《语言的突破》是卡耐基*早的作品之一,*早的版本是1926年他根据自己讲授演讲课程的心得体会和学员的学习经验写的一本题为《公开演讲:企业人士的实用课程》的教科书。经过多年的修订,于1931年以《语言的突破》为名正式出版发行。本书为双语版经典作品,汉语翻译流畅、准确,通俗易懂,并在中文之后附有相对完整准确的原版英文,使读者在阅读大师经典作品的同时,更能提升自己的英语水平。 语言的突破(汉英对照)_(美)戴尔·卡耐基_中国纺织出版社_

**章 成功演讲的基本原则

如何获得演讲的基本技巧

1912年,也就是“泰坦尼克”号邮轮在北大西洋冰海沉没的那一年,我开始教授当众演讲的课程,至今已有超过75万人毕业了。

戴尔·卡耐基演讲教程的**堂课是示范表演,先请一些学员上台讲一讲自己来上课的原因以及自己期望从这种训练中获得什么。人各一词,众说纷纭,表达方式迥然相异;但令人诧异的是,大多数人的原因和基本需求如出一辙:“面对众人讲话时,我觉得浑身不自在,很害怕,这使我不能集中精力思考,不能清晰地思考问题,甚至都记不得自己究竟要说些什么。我希望通过学习增强自信,能随心所欲地思考问题,有逻辑地归纳自己的思想,并能泰然自若地在商业场合或社交场合侃侃而谈,思路清晰又富有语言魅力。”

这番话听起来不觉得很耳熟吗?你是否经历过同样的心有余而力不足的感觉?你是否希望自己能口若悬河、侃侃而谈,令人折服,哪怕花一些钱也愿��。我想你的答案是肯定的。现在,你正翻开此书,这说明你希望获取成功演讲的能力。

如果你站在我面前,我想你一定会问:“卡耐基先生,你真的认为我能培养出自信,面对人群口齿流利地和他们讲话吗?”

我一生的精力几乎全部都放在帮助人们消除恐惧、培养勇气和增强信心上了。在我举办的培训班上发生的种种奇迹,可以写上好几本书。因此,问题不在于我是否“真的认为”,只要你根据书中的方法和建议去练习,一定能够做到。

为什么站在听众面前无法像独自坐在家里那样冷静地思考?为什么站起来面对听众讲话,胃部就会翻腾,身体就会颤抖不止。难道这些问题我们都无法克服吗?而事实上,这些问题是可以克服的,训练会逐渐消除你面对听众时的恐惧,并带给你充分的自信。

这本书将帮助你达到这一目标。它不是一本平常的教科书,它既没有罗列一堆说话技巧,也不教发声、发音,而是全力以赴用具体的方法来训练成人成功演讲。它以你现有的基础作为起点,逐渐使你成为自己想成为的那种人。你所需要做的就是合作——学习书中的种种建议,并将它们应用于一切说话场合,并且坚持不懈。

如果你想快速了解本书的梗概,请注意以下四条要领:

一、学习他人的经验,激发自己的勇气

无论是否处于被束缚的状态,没有哪一种动物是天生的大众演讲家。人类历史的某些时期,当众讲演是一门精致的艺术,必须谨遵修辞法和优雅的演讲技巧,那时想成为一名**的演讲家十分艰难。而今,我们却将当众演讲看成一种扩大的交谈。以往边说边唱的演讲方式和如雷贯耳的声音已经永远消失了。人们无论是在与他人共进晚餐时,还是在教堂中做礼拜、在家里看电视时,更愿意听到一些率真的话,彼此之间根据世事常理思考,诚挚、专心致志地讨论问题,而不是对着我们大放厥词。

当众演讲并不是一门封闭的艺术,也不像许多教科书中所说的那样,只有经过多年去美化声音和修辞学训练之后才能取得成功。我的教学生涯几乎全部是在向人们证明一点:当众说话其实并不困难,只要遵循一些简单而重要的规则就可以了。1912年,我在纽约市125街的青年基督协会开始从事教学工作时,对此和学生们一样无知懵懂。早期我的教育训练方法,和自己在密苏里州的华伦堡上大学时接受的教育方式大同小异。但很快,我就发现自己走上了歧路:我竟然将那些商界人士当成大学一年级的新生来教育了。我发现以韦伯斯特、柏克匹特及欧康内尔(以上人物皆以演讲著称)为例,一味模仿,毫无裨益。我所教授的学生需要的是在商务会议中有足够的勇气站起来,向与会者作一番明晰、连贯的报告。于是,我将教科书全部抛弃,站在讲台上,用一些简单的概念,和那些难兄难弟们埋头苦干,直到他们的报告词达意尽、深入人心为止。这种方法果然取得了一定的效果,以至于他们毕业后希望再回来,希望学习更多的东西。

