讀《FT·金融時報》學英語：如何戰(zhàn)勝公開發(fā)言恐慌癥
My history, and my sympathy for the millions similarly afflicted, means I get cross every time I see dud advice.The Harvard Business Review recently published a piece on the subject in which it suggested the trick is to “leverage our physical bodies to be more present”.I have no idea what leveraging your body involves, but it does not sound comfortable.In any case, being “present” before a speech is a bad idea.What you want to do is to absent yourself as much as possible in the hope of calming down a bit.
我的經歷，以及我對數百萬有類似困擾的人們的同情，讓我每次見到沒用的建議就火大。《哈佛商業(yè)評論》近日發(fā)表了一篇關于這個問題的文章，其中提到克服緊張的訣竅是“調動我們的身體更多地感受當下”。我不知道要怎么調動身體，這聽起來就不舒服。不管怎樣，在演講前感受“當下”都是個餿主意。那時你只想讓自己盡可能脫離當下，以求能稍微冷靜一點。
Even more laughable is the “tip” that you get a good night's sleep beforehand.Quite how one is supposed to do that when the whole point about nerves is that they are incompatible with sleep is not made clear.The more interesting question is which is worse: to zonk yourself with sleeping pills and be groggy in the morning, or to be sleepless and jangly with exhaustion?
更可笑的是這個“訣竅”：你要在演講前一晚睡個好覺。緊張之所以討厭，就在于它讓人睡不好覺，演講前一晚緊張不已的時候究竟如何才能“睡個好覺”，文章倒沒說。更有意思的問題是，下面兩種情況哪一種更糟：是讓自己吃幾片安眠藥睡過去然后第二天早上昏昏沉沉，還是一晚無眠后因筋疲力盡而過度聒噪。
Over the years I have found an answer to this question and have developed a five-step approach to mastering the panic of presentations.
這些年來我找到了這個問題的答案，并且形成了一套掌控演講恐慌的五步法。
First, on the question of substances, I have found the problem with sleeping pills is that they not only remove nerves but also remove all feeling altogether.Being shattered beats being a zombie.
首先，關于是否使用藥物的問題，我發(fā)現安眠藥的問題在于，它在消除緊張的同時，也會把其它感受一并消除。筋疲力盡總好過變成行尸走肉。
Beta blockers, in extremis, work better for calming nerves.So does a small amount of alcohol.For a morning speech a nip from a hip flask may not be quite the thing, but for evening speeches one (or two) glasses of wine take the edge off.
如果非要吃藥的話，用倍他樂克來安撫神經要好一些。喝一點酒也同樣可行。如果早晨演講，從隨身攜帶的小酒壺里喝兩口可能不是太好，但如果演講在晚上，喝上一杯（或兩杯）紅酒確實能安神。
The next tip is to offset the fear of speaking with a larger, more rational one.Once, when cycling to the place where I was due to speak, I narrowly avoided being squashed by a cement mixer.The reminder that I felt no fear at the very real risk of death, and every fear at risk of giving a slightly lame talk shamed me into being less afraid.
我的下一條小竅門是，用一種更大、更理性的恐懼來抵消對發(fā)言的恐懼。曾經，我在騎車去演講現場的路上，險些被一臺混凝土攪拌車撞得稀巴爛。想到自己面對非常切實的死亡風險尚且無所畏懼，對演講可能表現不好的所有恐懼都讓我感到羞愧，害怕之情也隨之減輕。
My third tip is to remind yourself how godawful most business people are at speaking.The usual advice, ensure your speech goes before other people's, only works if the others are unusually good.Otherwise it is better to go later and calm yourself beforehand by watching their substandard performances and noting the audience's boredom.The bar is low: you can easily clear it.
我的第三條小竅門是，想想多數商界人士的演講有多糟。通常教人克服緊張的建議，都是讓你確保自己比別人先發(fā)言，而這只在其他人表現得非常好時才奏效。否則還是晚一點上臺為妙，通過旁觀別人差勁的表現、注意到聽眾對他們的演講感到多么無聊來鎮(zhèn)定自己。大家講得都不怎么樣：你很容易就能達到平均水準。
The fourth piece of advice ought not to need saying: always arrive unfeasibly early.Reduce to zero the risk that speech nerves are compounded by lateness ones.
第四條建議本應是不言而喻的：永遠盡可能地提前到場。杜絕這樣的風險：因擔心遲到而對演講更加緊張。
My final tip is the most painful, but also the most effective.It is to practise in front of the world's most unforgiving audience—a yawning teenager who never laughs at any of the jokes and keeps asking, “How much more of this is there?” Bad rehearsal, good performance.
最后一招最痛苦，但也最有效。就是在全世界最挑剔的觀眾面前演練——一個任何笑料都難以取悅的呵欠連天的少年，還不停地問：“還有多久完事？”糟糕的預演，不錯的表現。
In the long term, there are two things that work better than these five tips put together.The first is experience.The more talks you give the less nervous you get—partly because you improve, but mainly because you work out that the world does not end if things do not go quite to plan.
長遠看來，有兩件事比上面五條加起來還管用。第一就是經驗。講得越多你越淡定——部分原因在于你進步了，但主要是因為你懂得了，情況進展不盡如人意并非世界末日。
Better still is getting old.One of the beauties of being over 50 is that you go post-fear, at least at work.I am still frightened by what is happening in the world.I am still frightened for my children.But I am no longer frightened about myself.
