職場雙語:論說話的藝術(1)
Dear Annie: I work on a team with a bright, talented young woman who has a lot of potential. The problem is that our director and other colleagues are frustrated with her communication style, which is what you might call "Valley Girl." We really want her to do well and get ahead, and we believe the way she speaks is holding her back. Can you offer any tips on how to overcome this? She is generally open to constructive suggestions and I think she would follow your advice. — Trying to Help
親愛的安妮：在我工作的團隊，有一個聰明伶俐且充滿才氣的年輕女孩，她很有發展潛力。但問題是，我們主管和其他同事對她的講話方式很有意見。她講話的方式可以用“山谷女郎”來形容。我們真的希望她取得出色的業績，更進一步。但是很顯然，她的說話方式正在阻礙她的職業發展。您能提供一些技巧，來幫助她克服這個毛病嗎？她願意接受任何建設性的建議。我認爲她會聽從您的建議的。——THDear TH: "'Valleyspeak' is the verbal equivalent of coming to work looking like you just rolled out of bed," says executive speech coach Christine K. Jahnke. "It's sloppy and, worse, it distracts people's attention from your ideas and your performance. It can also wreck your chances of ever being selected for a job where you would be 'out front' dealing with clients."
親愛的TH：高管演講教練克里斯汀•楊克曾說過：“‘山谷語’腔調給人的感覺，就像一個人剛從牀上爬起來，緊接着就開始工作了。”她還說，“這種腔調聽上去很不正式，而且更糟糕的是，它會分散別人的注意力，從而無法關注你的創意和表現。同時，這樣的說話方式也決定了你註定跟直接與客戶打交道的工作崗位無緣。”Jahnke is president of Washington, D.C.-based coaching firm Positive Communications and has advised Michelle Obama and six state governors as well as executives at companies as diverse as the National Geographic Channel and NASCAR. She also wrote a new book, The Well-Spoken Woman: Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best.
楊克現任華盛頓特區積極溝通培訓公司（Positive Communications）總裁。第一夫人米歇爾•奧巴馬曾接受過她的建議。美國總共六位州長都曾是她的客戶。此外，她的客戶還包括不同類型公司的高管，從國家地理頻道（National Geographic Channel）到全國運動汽車競賽協會（National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing）等等。最近，她還出了本新書——《職場指南：如何展現最美的形象和聲音》（Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best）。
One drawback to talking like a Valley Girl is that it often entails ending sentences with an upward inflection, as if they were questions, which "sounds as if you're seeking approval rather than making a statement," Jahnke says. "It makes you seem to lack confidence in what you're saying."
“山谷女郎”式的說話方式還有一個缺點，那就是每句話的結尾通常用上揚的語調，就像在提問題。“聽起來就像在尋求別人的認同，而不是在陳述一件事情。這會使人顯得對自己的話缺乏自信，”楊克說。Another unfortunate verbal habit: Peppering one's speech with "like" and "you know." Jahnke believes that Carolyn Kennedy's 2008 Senate bid failed in part because of public appearances -- including a New York Times interview that quickly went viral -- where, Jahnke recalls, Kennedy "seemed unable to articulate a complete thought without saying 'you know.'" Pundits also picked on Kennedy's "baby doll voice" and "tendency to ramble," Jahnke says.
另一種不好的說話習慣是在談話中中摻雜過多的口頭禪，比如“就像”、“你知道”等等。楊克認爲，卡洛琳•肯尼迪在2008年的參議員競選中失利，部分原因就在於她在公開場合的表現，其中就包括《紐約時報》（New York Times）對她的一次專訪。談到那次專訪，楊克回憶說：“如果不說‘你知道’，她好像就無法清楚完整的表達自己的觀點。”另外，權威評論者還對肯尼迪的“娃娃音”和“散漫的個性傾向”提出了批評。Of course, Most of us (luckily) never have to stand in the intense public spotlight that candidates for public office face, but a less-than-polished speaking style can wreck anyone's career prospects, says Jahnke, and it becomes more of a sticking point the higher you go: "As you rise up the ladder, expect that every aspect of your speaking persona will face more intense scrutiny." Gulp.
幸運的是，我們中的大部分人當然無需像公職候選人那樣，必須面對大衆的高度關注。然而，不加修飾脫殼而出的說話方式卻可以毀掉任何一個人的職業前程。而且職位越高，這一點也會變得愈發重要，楊克說，“隨着職位升高，我們的一言一行都會受到外界更加密切的關注。”So what can your colleague -- or anyone else -- do to change speech patterns that may have become ingrained over many years? "Most people really don't need a total overhaul," Jahnke says. "They just need to correct one or two things."
那麼，你的同事，或者其他有類似問題的人，到底應該怎樣改變他們的講話方式呢？要知道，這些不好的習慣對她們來說已是多年的頑疾。楊克稱：“大部分人都沒必要對說話方式全面大修，只需要改正一到兩處就可以了。”She suggests the following four steps toward a more professional speaking style:
她提出了下面四條建議，幫助人們培養更符合職業規範的說話方式。1. Seek out honest feedback. As with trying to change any behavior, the first step is to become aware of it. In her coaching sessions, Jahnke usually starts by videotaping a client talking and reviewing it with the client. "People are usually surprised when they watch and hear themselves," she says. "Most of us don't really know how we're coming across."
1. 尋求真實的反饋。改變說話習慣就像改變任何行爲方式一樣，第一步就是要認清問題所在。楊克開始一個階段的培訓時，往往先要把客戶的說話內容錄下來，然後和客戶一起回顧檢查，找出問題。“當人們看到自己的舉止，聽到自己的說話方式時，往往會大吃一驚。實際上，我們中的大多數人並不瞭解自己在與別人接觸時的真實狀態。”A trusted friend or coworker may be able to offer suggestions, or your company's human resources department may even provide a few professional coaching sessions -- especially for high-potential types like your teammate.
值得信任的朋友和同事都可以爲此提供建議。另外，公司的人事部也可以針對公司內部的“潛力股”——比如你的隊友那樣的員工，開展幾期相關的專業培訓。2. Join Toastmasters International. With 13,000 chapters in 16 countries, Toastmasters probably has a club near you. "It is a great organization, full of people who are seriously trying to improve their speaking skills in a friendly, collegial atmosphere," Jahnke says. "And it's free."
2. 參加國際演講會（Toastmasters International）。 這個組織在全球16個國家擁有13,000個分會，也許在你們的身邊，就有一個國際演講會分會。“國際演講會是一個非常不錯的組織，會員都在竭盡全力提高自己的講話技巧。演講會內部總是呈現出一派友好的學院式氛圍，” 楊克說。“而且這個組織是免費的。”