我希望大家能有机会到我家里看看世界各地的学员寄来的感谢函。这些信有的来自企业界的**们,他们的大名常见于《纽约时报》和《华尔街日报》,也有州长、国会议员、大学校长和娱乐圈的明星,当然更多的则是来自家庭主妇、牧师、教师,他们都是一些默默无闻的普通人,还有企业中已经接受训练和尚未接受训练的主管人员、技术纯熟和生疏的工人、工会会员、大学生和职业女性等。所有这些人都觉得自己需要足够的自信心,需要有在公开场合中表达自己思想的能力,以便让人接纳自己。那些实现自己目标的人心怀感激,特意写信给我以示谢意。

在我开始酝酿这本书的写作计划时,有一个人立刻就闪现在我的脑海里,在我所教过的数千名学员中,他对我的影响颇大。D.W.根特,费城一名成功的企业家,参加训练班不久就邀请我共进午餐。餐桌上,他倾身向前对我说:“卡耐基先生,我曾有许多在公众场合说话的机会,但在潜意识中总是试图躲避与人正面交流。但现在我已当选为大学董事会主席,必须经常主持各种会议。你觉得我在迟暮之年是否还能学会当众说话?”

在我的训练班上有许多像他这样的人,他们经过一段时间的训练取得了很大的成效。为此,我以自己的经验向他保证,他一定能取得成功。

三年后,我们在企业家俱乐部共进午餐时再一次相遇。同一餐厅,同一张桌子,我们又谈起从前说过的话。当我问及我的预言是否已经实现时,他微微一笑,从口袋中掏出一本红色小笔记本,上面记录着他未来几个月预定的演讲日程表。“有能力作这些讲演、讲演时所获得的快乐以及我能够为社会提供更多的服务……这些是我一生中*为高兴和满足的事。”他很自豪地说道。

事情远不仅仅如此,根特先生还十分得意地告诉我,他所在的教区曾邀请英国首相前来费城发表演讲,负责向听众介绍这位杰出政治家的人就是根特先生。而就是这个人,三年前还在这张桌子旁倾身问我,有朝一日他是否能够当众畅谈如流。

还有一个例子。有**,已故的顾立区公司董事长大卫·M.顾立区,有**来到我的办公室对我说:“在我的一生中,我每一次面对众人讲话总是惊恐万分。而身为董事长,我又不能不主持会议。董事们已彼此熟悉,大家围桌而坐谈话时,我能够对答如流,毫无障碍。然而一旦站起身,我就会有一种莫名其妙的惊恐感,一个字也说不出来了。这种情形已持续多年,已十分严重了,我都担心你是否能够帮得了我。”

“噢,”我说,“既然你对我是否能帮助还表示疑惑,为什么还要来找我呢?”

“因为有一个原因,”他回答道,“我有一个专门负责处理私人账目的会计师,是一个十分害羞的家伙。他进自己的办公室时必须从我的办公桌前走过。多年来,他一直都是蹑手蹑脚、小心翼翼的,眼观地面不敢抬头,也难得说一个字。但是,*近他却改头换面,变得神采奕奕了,走进办公室时抬头挺胸,并且大大方方地向我道早安。我对他的这种改变表示惊讶,于是问他是什么促成了这种改变,他告诉了我参加你的训练课程一事。正是因为那个家伙身上的改变,让我来寻求您的帮助的。”

我对顾立区先生说:“定期来上课,并且严格按照我的要求做,不出几个星期,你就会喜欢在大众面前讲话了。”

“如果你真的能改变我,”他回答说,“那我可就要成为全国*快乐的人之一了。”

他坚持上课并且进步神速。三个月后,我邀请他参加在阿斯特饭店舞厅举行的一个三千人的聚会,希望他谈一谈自己是如何从口才训练课程中获益的。他对自己不能前来表示歉意,因为事先有约了。但是第二天,他又打电话给我,说自己要来,他说:“我把约会取消了。为你讲演是我欠你的。我要告诉听众这些训练带给我的助益,借自己的故事来激励人们祛除残害他们生命的恐惧。”

