第一章-----在观众面前获得自信

第一章-----在观众面前获得自信
Chapter 1——Acouiring confidence before an audience

演讲者在面对观众的时候，经常会有一种奇怪的现象。
There is a strange sensation often experienced in the presence of an audience.

这种感觉可能从许多双眼睛注视着演讲者开始，尤其是当他不断地回应观众注视的目光地时候。
It may proceed from the gaze of the many eyes that turn upon the speakers, especially if he permits
himself to steadily return that gaze.

大多数的演讲者已经意识到了这一点，他们的紧张不可名状，感到空气中蔓延着某种真实的东西，触手可及，转眼即舜，无以言表。
Most speakers have been conscious of this in a nameless thrill,a real something ,pervading the atmosphere,tangible,evanescent,indescribable.

所有的作家都可以为演讲者的眼睛打动观众的力量作证。
All writers have borne testimony to the power of a speakers' eye in impressing an audience.

我们现在所认为的这种影响力恰恰与此画面相反——他们眼睛的力量可以给他，尤其是在他开始演讲之前带来极大的力量：当他演讲的盛火被释放出来时，观众的眼神已不再是恐怖了。
This influence which we are now considering is the reverse of that picture——the power their eyes exert upon him,especially before he begins to speak: after the inward fires of oratory are fanned into flame the eyes of the audience lose all terror.

                                                                                  ——威廉。皮腾格《即席演讲》

学习演讲的学生总是提出这样一个问题：“我怎样才能够克服在观众面前茫然不知所措的自我意识和恐怖感呢？”
Students of public speaking continually ask,"How can i overcome selfconsciousness and the fear that paralyzes me before an audience?"

你是否曾注意到，从火车的车窗向外望去，几匹马在铁轨附近吃草甚至从不停下来抬头望望雷鸣般驶过的火车。可是，就在前面的一段铁路交叉口，农夫的妻子在列车经过以后惊慌失措地试图安抚她受惊地马儿。
Did you ever notice in looking from a train window that some horses feed near the track and never pause to look up at the thundering cars,which just ahead at the next railroad crossing a farmer's wife will be nervously trying to quiet her scared horse as the train goes by?

你如何治愈一匹害怕汽车的马——带它到丛林深处喂养它，让它永远也不会看到蒸汽机或者汽车，还是把它带到它会经常看到机器地地方来喂它？
How would you cure a horse that is afraid of cars——graze him in a back—woods lot where he would never see steam-enginers or automobiles,or drive or pasture him where he would frequently see the machines?

把这种尝试运用到消除你的自我意识和恐惧之中：尽可能频繁地面对观众，这样你很快就不会害羞了。如果你只是一味地阅读这方面地书籍，你永远也不可能会摆脱怯场地难题。一本书可以给你很好的建议，告诉你怎样在水里做才能最好，可是早晚你都必须弄湿自己，甚至让自己窒息，“差点下个半死”。海滨有很多种“防湿”的泳衣。但是没有一个人穿着它们学会游泳。跳进水利是唯一的方法。
Apply horse-sense to ridding yourself of selfconsciousness and fear: face an audience as you can, and you will soon stop shying. You can never attain freedom from stage-fright by reading a treatise. A book may give you excellent suggestions on how best to conduct yourself in the water, but sooner or later you must get wet, perhaps even strangle and be "half scared to death." There are a great many "wetless" bathing suits worn at the seashore, but no one ever learns to swim in them.To plunge is the only way.

在公众面前练习，练习，再练习。这样会把所有的对观众的恐惧赶走。就像练习游泳你就会在水里熟练并充满自信一样。你必须学会通过说来练习说。
Practise, practise, practise in speaking before an audience will tend to remove all fear of audience, just as practise in swimming will lead to confidence and facility in the water. You must learn to speak by speaking.

正如圣徒保罗告诉我们的那样，每一个人都必须找到自己拯救自己的方法。我们所能做的一切就是给你提供建议，为你最好地投入水中准备。真正的投入水中的行动没有人会替你完成。医生可以开药方，但是你必须吃药。
The Apostle Paul tells us that every man must work out his own salvation. All we can do here is to offer you suggestions as to how best to prepare for your plunge. The real plunge no one can take for you. A doctor may prescrible, but you must take the madicine.

不要为最初的怯场的痛苦而感到沮丧。丹帕齐比任何一个负重跋涉的老马更容易遭受痛苦。在观众面前一个傻瓜不会受到任何伤害，因为以他的能力它感受不到这种恐惧。一个可以毁灭文明人的打击会使野蛮人很快会得到痊愈。在生命的范围里，我们攀得越高，承受的能力也就越强。
Do not be disheartened if at first you suffer from stage-fright. Dan Patch was more susceptible to suffering than a superannuated dray horse would be. It never hurts a fool to appear before an audience, for his capacity is not a capacity for feeling. A blow that would kill acivilized man soon heals on a savage. The higher we go in the scale of life, the greater is the capacity for suffering.

因为一个又一个原因，即使是一些演讲高手也绝不会完全克服怯场的难题，但是你如果不遗余力地攻克它，你就会有收获。丹尼尔。韦伯斯特在他第一次出场的时候失败了，而且他不得不因为紧张在完成演讲的情况下回到了座位上。格莱斯顿经常在演讲前遭遇自我恐惧的难题。比彻在公众面前讲话之前总是烦躁不安。
For one reason or another, some master-speakers never entirely overcome stage-fright,but it will pay you to spare no pains to conquent it. Daniel Webster failed in his first appearance and had to take his seat without finishing his speech because he was nervous. Gladstone was often troubled with self-consciousness in the beginning of an address. Beecher was always perturbed before taking in public.

铁匠们有时会在一匹马的鼻子上绑很紧的绳子，这样给它施加一点点痛就可以在打马蹄铁时分散马的注意力。除去杯子里的空气的一种方法就是把它灌满水。
Blacksmiths sometimes twist a rope tight around the nose of a horse, and by thus inflicting a little pain they distract his attention from the shoeing process. One way to get air out of a glass is to pour in water.