卡耐基演講·二、對自己要講的題目充滿熱情

當(dāng)然，不是說你有資格談的話題就一定會引起聽眾的興趣。比如說，我是一個“自己動手”的忠實實踐者，那我確實有資格談?wù)勏幢P子的事。可是我并不熱衷于此，事實上是我一點都不愿去想它，你能肯定我能把這個題目講好嗎？但是，我卻聽過家庭主婦們——也就是家庭主管們——把這個題目說得精彩極了。她們心里或者對永遠洗不完的盤子有股怒火，或者發(fā)現(xiàn)了新方法可以處理這惱人的工作。不管怎樣，她們對這個題材來勁。所以，她們可以就洗盤子的題目說得津津有味。Not all topics that you and I have earned the right to talk about make us excited. For instance, as a do-it-yourself devotee, I certainly am qualified to talk about washing dishes. But somehow or other I can't get excited about this topic. As a matter of fact, I would rather forget about it altogether. Yet I have heard housewives-household executives, that is give superb talks about this same subject. They have somehow aroused within themselves such a fury of indignation about the eternal task of washing dishes, or they have developed such ingenious methods of getting around this disagreeable chore, that they have become really excited about it. As a consequence, they have been able to talk effectively about this subject of washing dishes.

有個簡單的問題可以幫你確認你認為合適的題目，是否適合當(dāng)眾談?wù)摗Ｄ銌枂栕约?，如果有人站起來直言反對你的觀點，你會不會有百分之百的信心激烈地為自己辯護？如果你會，你的題目一定就適合。Here is a question that will help yon determine the suitability of topics you feel qualified to discuss in public: if someone stood up and directly opposed your point of view, would you be impelled to speak with conviction and earnestness in defense of your position? If you would, you have the right subject for you.

1926年，我曾到瑞士的日內(nèi)瓦參加國際聯(lián)盟第七次大會。后來我對當(dāng)時的情形記了筆記。最近，我無意間又翻到這些筆記。以下是其中的一段：“在三四個死氣沉沉的演講者讀完自己的手稿之后，加拿大的喬治·佛斯特爵士上臺發(fā)言。我看到他沒有攜帶任何紙張或字條，不禁大為欣賞。他專注于他要講的事情上，常常通過手勢來強調(diào)他的觀點。他很熱切地想讓聽眾了解他心中珍藏的那些理念。這種渴望很坦白，一如窗外澄明的日內(nèi)瓦湖。我在教學(xué)上一直倡導(dǎo)的那些法則，在他的講演里完美無遺地得到了展現(xiàn)?！盧ecently, I came across some notes I had written in 1926 after I had visited the Seventh Session of the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Here is a paragraph: "After three or four lifeless speakers read their manuscripts, Sir George Foster of Canada took the floor. With immense satisfaction I noted that he had no papers of notes of any kind. He gestured almost constantly. His heart was in what he was saying. He had something he very much wanted to get across. The fact that he was earnestly trying to convey to the audience certain convictions that he cherished in his own heart was as plain as Lake Geneva outside the windows. Principles I have been advocating in my teaching were beautifully illustrated in that talk."

我常會想起喬治爵士的講演。他真誠，熱心。而唯有對所選的題目是真心所感、真心所想時，才會有如此的顯露。福勝·J.辛主教，是美國最具震撼力的演講家。他從早年生活中也學(xué)到了這樣一課。I often recall that speech by Sir George. He was sincere; he was earnest. Only by choosing topics which are felt by the heart as well as thought out by the mind will this sincerity be made manifest. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, one of America's most dynamic speakers, learned this lesson early in life.

他在《此生不虛》一書里寫道：“我被選出參加學(xué)院里的辯論隊。在圣母瑪麗亞辯論的前一晚，我們的辯論教授把我喊到辦公室里去責(zé)罵了一頓。I was chosen for the debating team in college, he wrote in his book, Life Is Worth Living "and the night before the Notre Dame debate, our professor of debating called me to his office and scolded me.

