢？
Though these experiences would certainly frighten most people, according to a recent poll, most people fear standing on a stage in front of a group of people to deliver a speech more than anything else, including the above life-threatening scenarios!
雖然這些經驗的確會嚇著很多人，然而，根據最近的一項調查指出，大多數人最害怕的一件事莫過于站在臺上面對大眾發表演說，害怕的程度甚至比上述要人命的情節還要高。
What is going on here?
到底是怎么一回事呢？
Why is public speaking so menacing to most people?
為什么演講會這么的令人害怕呢？
Coaches of public speaking are fond of noting that public speaking "is an unnatural act."
教授演講術的人喜歡把演講說成“是一種不自然的行為”。
This is a tongue-in-cheek definition.
這種定義有嘲諷的意味。
Though people usually think of kinky sex as an "unnatural act," public speaking is in one important way unnatural.
雖然大家通常會把怪異的性行為才當作是“不自然的行為”，但嚴格地來說，演講也是不自然的。
Human communication is inseparable from the human condition; that is, we actually spend more time in communicating with others (including listening to prerecorded spoken information) than we do anything else except breathing.
人際溝通與人類的生活情況是密不可分的；也就是說，除了呼吸之外，我們花在與他人溝通的時間（包括收聽事先錄好的訊息）實際上比花在任何事情上的時間都還多。
There is, in other words, nothing unnatural in communicating.
換言之，溝通根本就是一件很自然的事。
Standing on a stage in front of a group of people to deliver a speech, however, is certainly unnatural.
不過，站在臺上面對一群人作演講確實是一件很不自然的事。
In no other situation do so many humans have to keep quiet, watch the speaker attentively, and keep their minds on the message without an opportunity to respond.
只有在演講的場合，才有那么多人得靜下來全神貫注地看著演講人，專心聆聽演講內容，而且還沒有機會發問。
In no other situation can one speaker command the silence of an entire group of people.
也只有在這樣的場合，演講人才能掌控整個聽眾的肅靜氣氛。
The responsibility on both sides is taxing; hence, the very act of speaking in public breaks the natural rules of human discourse and is thus unnatural.
演講人與聽眾雙方的責任蠻艱巨的。因此，在公眾前演講這個行為已經違反了人際交談的自然法則，因而不是自然的行為。
The result of this unnatural act is to make both the speaker and the audience somewhat nervous in their new roles as dominant speaker and submissive audience.
這種不自然的行為結果使得演講者和聽眾皆對于他們的新角色——即演講人很強勢，而聽眾則很順從——變得有些緊張起來。
Most people do not understand the mechanics of crowd control or public speaking and are terrified by even the notion of appearing alone in front of what many perceive as a hostile group of people.
大部份的人都不懂得如何掌握群眾和演說的技巧，因此一想到要單獨站在這群他們認為具有敵意的群眾面前，便感到害怕。
Actually, the audience should be pitied, not the speaker.
事實上，該受到同情的是觀眾而不是演講人。
Who wants to sit through a long, boring speech?
誰愿意從頭到尾坐著聽冗長又無聊的演講呢？
Who wants to sit and have to listen, without the chance to respond to the speaker?
誰又愿意必須坐著聽講卻沒有機會向演講人發問呢？
Accomplished public speakers learn to accept the tension between the audience and the stage and work with it.
經驗老道的演講人就會學習去接受他與聽眾之間的緊張關系，進而尋求因應之道。
These savvy speakers have some tips for novice speakers.
這些演講老手有一些秘訣可供新手參考。
An obvious suggestion is to be well prepared.
眾人皆知的一個建議就是準備要充分。
Though it is not a good idea to write out a speech and memorize it (this is a recitation, not a speech) , preparing an outline of the main ideas of the topic in logical order is.
雖然把全部的演講內容寫下來并背下來不是一個好方法（這是背書，而非演講），但是按邏輯順序寫下演講大綱卻不失為一個好點子。
Further, practicing the speech out loud will help the speaker identify the strong and weak parts of the speech.
再者，大聲演練講稿也可以幫助演講人知道演講內容的強弱之處。
Another good idea is to face the audience.
另一個好主意就是要面對聽眾。
The audience, after all, is the object of the endeavor.
畢竟，聽眾是你得努力面對的對象。
By noting their expressions, a speaker can often monitor whether he is speaking loudly enough, too quickly or slowly, at too difficult a level, etc.
即由觀察聽眾的表情，演講人就可以知道他的音量是否夠大，說得太快還是太慢，程度是否過難等等。
"Sweeping" the audience with one's attention —— looking at all sections of the audience at one time or another and regularly —— helps the audience keep its attention focused on the speaker.
用心掃瞄聽眾——不時并經?？粗鹘锹涞穆牨姟梢詭椭牨姲炎⒁饬性谘葜v人身上。
The most important of these suggestions, however, is simply to be sincere.
不過最重要的建議就是要誠懇。
The 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said, "You can fool some of the people all of the time.
美國第十六任總統林肯曾說：“你可以永遠欺騙某些人，
You can fool all of the people some of the time. But you can't fool all of the people all of the time."
你也可以欺騙所有人于一時，但是你卻無法永遠欺騙所有人。”
These profound words are applicable to speakers in public.
這些意義深奧的話也適用于在公眾面前演講的人。
Since the audience is observing and listening to the speaker closely, it is virtually impossible for a speaker to fake sounding confident if he is not, nor is it possible for the speaker to convince an audience of his conviction if he himself is not convinced.
由于聽眾會仔細觀察演講人并聆聽他的演講，所以如果演講人若不夠自信，要裝成有自信的樣子幾乎是不可能的。同樣地，如果演說者對自己的論點都無法信服，也就不可能讓聽眾信服了。
Following the simple tips listed above will improve a speaker's performance in public.
遵守上述簡單的建議將可以改善演講者在大眾面前的表現。
Like any other skill or art, the more one practices, the better he is likely to become.
像學習其它的技術或藝術一樣，一個人練得越勤就越棒。
Public speaking is not only for speech contests; all professionals must present themselves in public sooner or later.
演講不光是為了演講比賽而已，各行各業的人遲早都得面對大眾。
Rather than shirking the opportunity to speak, seize it and make the most of it the next time fortune knocks.
與其逃避演講的機會，倒不如在下次幸運之神降臨身上時，抓住機會好好發揮一下吧。