我给他两分钟演讲时间,结果面对着三千人,他足足说了十一分钟。

类似的奇迹,我亲眼目睹过不下数千起。许多人的人生由于这项训练而彻底改变,一些人在职场获得了梦寐以求的提升,一些人则在生意上、事业上、工作中大获其利。有时候,一场适时的演讲就足以使事情大功告成。玛利欧·拉卓的故事就是这样。

几年前,我十分意外地收到一封来自古巴的电报。电报上说:“除非你拍电报来阻止我,否则我立即来纽约接受讲演训练。”落款是玛利欧·拉卓。我不知道他是谁,也从来没有听说过。

拉卓先生来到了纽约,他告诉我说:“哈瓦那乡村俱乐部要庆祝创建人50岁生日,安排我在晚会上担任主持,并为他颁发银制纪念杯。我虽然是一名律师,但从未公开发表过演讲。一想到要面对众多的来宾,我害怕极了。在这样隆重的社交场合,如果事情办砸了,我和太太该多难为情啊,这会大大影响我在客户心中的形象。为此,我特意从古巴赶来向你求援,但我只能停留三周时间。”

在三周时间里,我让玛利欧从这个班换到另一个班,每晚坚持发表三四次演讲。回到古巴之后,他在哈瓦那乡村俱乐部盛大宴会上发表了一场精彩绝伦的讲演。对此,《时代》杂志在国外新闻栏目中进行了特别报道,称誉他为“银舌雄论家”。

听着像是奇迹,是不是?它的确是一个奇迹——20世纪克服恐惧的奇迹。

二、牢记自己的目标

前面曾提到的根特先生,提到了他所掌握的当众演讲的技巧带给他莫大的乐趣,这正是我认为他之所以能取得成功的原因(我认为这一因素远比其他因素更重要)。他的确是遵循着指导,毫不松懈地完成了所交代的任务。但是,我相信他之所以如此投入完全是出于自我需要,是出于希望成为成功的演讲家的愿望。他将自己投入未来的形象中,然后努力使梦想成真。这就是你*应该做的。

集中全部注意力,时刻不忘自信与侃侃而谈的演讲能力对你有多么重要;想想由此而结交的朋友在社交上对你的重要性;想想自己为大众、社会服务的能力将会大增;想一想它对你的人生和事业所带来的积极影响……一言以蔽之,它将为你增添某种**气质。

美国的**现金注册公司理事会会长、联合国教科文组织主席S.C.艾林在《演讲季刊》中写了一篇题为《演讲与领导在事业上的关系》的文章。文章中说:“在历史上,干我们商业这行的不少人是借着讲坛上的杰出表现而承蒙器重的。许多年前,有位青年,当时是堪萨斯州一处小分行的主管,在作了两场精彩无比的讲演之后,今天已是我们的副总裁,管理业务的拓展。”而我刚好还知道,这位副总裁正是当今的**现金注册公司总裁。

能从容不迫地站起来面对听众侃侃而谈,会使你的前途变得不可估量。在我的训练班里,有一位名叫亨利·柏莱斯通的学员,是美国舍弗公司的总裁,他曾说过这样的一句话:“和人们进行有效的交谈,并赢得他们的合作,是每一个正在努力追求上进的人所必须具备的一种能力。”

想一想当你充满了自信,站起来与听众共同分享自己的思想和感觉时,是多么有满足感和舒畅啊。我曾多次环球旅行,但是用语言的力量影响**听众的那种快悦感,却是其他事物难以比拟的。它能给你带来一种力量感、一种强劲感。一位毕业生曾这样说:“发表演讲的*初两分钟即使挨鞭子也无法开口;但到临结束的前两分钟,我宁可吃枪子儿也不愿停下来。”

现在就闭上眼睛想象一下:面对着可能的听众,充满自信地迈步走上讲台,听听你开场后**的鸦雀无声,感觉一下在你深入浅出、一语中的时听众的全神贯注,感受你离开讲台时掌声的温馨,倾听台下听众对你的赞赏。相信我,这其中有奇迹存在,也有让人无法忘怀的兴奋感受。

