（张旭婧 营销管理专家 企业文化顾问）

公开演讲实战攻略

上个月，美国副总检察长唐纳德•维里利偏偏在重要的一天露了怯。他在美国最高法院（the U.S. Supreme Court）面前争取维持原有《可支付医疗法案》（The Affordable Health Care Act）不变时，讲话犹疑不决，结结巴巴，不时发出清喉咙的声音，大口喝冰水，总之当天的表现不怎么好。《纽约客》杂志（New Yorker）法律作家杰弗瑞•涂宾在接受美国政治媒体《政治活动家》（Politico）采访时的话总结了众多观察家的反应，他说：“我惊呆了。”

        维里利讲话时的结结巴巴是否会对总统的医疗方案带来负面影响呢？也许不会，但至少是没帮上什么忙。

        正如缅因州的一句俗语所言，从古至今皆是如此。我们所有人，即使是位高权重的公众人物，也会在公开演讲的巨大压力面前感到紧张。本文将为你提供一些避免出现窘况的方法。

        我曾经有一位客户，她是一位在K街工作的女强人，然而每次遇到站在公众面前演讲的机会，她都会颤抖得像一片风中的树叶。要知道，她是一位很出色的高管，掌管着一家规模很大的行业协会，年收入高达七位数。她经常奔走于美国国会、欧洲、亚洲等地，代表其会员公司四处游说。

       我们的第一次合作是协助她为某大型会议的重要主旨发言做准备。我们按照标准流程，准备她发言的内容，包括集思广益寻找原始素材并加以提炼，设计视频效果以便吸引听众注意力，并努力让听众记住她的意图。

       整个过程进行得很顺利。接下来就该到我们的工作室进行上镜练习了。

        她说：“我必须告诉你，每次我不得不在公众面前演讲时，我都紧张得要命。”

       我告诉她这很正常。紧张说明你是一个活生生的人。任何人都会遇到这种问题。

        她说：“不是这么回事，我觉得我的问题要严重得多。”

        我告诉她，她在各方面都表现得非常出色。我还问她为何遇到公开演讲会这么紧张。

        她说：“很简单。一切都是因为五年级的那场钢琴演奏会。”

        她在10岁时就要自己上台演奏钢琴，她看见母亲一脸紧张地坐在台下第一排。当她抬起手准备开始演奏时，听到妈妈轻轻地倒吸了一口气。直到今天，她也不明白母亲为什么会有那种反应，可能她妈妈认为女儿会演奏错误的篇章，或者可能是担心自己出门忘记关炉子。但无论是什么原因，这已经给她造成了心理阴影。

 因此，在主旨演讲的日子临近时，我跟她一起乘飞机出行，一路抵达新奥尔良会展中心（the New Orleans Convention Center）。我在她上台之前握着她的手，直到她登上演讲台。此后，我们还一起完成了很多次演讲，每一次我都是这么做的。每次演讲前她都紧张万分，但在演讲开始两分钟后她就能冷静下来，而且表现自如。

一位知名电视新闻记者曾经告诉我，每个人都会感到紧张。那么就主动采取行动驾驭自己的情绪。控制紧张心绪，并将其转化成为正面积极的能量。此外，我要强调一点，想象听众们穿着内衣这种方法可不管用。

 以下是我避免怯场的若干步骤：

  1、大声练习，反复练习。我知道你肯定会说根本排不出时间进行练习。但其实很简单，大声说出口是能让你平静下来的最佳方法。走进房间关上门，站好，充满激情地开始练习演讲。如果多练习几遍，这些信息就会成为你头脑中自然而然的东西。这样你就不会因为对演讲内容不熟悉而感到紧张了。

  2、开场白要精彩，要能镇得住场面。无论是一个故事、一段视频、还是一个出人意料的论据，只要你确定自己的开场白很精彩，能打动听众，都会提升你的自信心。而且，你也不必死记硬背演讲稿，因为如果忘词的话会非常麻烦，但记住开场白至关重要。我要再次强调，这种确信的感觉会提升人的自信。

  3、呼吸。我习惯进行下面的呼吸练习：吸气，数到五。呼气，数到十。重复15次就会对你有镇静的效果。在演讲开始之前去健身房运动一会儿也能达到同样的效果。

  4、想象。可以像职业运动员那样，上台前在自己的脑子里放一个小电影，想想自己成功地完成了演讲任务。如果是要在美国职业篮球赛（NBA）决赛现场罚球，投篮之前则可以先在头脑中预演一遍投出空心球的画面。如果是会议主持人即将介绍你上台演讲，可以闭上眼睛几分钟，想象自己充满自信地大步迈上演讲台，发表了一场精彩的演说。在某种意义上，你一旦这么做了，你就已经“见识过了”，由此，对未知的恐惧就被尽可能地减小了。