“‘你真是飯桶！本院有史以來還沒有一個演講者比你更差勁！’ 'You are absolutely rotten. We have never had anybody in the history of this college who was a worse speaker than yourself. '

“‘那，’我說，想替自己辯解，‘我既是這樣的飯桶，干嗎還挑我參加辯論隊？’ 'Well,' I said, trying to justify myself, 'if I am so rotten why did you pick me for the team?'

“‘因為你會思想，而不是因為你會講?！鸬?，‘到那邊去，從演講辭中抽出一段把它講出來?！野岩欢卧挿捶磸?fù)復(fù)地講了一個鐘頭，他說：‘看出其中的錯誤了吧？’‘沒有。’于是又是一個半鐘頭。最后，我筋疲力盡了，他說：‘還看不出錯在哪里嗎？’ 'Because,' he answered, 'you can think; not because you can talk. Get over in that corner. Take a paragraph of your speech and go through it.' I repeated a paragraph over and over again for an hour, at the end of which he said, 'Do you see any mistake in that?' 'No.' Again an hour and a half, two hours, two and a half hours, at the end of which I was exhausted. He said, 'Do you still not see what is wrong?'

“過了這兩個半鐘頭，我找到了問題的關(guān)鍵。我說：‘看出來了，我沒有誠意。我根本心不在焉，沒有說出真情實感。’”Being naturally quick, after two hours and a half, I caught on. I said, 'Yes. I am not sincere. I am not myself. I do not talk as if I meant it. ' "

就這樣，福勝·J.辛主教學(xué)得了永生難忘的一課：把自己沉浸在講演中。因此，他開始讓自己對自己的題材熱心起來。直到這時，博學(xué)的教授才說：“現(xiàn)在你可以講了！”At this point, Bishop Sheen learned a lesson he always remembered: he put himself into his talk. He became excited about his subject matter. Only then the wise professor said, "Now, you are ready to speak!"

如果我們班上有學(xué)員說：“我對什么事都提不起勁來，我過的是平凡單調(diào)的生活?！蔽覀兪苓^訓(xùn)練的老師便會問他，閑暇時都做些什么？有人說去看電影，有人說去打保齡球，有人則說種植玫瑰花。其中有一位告訴教師說，他收集火柴盒。老師繼續(xù)問他這個不尋常的嗜好的一些問題時，他漸漸有精神了。不一會兒，他便指手畫腳地描述起自己收藏火柴盒的小房間來。他告訴老師，他幾乎藏有世界各國的火柴盒。等他對自己最喜愛的話題有了興趣以后，老師打斷他：“為什么不對我們談?wù)勥@個話題呢？我覺得挺有意思的?！彼f，從來沒想到還會有人對這些感興趣！這個人耗費心血，多年孜孜以求的嗜好，他對此幾乎已成了一種狂熱，而他卻否定了它的價值，認為不值一談。老師真誠地告訴他，要知道一個話題有沒有趣味價值，唯一的方法是問自己對它有多感興趣。后來，他以收藏家的姿態(tài)興高采烈地暢談了一個晚上。再后來我聽說，他去參加各種午餐俱樂部，去講演有關(guān)收集火柴盒的話題，因此獲得地方人士的推崇。When a member of one of our classes says, "I don't get excited about anything, I lead a humdrum sort of life," our instructors are trained to ask him what he does in his spare time. One goes to the movies, another bowls, and another cultivates roses. One man told his instructor that he collected books of matches. As the instructor continued to question him about this unusual hobby, he gradually became animated. Soon he was using gestures as he described the cabinets in which he stored his collection. He told his instructor that he had match books from almost every country in the world. When he became excited about his favorite topic, the instructor stopped him, "Why don't you tell us about this subject? It sounds fascinating to me." He said that he didn't think anyone would be interested! Here was a man who had spent years in pursuit of a hobby that was almost a passion with him; yet he was negative about its value as a topic to speak about. This instructor assured this man that the only way to gauge the interest value of a subject was to ask yourself how interested you are in it. He talked that night with all the fervor of the true collector, and I heard later that he gained a certain amount of local recognition by going to various luncheon clubs and talking about match book collecting.

如果希望能迅速而輕易地學(xué)會當(dāng)眾說話，這個例子正好可以引出下面的第三條法則。This illustration leads directly to the third guiding principle for those. who want a quick and easy way to learn to speak in public.