哈佛大学*杰出的心理学教授威廉·詹姆斯曾写下六句话,对你的一生可能会产生深远的影响。这六句话就像是大盗阿里巴巴开密穴的开门口诀:“不论什么课程,只要你对它满怀热忱,就可以顺利完成。如果你对结果足够关注,你就一定会得到这一结果。只要你想做好,你就能做好。假如你企盼致富,你便会拥有财富。若是你想博学,你就会学富五车。但只有你真正地企盼这些事情,心无旁骛地一心盼望,而不是枉费心思地胡思乱想许多不相干的杂事才可以实现。”

学习有效面对人群讲话,好处不仅仅是可以作正式的公开讲演。事实上,就算你一辈子都不需要正式公开演讲,但接受这种训练的好处仍然是多方面的。举个例子:当众演讲的训练,是帮助你培养自信的方法。因为你一旦发现自己能够站起来,口齿伶俐、头头是道地对着人群说话,那么在你和别人进行个别交谈时,必定会更有信心和勇气。很多人来上我的“成功演讲”课程,大多是因为在社交场合之中感到害羞而拘束。当他们发现,自己站着和同事讲话天也不至于会塌下来,便会发觉当初的拘束是多么的可笑。他们在训练过程中培养出的自然洒脱的气度,令家人、朋友、事业伙伴和顾客刮目相看。许多训练班的学生,都是因为看见周围的人通过训练,个性发生了巨大的改变,才被吸引着来上课的。比如顾立区先生就是这样的。

这种类型的训练,也会在各个方面影响到个性,不过这些影响不是马上就能显现出来的。不久前,我曾问大西洋城的外科医师兼美国医药学会的前会长大卫·奥门博士,就心理和生理健康的观点而言,当众演讲训练的好处是什么?他微微笑了笑说:“回答这个问题,*好是开个**,这个**是在药房里抓不到药的,每个人得自己配药;他要是以为自己不行,他就错了。”

我桌上就放着这份**,每读一次,都觉得若有所获。以下便是奥门博士挥笔为我写下的**:

“尽力去培养一种能力,让别人能够走进你的脑海和心灵。试着面对单独的人或者在大众面前清晰地传达自己的思想和理念。在你通过这样的努力而不断进步时,你便会发觉:你——真正的自我——正在塑造一种崭新的形象,使周遭的人们产生****的惊异。”

从这份**中,你会获得双倍的好处。你试着开始对别人讲话时,你的自信心也会随之增强,而你的性格会变得越来越温和美好。这意味着你的情绪已渐入佳境。情绪既然渐入佳境,身体当然也就会跟着好起来。在我们现在这个世界上,不论男女老少,都需要当众讲话。我不清楚它在工业或商业中究竟会给人带来什么利益,但我听说它裨益无穷。但我确实了解它给健康带来的益处。只要有机会,便对几个人或许多人说说话——你会越说越好,我自己就是这样;同时你会感到神清气爽,感到自己完整无缺,这是你从前感受不到的。

这是一种畅快、美妙的感觉,没有任何东西能给你这样的感受。

所以,第二个指引便是想象自己成功地做着目前自己所害怕做的事,想象你已经能够当众说话,并且被大家接纳而获得了很多的益处。牢记威廉·詹姆斯的话:“如果你对结果足够关注,你就一定会得到这一结果。”

三、下定决心是成功的关键

有一次,在一个广播节目中,要我用三句话来说明我曾学到的*重要的一课。我是这么说的:“我所学过的*重要的一课是,我们的思想对我们自己是非常重要的。我如果能知道你的思想,就能了解你这个人,因为是你的思想塑造了你这个人。改变自己的思想,我们也就能够改变自己的一生。”

现在你已把目光指向建立自信和能做有效交谈的目标上了,那么从今天开始,你一定要积极地设想,自己的这番努力一定会成功的,必须对自己在大众面前说话的努力成果持轻松乐观的态度。要在每个词句、每项行动上烙下决心的印记,竭尽全力培养这种能力。

任何人如果希望迎接语言的挑战,使自己能言简意赅地说话,就必须具备坚毅的决心。有一则故事,可以作为强有力的证明。故事里讲的这个人,现在已经登上了高高的经营层,成为商界里的传奇人物。但是在他读大学的时候,初次站起来讲话,却因为不善言辞而失败。教师规定的五分钟讲演,他讲不到一半,就脸色发白,噙着眼泪匆匆走下讲台。

