We can help you master public speaking - Chris Anderson

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Public speaking is an ancient art wired deeply into our minds.

演講是一種古老的藝術，

深植於我們的腦中。

In every culture on Earth, as language developed,

在地球上的每個文化中， 隨著語言的發展，

people learned to share their stories, hopes, and dreams.

人民學會分享他們的 故事、希望，和夢想。

Imagine a typical scene:

想像一個很典型的場景：

It's after nightfall, the campfire is ablaze, an elder rises,

夜幕低垂，營火在燃燒，

一位長老起身，

eyes lock onto the wise, wrinkled face,

一千兩百雙眼睛目不轉睛看著 這張明智、滿是皺紋的臉孔，

and as the storyteller speaks,

當說故事的人開口時，

each listener imagines the events that are being described.

每位聽眾都想像著 被描述出來的事件。

What happens next is astounding:

接下來發生的事很讓人驚訝：

The brains inside the heads of independent individuals

一千兩百個不同的人的 一千兩百顆腦袋

start to behave very strangely.

開始出現奇怪的行為。

They begin to sync up— they gasp together, laugh together, weep together—

它們開始同步化——

它們一起倒抽涼氣，

一起笑，一起哭——

and as they do so, something else happens.

於此同時還發生了別的事。

Rich neurologically encoded patterns of information inside the woman's brain

這位女子腦中， 由神經編碼的資訊模式

are somehow copied and transferred to the brains in the audience.

以某種方式複製並傳送到 一千兩百名觀眾的腦中。

These patterns will remain in those brains for the rest of their lives,

這些模式會永遠留存在 這些人的腦中，

potentially impacting their behavior years into the future.

多年之後都還有可能會 影響他們的行為。

Every meaningful element of human progress

讓人類進步的每個 有意義的元素之所以會出現，

has happened only because humans have shared ideas with each other

就是因為人類彼此分享想法，

and then collaborated to turn those ideas into reality.

接著合作實現那些想法。

From the first time our ancestors teamed up to take down a mammoth,

從我們的祖先首次聯手打敗長毛象，

to Neil Armstrong's first step onto the moon,

到阿姆斯壯踏上月球的第一步，

people have turned spoken words into astonishing shared achievements

人類已將許多言語轉變成 驚人的共同成就。

The same is true today— as a leader or as an advocate,

現今亦是如此——

身為領導人或提倡者，

public speaking is the key to unlocking empathy, stirring excitement,

演講的重要性在於它能帶出同理心、

激起興奮情緒、

sharing knowledge and insights, and promoting a shared dream.

分享知識和洞見，

及推動共同的夢想。

Indeed the spoken word has actually gained new powers.

的確，言語已經取得了新的力量。

Our campfire is now the whole world.

現在，我們的營火是全世界。

Thanks to the internet, a single talk can end up being seen by millions of people.

歸功於網際網路，一次演說 最後可能會被數百萬人看見。

Just as the printing press massively amplified the power of authors,

就如同印刷媒體 大大地擴增作者的力量，

so the web is massively amplifying the impact of speakers.

網路也大大地擴增演說者的影響力。

What is more, we can enhance these skills

此外，我們可以用 古人無法想像的方式

in ways the ancients could never have imagined:

把這些技能強化：

the ability to show right there in beautiful, high resolution,

我們能把人類拍攝或想像的任何影像

any image that a human can photograph or imagine;

用美麗且高解析度的方式呈現出來；

the ability to weave in video and music;

我們能用影片和音樂來做編織；

the ability to draw on research tools that present the entire body of human knowledge

我們能利用代表 全人類知識的研究工具，

to anyone in reach of a smart phone.

讓有智慧手機的人 都可取得這些知識。

Suddenly, an ancient art has global reach.

突然間，古老的藝術能觸及全球。

We need that now more than ever.

我們現在比以往更需要它。

Ideas that could solve our toughest problems often remain invisible

能解決我們最大困難的點子 通常都不會被看見，

because the brilliant people inside whose minds they reside

因為想出這些點子的才子

lack the confidence or the know-how to share those ideas effectively.

沒有信心或不知道 該如何有效分享那些點子。

At a time when the right idea presented the right way

在這個時代，用對的方式 呈現對的點子，

can ripple across the world at the speed of light,

就能以光速傳遍世界，

there's huge benefit to figuring out how best to set it on its way,

若能想出怎麼做會最好， 就能產生極大的利益，

both for you, the speaker in waiting,

不僅是對你這位 等待中的演說者有益，

and for the rest of us, who need to know what you have to say.

也對我們其他需要知道 你有什麼話要說的人有益。

The good news is these skills are teachable.

好消息是，這些技巧是能傳授的。

They absolutely are.

絕對可傳授。

And that means that there is a new superpower that anyone,

那就表示，有一種新的超能力，

能讓任何人，不論老少，受益。

young or old, can benefit from.

It's called presentation literacy.

它就叫做演說能力。

I've become convinced that tomorrow, even more than today,

我深信，現在是如此， 將來更會是如此：

learning to present your ideas to other humans will prove to be

學習如何向其他人 表達呈現自己的點子，

an absolutely essential skill for any child who wants to build confidence,

肯定會是重要的技能，

可以協助孩子建立信心，

anyone who wants to progress at work, anyone who wants to leave a legacy,

協助任何人在工作上有進步，

協助任何人留下些遺產給世人，

anyone period.

就是能協助任何人。

The campfires of old have spawned a new kind of fire—

古老的營火燃起了一種新的火——

a fire that spreads from mind to mind, screen to screen,

這種火能從人傳播給人， 螢幕傳播給螢幕，

the ignition of ideas whose time has come.

時代是屬於這些 用點子點亮新營火的人。

This matters.

這很重要。

Let's go light a fire.

咱們去點火吧。