更管用的是年紀漸長。年過五十的一件美事就是你超越了恐懼，至少在工作上是這樣。我仍會被世界上發(fā)生著的事嚇到。我也仍會為我的孩子們擔驚受怕。但我不再會為自己驚慌失措。
我的經歷，以及我對數百萬有類似困擾的人們的同情，讓我每次見到沒用的建議就火大。《哈佛商業(yè)評論》近日發(fā)表了一篇關于這個問題的文章，其中提到克服緊張的訣竅是“調動我們的身體更多地感受當下”。我不知道要怎么調動身體，這聽起來就不舒服。不管怎樣，在演講前感受“當下”都是個餿主意。那時你只想讓自己盡可能脫離當下，以求能稍微冷靜一點。
Even more laughable is the “tip” that you get a good night's sleep beforehand.Quite how one is supposed to do that when the whole point about nerves is that they are incompatible with sleep is not made clear.The more interesting question is which is worse: to zonk yourself with sleeping pills and be groggy in the morning, or to be sleepless and jangly with exhaustion?
更可笑的是這個“訣竅”：你要在演講前一晚睡個好覺。緊張之所以討厭，就在于它讓人睡不好覺，演講前一晚緊張不已的時候究竟如何才能“睡個好覺”，文章倒沒說。更有意思的問題是，下面兩種情況哪一種更糟：是讓自己吃幾片安眠藥睡過去然后第二天早上昏昏沉沉，還是一晚無眠后因筋疲力盡而過度聒噪。
Over the years I have found an answer to this question and have developed a five-step approach to mastering the panic of presentations.
這些年來我找到了這個問題的答案，并且形成了一套掌控演講恐慌的五步法。
First, on the question of substances, I have found the problem with sleeping pills is that they not only remove nerves but also remove all feeling altogether.Being shattered beats being a zombie.
首先，關于是否使用藥物的問題，我發(fā)現安眠藥的問題在于，它在消除緊張的同時，也會把其它感受一并消除。筋疲力盡總好過變成行尸走肉。
Beta blockers, in extremis, work better for calming nerves.So does a small amount of alcohol.For a morning speech a nip from a hip flask may not be quite the thing, but for evening speeches one (or two) glasses of wine take the edge off.
如果非要吃藥的話，用倍他樂克來安撫神經要好一些。喝一點酒也同樣可行。如果早晨演講，從隨身攜帶的小酒壺里喝兩口可能不是太好，但如果演講在晚上，喝上一杯（或兩杯）紅酒確實能安神。
The next tip is to offset the fear of speaking with a larger, more rational one.Once, when cycling to the place where I was due to speak, I narrowly avoided being squashed by a cement mixer.The reminder that I felt no fear at the very real risk of death, and every fear at risk of giving a slightly lame talk shamed me into being less afraid.
我的下一條小竅門是，用一種更大、更理性的恐懼來抵消對發(fā)言的恐懼。曾經，我在騎車去演講現場的路上，險些被一臺混凝土攪拌車撞得稀巴爛。想到自己面對非常切實的死亡風險尚且無所畏懼，對演講可能表現不好的所有恐懼都讓我感到羞愧，害怕之情也隨之減輕。
My third tip is to remind yourself how godawful most business people are at speaking.The usual advice, ensure your speech goes before other people's, only works if the others are unusually good.Otherwise it is better to go later and calm yourself beforehand by watching their substandard performances and noting the audience's boredom.The bar is low: you can easily clear it.
我的第三條小竅門是，想想多數商界人士的演講有多糟。通常教人克服緊張的建議，都是讓你確保自己比別人先發(fā)言，而這只在其他人表現得非常好時才奏效。否則還是晚一點上臺為妙，通過旁觀別人差勁的表現、注意到聽眾對他們的演講感到多么無聊來鎮(zhèn)定自己。大家講得都不怎么樣：你很容易就能達到平均水準。
The fourth piece of advice ought not to need saying: always arrive unfeasibly early.Reduce to zero the risk that speech nerves are compounded by lateness ones.
第四條建議本應是不言而喻的：永遠盡可能地提前到場。杜絕這樣的風險：因擔心遲到而對演講更加緊張。
My final tip is the most painful, but also the most effective.It is to practise in front of the world's most unforgiving audience—a yawning teenager who never laughs at any of the jokes and keeps asking, “How much more of this is there?” Bad rehearsal, good performance.
最后一招最痛苦，但也最有效。就是在全世界最挑剔的觀眾面前演練——一個任何笑料都難以取悅的呵欠連天的少年，還不停地問：“還有多久完事？”糟糕的預演，不錯的表現。
In the long term, there are two things that work better than these five tips put together.The first is experience.The more talks you give the less nervous you get—partly because you improve, but mainly because you work out that the world does not end if things do not go quite to plan.
長遠看來，有兩件事比上面五條加起來還管用。第一就是經驗。講得越多你越淡定——部分原因在于你進步了，但主要是因為你懂得了，情況進展不盡如人意并非世界末日。
Better still is getting old.One of the beauties of being over 50 is that you go post-fear, at least at work.I am still frightened by what is happening in the world.I am still frightened for my children.But I am no longer frightened about myself.
更管用的是年紀漸長。年過五十的一件美事就是你超越了恐懼，至少在工作上是這樣。我仍會被世界上發(fā)生著的事嚇到。我也仍會為我的孩子們擔驚受怕。但我不再會為自己驚慌失措。