他虽有这样的经历,却不甘心被失败击倒。他立下决心要做个**的演讲家,并且一直做不懈的努力,*终成为政府的经济顾问,为世人仰慕。他就是克莱伦斯·B.蓝道尔。他写下许多发人深省的书,其中有一本《自由的信念》,提到他当众讲演的情况:“我的讲演安排很紧凑,要参加厂商协会、商务部、扶轮社、基金筹募会、校友会以及其他各团体举办的集会。我曾经在密歇根州的艾斯肯那巴发表爱国演讲,慷慨激昂地投身到**次世界大战;我曾与米基·龙尼下乡作慈善讲演,与哈佛大学校长詹姆士·布朗特·柯南和芝加哥大学校长罗伯·M.胡钦斯下乡宣导教育;我甚至还曾以极糟糕的法语作过一场餐后演讲。

我想我了解听众要听的是什么以及他们喜欢听到它被怎样讲出来。对于身负重责的人来说,这其中的窍门就是:只要他愿意去学,没有什么学不会的。”

我与蓝道尔先生有同感。想要成功的决心,是能不能成为有效的说话者的关键。我如果可以了解你的心思,确知你的意志强度以及你是否抱有乐观的态度,我就几乎可以准确地预测,你在改进沟通技巧上的进步会有多快。

在我中西部的一个班级里,乔·哈弗斯蒂**晚就站起来信心十足地说,他不以做一名房屋建造商而满足,他要做“全美房屋建造协会”的代言人。他*想做的是,能在全国上下奔走,告诉人们,他在房屋建造业中遭遇的问题与获得的成就。乔·哈弗斯蒂真的说到做到了,他是那种让老师高兴的学生,有着对理想狂热的追求。他想讲的,不只是地方性的问题,同时还包括全国性的问题。对于这个想法,他没有三心二意,他详尽地准备自己的讲演,认真地练习,从不耽搁一次上课,哪怕是遇上他一年里*忙碌的时节,也一丝不苟地按照学生的要求去做。结果他进步神速,这一点连他自己都感到吃惊。两个月的时间,他就已经成了班上的佼佼者,被选为该班班长。

约一年后,在弗吉尼亚州的诺佛克主持该班的教师这样写道:“我已经完全忘了俄亥俄州的乔·哈弗斯蒂了。直到**早晨,在我用早餐的时候我打开《弗吉尼亚向导》,其中赫然有幅乔的照片和一篇称赞他的报道:前**晚上,他在地区建造商的盛大聚会中发表演讲。这时的乔,岂止是全国房屋建造协会的发言人,他已经成为会长了!”

因此,要想成功,必须具备这样的条件:有强烈的欲望保持热忱,有坚强的毅力翻越高山;重要的是相信自己一定会成功。

当凯尤斯·恺撒由高庐而来,穿过海峡,带领他的军团登陆现在的英格兰时,他是怎样让自己的军队成功的呢?非常聪明的方法:他把军队带到多佛海峡的白垩悬崖上,让士兵们望着脚底两百尺下燃烧的船只——置身敌国,与大陆的*后联系已经没有了,用来退却的工具被焚毁,留下来**可做的事只有:前进!征服!恺撒和他的军团就这样做了。

这便是不朽的恺撒精神。当你要去征服面对听众而产生的恐惧的时候,为什么不把这种精神变成自己的精神呢?把任何一点一滴的消极思想都扔进熊熊的火中,而且把身后通往踌躇的大门紧紧关上。

四、把握每一次练习演讲的机会

**次世界大战前,我在125号街青年基督协会所教授的课程已经有了改变,不再是当年的样子。每年都有新观念加入课程,旧思想被淘汰出去。但是,有一点一直没有改变,那就是每个学生至少站起来在同学面前讲演一次(很多时候都是两次)。为什么呢?因为不当众说话,谁也不可能学会在众人面前讲演。就好像一个人不下水,就一定学不会游泳一样。你就算把有关当众讲演的著作都读遍,包括本书,却依旧开不了口,那也是没有用的。本书只是指引,你得进行实践才行。

当有人问萧伯纳是怎样学得气势逼人地当众演讲时,他说:“我是以自己学会溜冰的方法来做的——我固执地一个劲儿地让自己出丑,直到习以为常。”年轻时,萧伯纳是伦敦*胆小的人之一,常常在走廊里徘徊20分钟或更多的时间,才能鼓起勇气去敲开别人的屋门。他承认很少有人像他这样仅仅因为胆小而痛苦,或者深深地为它感到羞耻。

