Carnegie Language Breakthroughs and the Art of Communication

Chapter 19 Different categories of speech concepts (3)
So wouldn't it be smarter if you chose just one theme, and that one only?You can pick an issue on the subject of labor unions, gather as much information as you can, and describe it in detail.Such a speech can leave a deeper impression on the audience, not only making the subject clear, but also easier to remember.

Once, I went to a company to visit their general manager and found a strange name on his office door.The personnel director of that company is my old friend, so he told me the origin of the name.

"His name can be said to complement him perfectly," my friend said.

"His name?" I asked. "Isn't he part of the Jones family that controls the company?"

"I mean his nickname," my friend replied. "We call him Mr. Where is. Because we often can't find anyone and don't know where he is. His position was given to him by the Jones family, and he There is no need to worry about knowing the operating conditions of the entire company. He always stays in the company for a long time every day, but what is he doing? He runs here, then there, everywhere. He thinks it's important to watch the marketing people fix the lights, or watch the stenographer pick out paper clips, instead of researching sales plans. Get nicknames like 'Where'."

"Where" can't help but remind me, isn't that what many speakers are like?They could have done better, but because they didn't grasp the principle, they made it thankless, just like Mr. "Where" takes care of all trivial things.Have you ever heard such a speech?Do you wonder in a speech like this, "Where is he now?"

Many experienced speakers make this mistake from time to time, perhaps because their other abilities lead them to overlook the seriousness of these mistakes.You must not be like them, you must grasp the theme.If you want your audience to understand what you are saying, make sure they always think, "I know this man, and I know where he is!"

2. Bring concepts into order
Almost any subject can enhance the appeal of a speech with proper placement.This includes time, space, or the arrangement of special topics.

For example, in terms of time arrangement, you can arrange the topics in the order of past, present, and future; or select a date first, and then narrate on this date forward or backward.In addition, all accounts of events must begin with first-hand sources and then go through various production processes to produce the finished product.Of course, how many details should be arranged in this one depends on the time you have.

In terms of space arrangement, you can start your concept from the central point, and then gradually expand outward, or introduce it sequentially according to directions, such as east, west, south, north, etc.For example, if you want to introduce Washington, the capital of the United States, you might as well start with the White House, and then explain each place worth introducing in order according to the direction.And if you want to introduce aircraft engines or automobiles, it is best to explain them one by one according to their parts and structures.

Some topics have an "established relationship". For example, if you want to introduce the organizational setup of the US government, it is best to discuss it according to the customary structure of this organization, such as the executive branch, the legislature, and the judiciary.

3. Say your main points in turn

The easiest way to make the whole speech leave a clear and concise impression on the audience is to list the main points one by one during the process of your explanation.

"My first point is..." You can say it simply and clearly like this.As you discuss your argument, make it clear to your audience that this is your first argument, then second, third... and on to the end.

When Dr. Ralph Boucher was Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, he was once invited to give a speech at the Civic Club in Rochester, New York.He put it bluntly:
Tonight, I was chosen to speak on "The Challenges of Relationships" "for two reasons. First..." Then he went on to say, "Second..." Throughout the speech he paid great attention to Let the audience go through his arguments one by one before jumping to the conclusion.

Therefore, we must never lose faith in the potential power of human beings to do good.

Economist Paul Douglas likes to take the same approach.Just a little change:

"My main point is..." he began, "that the easiest and most effective way to stimulate economic recovery is to reduce taxes on the lower and middle classes—because these classes usually use up all their income."

"especially……"

"then……"

"and also……"

"There are three main reasons for this. First...second...third..."

"All in all, we must step up efforts to reduce taxes on the middle and lower classes, so as to increase the purchasing power of the masses."

4. Use familiar concepts to illustrate new ideas

Sometimes you find it difficult to explain certain points to your audience.These concepts are no doubt quite clear to you.But for the audience, you need to spend a lot of time to make them understand, and some even can't understand.What should we do?The best way is to use something familiar to the audience as a reference, so that the audience will be more receptive and clearer.

Suppose you are now discussing the contribution of a chemical—catalyst—to industry.This substance can cause other substances to change without affecting itself.This is how we usually interpret it.But if you switch to another explanation, wouldn't it be easier to understand?You could say it's like having a boy who teases, beats, or bullies other kids on the school playground without ever getting punched himself.

When some missionaries are preaching in different places, they often find it difficult to properly describe certain words and sentences in the Bible in the local language.For example, in Equatorial Africa, if the following sentence is only interpreted literally, it is difficult for the local natives to fully understand: "Though your sins are as red as blood, you can still wash them as white as snow." Those missionaries Is it translated literally?How could those aborigines living in the tropical jungle know how white snow is?However, those natives often climbed the coconut trees to pick the coconut fruit, so the missionaries changed the above sentence to this: "Though your sins are as red as blood, they can be washed as clean as coconut meat." white."

