卡耐基演講·五、因地制宜，因人而異

總會有這樣的時候，一個人拍拍你的肩頭說：“講幾句吧？”事前毫無征兆，他就突然來了。也許你正輕松愉快地欣賞典禮主持人的講話，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)他竟談起你來了，人人都望著你，還沒弄清是怎么回事，主持人就介紹說你是下一個講演人了。The time will come when someone will tap you on the shoulder and say "How about a few words?" Or it might come without warning at all. You are relaxed and enjoying the remarks of the master of ceremonies when suddenly you realize he is talking about you. Everybody turns in your direction and before you know it you are introduced as the next speaker.

在這種情況下，你的心思很容易亂，像史蒂芬·李庫克那個出名卻迷惑的馬術(shù)師跳上馬“四下里亂竄”。要是有什么時刻最需要保持平靜，那就是這個時刻。先向主席致意，說上兩句，爭取一個喘息的機會，然后，最好講講和聽眾關(guān)系密切的話題。聽眾只對自己和自己正在做的事情感興趣，所以可以從下面三個來源出發(fā)，找到即席講演的話題。In this kind of situation your mind is apt to shoot off, like Stephen Leacock's famous but befuddled horseman, who got on his horse" and made off in all directions". Now, if ever, is the time to remain calm. You can get a breather as you address the chairman. Then it is best to stay close to the meeting in the remarks you make. Audiences are interested in themselves and what they are doing. There are three sources therefore, from which you can draw ideas for an impromptu speech.

一是聽眾本身。要讓講演輕松易行，就千萬記住這一點。談你的聽眾，說說他們是誰，正在做什么，特別是他們對社會和人類作了什么貢獻(xiàn)等。當(dāng)然，還要記住用一個實例來證明。First is the audience itself. Remember this, I pray you, for easy speaking. Talk about your listeners, who they are and what they are doing, especially what specific good they perform to the community or for humanity. Use a specific example.

二是場合本身。當(dāng)然也可以講講這次聚會的緣由，是周年紀(jì)念日，是表揚大會，是年度聚會，還是政治或愛國集會，等等。The second is the occasion. Surely you can dwell on the circumstances that brought the meeting about. Is it an anniversary, a testimonial, an annual meeting, a political or patriotic occasion?

最后，如果你對之前的另一位演講人所談到的事特別感興趣，你不妨將它再詳述一番。最成功的即席演講，都是真正的當(dāng)場演講。它們表達(dá)的，是演講者對聽眾和場合的感想，因地制宜，像手和手套那樣密切的關(guān)系，它們是專為這個場合而量身定做的它們的。成功在于：它們在特殊的時刻綻放，像曇花一現(xiàn)，花開了又凋謝不見?？墒?，聽眾享受到的愉悅卻不止于此，在你還沒有意識到之前，他們已將你當(dāng)成即席演講的專家了。Lastly, if you have been an attentive listener, you might indicate your pleasure in something specific another speaker said before you and amplify that. The most successful impromptu talks are those that are really impromptu. They express things that the speaker feels in his heart about the audience and the occasion. They fit the situation like hand in glove. They are tailor-made for this occasion, and this occasion alone. Therein lies their success: they flower out of the moment and then, like rare-blossoming roses, they fade from the scene. But the pleasure enjoyed by your audience lives on, and sooner than you think you begin to be looked upon as an impromptu speaker.