后来,他不经意地使用了*好、*快、*有效的方法来克服羞怯、胆小和恐惧。他决心把弱点变成自己*强劲的资本。他加入一个辩论学会,只要伦敦有公众讨论的聚会,他都去参加。萧伯纳全心投入到社会主义运动中,四处讲演,如此他把自己变成20世纪上半叶*有自信心、*出色的演讲家之一。

说话的机会随处都有,不妨去参加一些组织,从事一些需要讲话的职务。在聚会里站起身来,说上两句,即使只是附议也好。开会时,千万别躲在角落里。说话吧!去教教主日学吧!或做个童子军领队,或加入任何团体,让自己有机会活跃地参加各种聚会。你只要往自己周围瞧瞧便会发现,没有哪种工作和生活是不需要开口说话的,甚至住宅小区里的活动也一样。如果你不去说,就永远也不知道自己会有怎样的进步。

“这些我都明白。”一个年轻的商务主管对我说,“可是我总是犹豫,害怕学习的艰难考验。”

“什么艰难考验?”我说,“快把这种想法丢掉。你怎么从来不用一种正确的精神——征服性的精神——来想学习呢。”

“那是什么精神?”他问。

“冒险精神呀,”我告诉他说。接着我对他谈起一些借当众说话而能获得的成功,同时使个性因此也开朗起来的事例。

“我要试试,”*后他说,“我要投身到这项冒险中。”

在你继续阅读此书并将书中所需求的付诸实践的时候,你也是在冒险。你会发现,在这项冒险中,你的自我引导力和敏锐的观察力会帮助你。你会发现这项冒险会改变你,从内到外。PART ONE

Fundamentals of Effective Speaking

In every art there are few principles and many techniques.

In the chapters that make up the first part of this book, we discuss the basic principles of effective speaking and the attitudes to make these principles come alive.

As adults, we are interested in a quick and easy way to speak effectively. The only way we can achieve results quickly is to have the right attitude about achieving our goal and a firm foundation of principles to build upon.

Chapter 1 -Acquiring the Basic Skills

I STARTED TEACHING classes in public speaking in 1912, the year the Titanic went down in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Since then, more than seven hundred and fifty thousand people have been graduated from these classes.

In the demonstration meetings preceding the first session of the Dale Carnegie Course, people are given the opportunity of telling why they intend to enroll and what they hope to gain from this training. Naturally, the phraseology varies; but the central desire, the basic want in the vast majority of cases, remains surprisingly the same:" When I am called upon to stand up and speak, I become so self-conscious, so frightened, that I can't think clearly, can't concentrate, can't remember what I intended to say. I want to gain self-confidence, poise, and the ability to think on my feet. I want to get my thoughts together in logical order, and I want to be able to talk clearly and convincingly before a business or social group."

Doesn't this sound familiar? Haven't you experienced these same feelings of inadequacy? Wouldn't you give a small fortune to have the ability to speak convincingly and persuasively in public? I am sure you would. The very fact that you have begun reading the pages of this book is proof of your interest in acquiring the ability to speak effectively.

I know what you are going to say, what you would say if you could talk to me:" But Mr. Carnegie, do you really think I could develop the confidence to get up and face a group of people and address them in a coherent, fluent manner?"

I have spent nearly all my life helping people get rid of their fears and develop courage and confidence. I could fill many books with the stories of the miracles that have taken place in my classes. It is not, therefore, a question of my thinking. I know you can, if you practice the directions and suggestions that you will find in this book.

Is there the faintest shadow of a reason why you should not be able to think as well in aperpendicular position before an audience as you can sitting down? Is there any reason why you should play host to butterflies in your stomach and become a victim of the "trembles" when you get up to address an audience? Surely, you realize that this condition can be remedied, that training and practice will wear away your audience-fright and give you self-confidence.

This book will help you to achieve that goal. It is not an ordinary textbook. It is not filled with rules concerning the mechanics of speaking. It does not dwell on the physiological aspects of vocal production and articulation. It is the distillation of a lifetime spent in training adults in effective speaking. It starts with you as you are, and from that premise works naturally to the conclusion of what you want to be. All you have to do is co-operate-follow the suggestions in this book, apply them in every speaking situation, and persevere.