After making such a change, isn't it more persuasive?
5. Use images to make events easy to understand
How far is the moon from the earth?What about the sun?What about the rest of the planets?Scientists usually like to use numbers to answer many questions like space travel.However, a speaker or writer who talks about scientific subjects knows that it is difficult to get a clear idea of ​​the general audience and readers, so it is better to visualize this material.

Renowned scientist Dr. James Jeans is particularly interested in the psychology of human desire to explore space.As a science professional, he also knows the importance of mathematics in this regard.Therefore, when writing articles on this aspect or giving speeches on this aspect, some numbers will be used occasionally.

The sun (stars) and other planets around us are very close to us, so it is difficult for us to realize how far away other non-solar system planets are from us.In his book "The Universe Around Us", Jeans pointed out: "Even the stars closest to us are

250 trillion miles away. ’ Then, to make that number more concrete, he explained it this way: If one travels from the earth at the speed of light (000 miles per second), it takes only 18 years to reach the star.

A few years ago, a student in a training class described the astonishing record of casualties on the highway: "You are driving from New York to Los Angeles. Along the way, the road markings on the highway disappear. Full coffins of people who died in car accidents on the road last year. You drive forward and you find a coffin every five seconds, from one end of the mainland to the other.”

Since hearing this description, I have never dared to drive too far from home in the future.

Why is this so?Because the impression we hear from our ears alone is not easy to retain.But what about the impression of the eyes?A few years ago, I saw a cannonball on the banks of the Danube embedded in an old house on the embankment—it was the cannonball fired by Napoleon during the "Battle of Ulm", and the visual impression was just like that cannonball All the same, it will have a terrible impact, embedded in our memory, and expel all unfavorable suggestions, just as Napoleon expelled the Austrians of his time.

6. Try to avoid jargon
If you are a professional technical person, such as a lawyer, doctor, engineer, or engaged in a special business transaction, when you speak to a general audience, please remember to use ordinary everyday language, and explain in detail if necessary.

You have to be extra careful about this because I've heard countless professional presentations where many people just don't notice this and fail.These speakers are completely oblivious to the fact that the general public does not understand the special terms, so their speeches leave the audience confused and confused.

So, what should you do when you're giving a professional presentation?Here are some suggestions from former Indiana Senator Bee Willizzi that you can use as a reference.

When you start your talk, pick the least intelligent-looking person in the audience and try to get that person interested in what you're talking about.I think that only when you explain your arguments in a simple and clear way can you get good results.An even better way is to choose a little boy or girl from the audience, which will work even better.

Tell yourself that if you speak aloud to the audience, you will try to make the child understand what you say, and remember your explanations of many problems.And after the speech, you can tell what exactly you said.

There was a physician in the training class, and he once gave a lecture on "How abdominal breathing helps the bowels move, and what benefits it has on the health of the body."He was talking endlessly from one medical term to another, but was immediately stopped by the teacher.The teacher asked him to first investigate the students in the class, how many people know about abdominal breathing, how is abdominal breathing different from normal breathing, what is intestinal peristalsis, what is the relationship between abdominal breathing and intestinal peristalsis, etc.The results of the investigation surprised the doctor.So he had to start all over again, explaining some medical terms in simple and clear everyday terms.The best way to explain technical terms to your audience is to use simple examples for comparison.Here's an example: You're explaining to a group of housewives how to defrost a refrigerator.The following statement is obviously too esoteric and difficult to understand:

The function of the refrigerator is based on the principle of "extracting the hot air inside the refrigerator by the evaporator".Once the hot gas is pumped out, the water vapor accompanied by the hot gas is attached to the evaporator, so that it gradually accumulates into frost and forms an insulator.At this time, the evaporator must speed up the rotation of the engine to make up for the insulation effect caused by frost.

If you change the above statement into terms familiar to ordinary housewives, I believe it will be easier to understand:
You all know the meat freezer in the refrigerator, and you all know that there is often frost in the freezer.These frosts will become thicker and thicker, and eventually they must be removed to maintain the freezing effect of the refrigerator.The frost that forms in the refrigerator is like the blanket you put on your bed, or the asbestos in the walls of your house to insulate the temperature.Now, once the frost in the refrigerator is thicker and thicker, it becomes more and more difficult to extract the heat inside, and it becomes more and more difficult for the refrigerator to keep the cold state.At this time, the motor of the refrigerator must work harder to draw out the hot air.If your refrigerator has an automatic defrost device, the refrigerator will last longer.