  5、听众喜欢你，听众真心喜欢你。记住，在大多数情况下，观众是希望你演讲成功的。看着别人在演讲台上陷入窘境是很无趣也很尴尬的事情。因此要主动想象听众是真心希望你能给他们带来欢乐和教益，要从这种认知中汲取力量。如果碰巧发现有听众在打呵欠、翻白眼，或者发短信，请无视他们。要跟那些冲你微笑或点头同意的听众进行眼神交汇。很快你就会信心百倍。

 少数性格外向的幸运儿并不存在这方面的问题。但对大多数人来说，就像正确握持高尔夫球九号铁杆那样，成功应对怯场是一种后天习得的技能。对于成功的职业生涯来说，公开演讲是非常重要的一部分，值得下功夫去练习。

  译者：李玫晓/汪皓

 

 

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli picked the wrong day to get the jitters last month. Fighting to keep The Affordable Health Care Act intact in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, he hesitated, he stuttered, he coughed, he gulped ice water – he didn't make a strong impression. The New Yorker's legal writer Jeffrey Toobin summed up the reactions of many observers when he told Politico: "I was just shocked."

Will Verrilli's stumble mean curtains for the President's health care plan? Perhaps not, but it didn't help.

It's a story that's older than dirt, as they say up inMaine. Just about all of us -- even high-powered public figures -- get nervous in high-pressure public speaking situations.

I once had a client -- a bona fide K Street superwoman -- who routinely turned into a quivering tower of Jell-Oevery time she had to stand and speak in front of an audience. We're talking about a brilliant executive who ran a large industry association, made a seven-figure income, and traveled from Capitol Hill to Europe and Asia and back to advocate on behalf of her member companies.

The first time we worked together to get her ready for a major keynote speech, we went through our typical process of creating the content for her presentation: brainstorming the raw material, distilling it into a narrative, and designing visuals that would seize her audience's attention and help them remember what she wanted from them.

The process went well. And then it came time for on-camera practice in our studio.

"I have to tell you something," she said. "I get extremely nervous when I have to speak in public."

I told her that was normal -- it just means you're a human being with a pulse. It happens to everyone.

She said "No, I mean it's a lot worse than that."

I told her how impressive she was in every respect, and asked her how she thought she got this way.

"That's easy," she said. "Fifth grade. Piano recital."

When she was 10 years old, she was about to sit her pinafore-clad self down at the keyboard when she saw her mother looking very tense in the first row. And then, as she lifted her hands to begin playing, she heard her mother let out a small gasp. To this day, she's not sure why that happened -- maybe Mom thought her daughter was about to play the wrong piece or maybe she thought she had left the oven on back at the house -- but whatever the reason, it traumatized my client.

And so when it came time for her to give the keynote we had worked on, I flew with her all the way down to the New Orleans Convention Center -- and quite literally held her hand in the wings until it was time for her to take the stage. I did the same thing for every one of her presentations we worked on together after that. On every occasion, she was petrified beforehand, but calmed down and performed well after about the first two minutes.

A well-known TV newsman once told me that everyone gets the butterflies. So show them how to fly in formation. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into positive energy. And no, imagining the audience in their underwear doesn't work.

Here are the steps I take to avoid getting weak-kneed:

1. Practice out loud. Repeatedly. Yes, I can hear you saying it's impossible to find time in your schedule to do this, but simple out-loud practice is the best way to calm your nerves. Go into a room and shut the door. Stand and deliver the presentation with passion. If you do this several times, the information will become second nature to you, and you won't suffer from the anxiety that comes with not being quite sure where you're headed.

2. Have them at hello with a powerful opening. If you've got a great opening that you know will move your audience -- a story, a visual, an unexpected prop -- it will boost your self-confidence. Also, you don't want to memorize the rest of your presentation -- that can be problematic if you lose your place -- but memorizing the opening is important. Again, the feeling of certainty will boost your confidence.

3. Breathe. I make a habit of the following breathing exercise: Inhale to a count of five. Exhale to a count of 10. Do 15 reps of this and it will have a calming effect. Going to the gym before your presentation works the same way.

4. Visualize. Do as pro athletes do. Play a little movie in your brain of yourself succeeding at the task you're about to perform. If you're at the foul line in the NBA finals, you would envision the ball going nothing-but-net before you take the shot. If you're about to be introduced before your speech at a conference, close your eyes for a moment and imagine yourself striding onto the stage with confidence and delivering a performance that makes you and your agenda look good. In a sense, you've "already been there" once you do this, and thus the fear of the unknown is minimized.

5. They like you. They really like you. Remember that, in most situations, the audience wants you to succeed. It's boring and awkward to watch someone dying up there on the stage, so draw strength from the knowledge that the audience is genuinely hoping that you'll entertain and inform. And if you happen to spot audience members who are yawning, rolling their eyes, or texting, to heck with 'em. Make eye contact with someone who's smiling or nodding her head in agreement. Instant confidence booster.

A few lucky extroverts out there don't have a problem with this. But for most of us, successfully dealing with stage fright is a learned skill, like correctly holding a nine-iron. And since public speaking is such a big part of career success, it's worth your while to slay the demon properly.