In order to get the most out of this book, and to get it with rapidity and dispatch, you will find these four guideposts useful:

FIRST / TAKE HEART FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS

There is no such animal, in or out of captivity, as a born public speaker. In those periods of history when public speaking was a refined art that demanded close attention to the laws of rhetoric and the niceties of delivery, it was even more difficult to be born a public speaker. Now we think of public speaking as a kind of enlarged conversation. Gone forever is the old grandiloquent style and the stentorian voice. What we like to hear at our dinner meetings, in our church services, on our TV sets and radios, is straightforward speech, conceived in common sense and dedicated to the proposition that we like speakers to talk with, and not at, us.

Despite what many school texts would lead us to believe, public speaking is not a closed art, to be mastered only after years of perfecting the voice and struggling with the mysteries of rhetoric. I have spent almost all of my teaching career proving to people that it is easy to speak in public, provided they follow a few simple, but important, rules. When I started to teach at the l25th Street YMCA in New York City back in 1912, I didn't know this any more than my first students knew it. I taught those first classes pretty much the way I had been taught in my college years in Warrensburg, Missouri. But I soon discovered that I was on the wrong track; I was trying to teach adults in the business world as though they were college freshmen. I saw the futility of using Webster, Burke, Pitt, and O'Connell as examples to imitate. What the members of my classes wanted was enough courage to stand on their hind legs and make a clear, coherent report at their next business meeting. It wasn't long before I threw the textbooks out the window, got right up there on the podium and, with a few simple ideas, worked with those fellows until they could give their reports in a convincing manner. It worked, because they kept coming back for more.

I wish I could give you a chance to browse through the files of testimonial letters in my home or in the offices of my representatives in various parts of the world. They come from industrial leaders whose names are frequently mentioned in the business section of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, from governors of states and members of parliaments, from college presidents, and from celebrities in the world of entertainment. There are thousands more from housewives, ministers, teachers, young men and women whose names are not well known yet, even in their own communities, executives and executive trainees, laborers, skilled and unskilled, union men, college students, and business women. All of these people felt a need for self-confidence and the ability to express themselves acceptably in public. They were so grateful for having achieved both that they took the time to write me letters of appreciation.

Of the thousands of people I have taught, one example comes to mind as I write because of the dramatic impact it had on me at the time. Some years ago, shortly after he joined my course, D. W. Ghent, a successful businessman in Philadelphia, invited me to lunch. He leaned across the table and said." I have sidestepped every opportunity to speak to various gatherings, Mr. Carnegie, and there have been many. But now I am chairman of a board of college trustees. I must preside at their meetings. Do you think it will be possible for me to learn to speak at this late date in life?"

I assured him, on the basis of my experience with men in similar positions who had been members of my classes, that there was no doubt in my mind that he would succeed.

About three years later we lunched together again at the Manufacturers' Club. We ate in the same dining room and at the very same table we had occupied at our first meeting. Reminding him of our former conversation, I asked him whether my prediction had come true. He smiled, took a little red-backed notebook out of his pocket, and showed me a list of speaking engagements for the next several months. "The ability to make these talks," he confessed, "the pleasure I get in giving them, the additional service I can render in the community-these are among the most gratifying things in my life."

But that was not all. With a feeling of justifiable pride, Mr. Ghent then played his ace card. His church group had invited the prime minister of England to address a convocation in Philadelphia. And the Philadelphian selected to make the introduction of the distinguished statesman, on one of his rare trips to America, was none other than Mr.D.W.Ghent.

This was the man who had leaned across that same table less than three years before and asked me whether I thought he would ever be able to talk in public!

Here is another example. The late David M. Goodrich, Chairman of the Board of the B. F. Goodrich Company, came to my office one day. "All my life," he began, "I have never been able to make a talk without being frozen with fear. As Board Chairman I have to preside at our meetings. I have known all the board members intimately for years, and I have no trouble talking to them when we are sitting around the table. But the moment I stand up to talk, I am terrified. I can hardly say a word. I have been that way for years. I don't believe you can do anything for me. My trouble is too serious. It has existed too long."

"Well," I said, "if you don't think I can do anything for you, why did you come to see me?"