Aristotle once said, "Think like a wise man; but talk like a man." If you have to use technical language, spell it out first and make sure your audience understands it meaning of those terms.Especially when you encounter keywords that are used repeatedly, you have to pay more attention.

Once, I heard a stockbroker give a speech to a group of women about banking and some investment projects.He explained in simple and plain language, and adopted a dialogue method, which made the whole conversation very relaxed and the content was very detailed and clear.It's just that some of his basic terms are still very professional, such as "clearance exchange", "franchise trading", "long-term and short-term stock trading" and so on.Because the stockbroker did not realize that the audience did not understand these technical terms, the speech that should have been very successful was greatly discounted.

Of course, you don't have to deliberately omit some key technical terms.Just remember to say it clearly when you use it.

7. Utilize visual aids
There are several times more nerves leading from the eyes to the brain than from the ears to the brain.And science has also proved that the attention we give through the eyes is more than 25 times the attention given through the ears.

There is an old Japanese proverb: "Seeing you once is more effective than saying it a hundred times."

So, if you want your audience to have a clear idea, visualize what you're saying.Jane Patterson, founder of the National Cash Registry, has long argued for this.He wrote an article for Systems Magazine telling readers how he addressed his peers and employees.

I think it's very difficult to get someone to understand you clearly, or to maintain attention for a long time, just by speaking.We need to utilize some tools.Whenever possible, use images to show your point of view and content.Generally speaking, statistical tables are more intuitive than words, and pictures are more convincing than statistics.The ideal method of explanation is to visualize the subject matter, and the text is only used to connect those images in series.This is the method I have discovered through years of contact with people.A picture is sometimes more useful than a thousand words.

If you use charts or charts, make sure they are large so everyone can see them clearly.But don't overdo it either, the barrage of charts is often tiresome.If you are explaining and drawing diagrams at the same time, you must move quickly and concisely, and don't be slow and sloppy.Audiences want easy-to-understand diagrams, not elaborate artwork.Use abbreviations as much as possible, and the text should be large and not too sloppy; you can draw and write while speaking, and turn your head to face the audience from time to time.

When you use this kind of presentation speech, keep in mind the following suggestions, which can greatly enable you to attract the attention of your audience:

a. Put away things that are going to be displayed until they are ready for use.

b. Display something that can be seen clearly by everyone in the back row.

c. Don't pass on the exhibit mid-speak, it will distract the audience.

d. When displaying items, hold them upright and upright so that everyone can see them.

e. Dynamic displays are more impressive than static ones.Demonstration performances are a good way to demonstrate.

f. Don't talk while looking at the exhibits.Remember, you are communicating to your audience, not your exhibit.

g. If possible, put away exhibits as soon as they are displayed.

h. Before using the exhibit, it might be a little "mysterious".Displays can be placed on a nearby table and covered with something to arouse curiosity and interest in the audience.

Visual aids are increasingly important in enhancing the clarity of speech.If you want your audience to understand what is on your mind, it is more effective to show them than to tell them with words.

There are two former presidents of the United States who are both masters of speech.They all believe that the only way to explain things clearly and coherently is to rely on continuous hard practice.Lincoln said we must have a zeal for clarity.He once told Knox University President Gulliver how he pursued this "passion" as a child:

When I was a boy, it troubled me a lot when someone spoke to me and I didn't understand him.Nothing pissed me off more than this.I remember that every evening, after hearing the conversation between my neighbor and my father, when I went back to my small room alone, I couldn't sleep all night, just trying to figure out what the grown-ups were talking about.I thought and thought over some of the conversation until I could get it out in a language the average boy could understand.This is my passion for clarity, which remains undiminished today.

Another distinguished president was Wood Wilson, whose words I also quote:

My father was a man of great energy, and he could not bear the slightest bit of slurred conversation.The best training I've ever had was from him.That is, from then on, I began to practice writing until 1903 when he died.My father died at the age of 81, and everything I wrote to him is still preserved today.

My father often asked me to read aloud to him what I wrote, which was the most painful thing for me.Because he would often interrupt me and ask me: "What does this sentence mean?" So I had to explain the words on the paper in simpler words.My father would ask me, "Well, why didn't you write that way?" He would also say, "Don't use shotgun ammunition for shooting birds, which is ineffective and well-known in the village; use a rifle , and then one shot. The same goes for the speech."

persuasive speech

Once, a group of men and women found themselves in the path of a storm.In fact, it is not a real storm, but it can also be used as a metaphor.To put it simply, this storm is a man named Maurice Goblet.Here's what those people said:

(End of this chapter)