"For one reason only," he replied. "I have an accountant who takes care of my personal accounting problems. He is a shy chap, and to get into his little office, he has to walk through my office. He has been sneaking through my office for years, looking at the floor and hardly ever saying a word. But lately, he has been transformed. He walks into my office now with his chin up, a light in his eye; and he says, 'Good morning, Mr. Goodrich, with confidence and spirit. I was astonished at the change. So, I said to him,' Who has been feeding you meat?' He told me about taking your course of training; and it is only because of the transformation that I have witnessed in that frightened little man that I have come to see you."

I told Mr.Goodrich that if he attended the classes regularly and did what we asked him to do, within a few weeks he would enjoy speaking before audiences.

"If you can do that," he replied, "I'll be one of the happiest men in the country."

He joined the course, made phenomenal progress, and three months later, I invited him to attend a meeting of three thousand people in the ballroom of the Hotel Astor, and talk to them on what he had gotten out of our training. He was sorry-couldn't come-a previous engagement. The next day he phoned me. "I want to apologize," he said," I have broken that engagement. I'll come and speak for you. I owe it to you. I'll tell the audience what this training did for me. I'll do it with the hope that my story will inspire some of the listeners to get rid of the fears that are devastating their lives."

I asked him to speak for two minutes only. He spoke to three thousand people for eleven minutes.

I have seen thousands of similar miracles worked in my courses. I have seen men and women whose lives were transformed by this training, many of them receiving promotions far beyond their dreams or achieving positions of prominence in their business, profession, and community. Sometimes this has been done by means of a single talk delivered at the right moment. Let me tell you the story of Mario Lazo.

Years ago, I received a cable from Cuba that astonished me. It read," Unless you cable me to the contrary, I am coming to New York to take training to make a speech." It was signed:" Mario Lazo." Who was he? I wondered! I had never heard of him before.

When Mr. Lazo arrived in New York, he said, "The Havana Country Club is going to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of the founder of the club; and I have been invited to present him with a silver cup and to make the principal talk of the evening. Although I am an attorney, I have never made a public talk in my life. I am terrified at the thought of speaking. If I fail, it will be deeply embarrassing to my wife and myself socially; and, in addition, it might lower my prestige with my clients. That is why I have come all the way from Cuba for your help. I can stay only three weeks."

During those three weeks, I had Mario Lazo going from one class to another speaking three or four times a night. Three weeks later, he addressed the distinguished gathering at the Havana Country Club. His address was so outstanding that Time Magazine reported it under the head of foreign news and described Mario Lazo as a "silver-tongued orator."

Sounds like a miracle, doesn't it? It is a miracle—a twentieth-century miracle of conquering fear.

……

**章 成功演讲的基本原则

如何获得演讲的基本技巧

培养演讲的自信心

成功演讲的简单方法

第二章 演讲、讲演者及听众

做好讲演前的准备工作

给演讲赋予丰富的生命力

与听众一起感受自己的讲演

第三章 如何成功发表即席演讲

鼓动听众采取行动的演讲

说明情况的演讲

说服听众的演讲

即席演讲

第四章 演讲时的沟通艺术

演讲时应该注意的态度

第五章 成功演讲的挑战

介绍演讲者、颁奖和领奖

长时间演讲的安排

充分运用自己学习的演讲技巧

Introduction

PART ONE - Fundamentals of Effective Speaking

Chapter 1 -Acquiring the Basic Skills

Chapter 2 -Developing Confidence

Chapter 3 -Speaking Effectively the Quick and Easy Way

PART TWO - Speech, Speaker, and Audience

Chapter 4 -Earning the Right to Talk

Chapter 5 -Vitalizing the Talk

Chapter 6 -Sharing the Talk with the Audience

PART Three - The Purpose of Prepared and Impromptu Talks

Chapter 7 -Making the Short Talk to Get Action

Chapter 8 -Making the Talk to Inform

Chapter 9 -Making the Talk to Convince

Chapter 10 -Making Impromptu Talks

Part FOUR - The Art of Communicating

Chapter 11 -Delivering the Talk

PART FIVE - The Challenge of Effective Speaking

Chapter 12 -Introducing Speakers, Presenting and Accepting Awards

Chapter 13 -Organizing the Longer Talk

Chapter 14 -Applying What You Have Learned

参考文献

语言的突破是卡耐基*早的作品之一,他根据自己讲授演讲课程的心得体会和学员的学习经验写就了此书。