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本項翻譯係經世界總會授權，版權亦屬世界總會及中華民國國際演講協會所有， |
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打開話匣不說＂啊＂ |
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譯者：鄭小玲 Sherry, 新竹 |
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Cutting Out Filler Words 作者：William H. Stevenson,Ⅲ |
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Her performance was almost
universally disparaged, in part because her speech was cluttered with
filler words – “ums,” “ahs” and “you knows.” One listener counted 27
“ums” and 38 “you knows” in the space of five minutes. 她的表現幾乎被一般人所蔑視，部分是因為她的講話充斥著不必要的詞句 - “嗯”，“啊”和“你知道。「有聽眾算出，在五分鐘的採訪哩，她有27次“嗯”，38次“你知道”」。 A few weeks after giving the interview, Kennedy ended her Senate campaign. 接受採訪後幾個星期，甘迺迪結束了她的參議員競選。 The example shows how filler words can be more than dead space – they can be deadly. “Using excessive fillers is the most irritating speech habit,” Susan Ward, a speech specialist, told the Wall Street Journal when the newspaper wrote about Kennedy’s media debacle. “They distract your listener often to the point that he doesn’t hear anything you say. Your message is entirely lost.” 這例子顯示，贅詞比較更像是死亡遊戲 – 而且是致命性的。「使用過多的贅詞，是最惱人的講話習慣。」當報導關有甘迺迪的媒體災難，演講專家蘇珊沃德，告訴華爾街日報記者說：「贅詞經常讓聽眾聽不到你的重點，你要傳達的訊息完全不見了。」 Fortunately, filler words can be trimmed from speeches, as all Toastmasters know. Here is how you can learn to cut down on these verbal tics – so that you can open your mouth and not say “ah.” 幸運的是，贅詞是可被切掉的，我們演講會會員都知道。以下你可以學習到，如何消除這些口頭抽動的問題 - 使你可以打開你的嘴，不說“啊”。 Building Confidence 建立自信心 Most beginning speakers are afraid of pauses. They believe their audience will think they are inarticulate if they pause to think of what to say next, so they use filler words to avoid the silence. However, a pause is actually more impressive than a filler word. Listeners know that the speaker is thinking, trying to find the right word. They respect this. Sometimes a pause can actually improve a speech, as when an actor uses a dramatic pause to rivet the attention of his audience. A speaker shouldn’t be afraid to pause occasionally during a speech; it shows self-confidence. 大多數初次發言者都害怕演講中的「休止符」。如果停下來思考，下一步該說甚麼，他們相信觀眾會認為，他們都是不善於表達的，所以他們使用贅詞，避免了沉默。然而，「休止符」實際上比贅詞，更令人印象深刻。聽眾知道說話者的想法，試圖找到合適的詞。他們尊重這一點。有時「休止符」實際上可以改善演講者，當一個演員用一個戲劇性的停頓，來吸引的關注他的觀眾。一位發言者不應該害怕演說中偶爾停頓，它意味表現自信。 Because speakers overuse filler words when they are nervous, it is important for a Toastmasters club to help speakers feel at ease. Clubs should immediately make it clear to new members that when they speak, no one will interfere. Bob Chikos of the Crystal Lakes Toastmasters in Crystal Lake, Illinois, finds knowing this is very helpful. 因為緊張時，演說者會過度使用贅詞，演講會來幫助會員們解決這個問題，自是很重要的。當演講者說到贅詞時，沒有人會打斷，演講會應立即明確地向新成員說明白這種情形。伊利諾州水晶湖市的水晶湖演講會的鮑伯，了解這是非常有幫助的。 “I remind myself that I have the floor and that nobody is going to interrupt me,” he says. “I also tell myself that it’s okay to be silent. When I’m collecting my thoughts, I believe I appear more cerebral and deep in thought if I remain silent for a second or two. And I tell myself that what seems like a long pause to me is probably a short pause to those in the audience.” 「我要提醒自己，我在發言時，沒有人會打斷我。」他說：「我也告訴自己，保持沉默是沒關係的。當我彙整我的想法，我相信我似乎更為理智和深刻的在思考，如果我保持沉默了兩秒鐘。我告訴自己，對我來說似乎是長時間的停頓，但對那些在台下聽眾可能是短暫的停頓。」 Brittany Hoff Gill of the Eagle Toastmasters in Eagle, Idaho, believes the way a speaker views the situation also affects the “ah” quotient. “Filler words generally come in when you don’t view the presentation as a conversation,” she says. “This makes you nervous and tense, and then you have a tendency to use filler words.” 愛達荷州老鷹市老鷹分會的布列塔尼霍夫吉爾相信，一個演說者看待狀況的方式，也影響到了「啊」的商數。「贅詞一般是產生在，當你不以會話的方式，來做一篇演講。」她說：「你感到緊張和神經繃緊時，你就有使用贅詞的傾向。」 Another key to building confidence is being prepared. If you know your topic thoroughly and have rehearsed your speech until it is second nature, delivery in front of an audience will go more smoothly. This certainly proved true for Nadia Moffett, a member of Express Yourself Toastmasters in Tobaccoville, North Carolina. 建立信心的另一關鍵，是已準備好了。如果你完全知道你的演說話題，並排練得很純熟，在聽眾前演說將會更平順。這無疑是納迪亞莫菲特的證明，他是北卡羅萊納州煙草村市表達自我演講會的一位會員。 “I was one of those speakers who used an array of filler words,” she says. “I eventually realized that, for me, filler words were simply a byproduct of not being fully prepared or of not being confident in my credibility or the delivery of my topic. This would make me distracted and uneasy, and the filler words would take on a life of their own.” 「我曾經是那些，使用一連串贅詞演講者的其中一位。」她說：「對我來說，我終於意識到，贅詞只是沒有充分準備，或對自己的演說主題沒有自信的一種副產品。這會使我分心、煩躁，贅詞將會呈現他們自己的人生裡。」 To cut out filler words, it also helps if you believe in the importance of what you are saying. Just listen to someone being interviewed on TV or radio. Often they give a poor performance on questions they care little about, casting about for something to say and using lots of filler words. Then they get a question on a topic they are passionate about – what a difference in the way they talk! Suddenly the filler words are gone and instead they offer an animated, forceful response, coming from the heart as well as the mind. 削減了贅詞，它也對假如你相信你說甚麼的重要性有助益。正如收聽有人在電視，或收音機接受採訪時，他們經常表現不好，不太在乎回答問題，顧左右而言化，以及使用大量的贅詞。後來回答的主題，是他們熱情付出而且熟悉的問題時，他們說話的方式有如此大的差異！突然地，贅詞不見了，相反地，他們提供了來自內心一個生動、有力的回應。 Practice Makes Perfect 熟能生巧 Many times at business meetings or public forums, unexpected questions will come up that weren’t anticipated or prepared for in advance. This is when filler words are particularly prone to crop up. Table Topics are great training for these types of situations. You learn the skill of thinking on your feet, gathering facts from the corners of your mind and putting them together coherently. Just like learning a new sport, it takes practice to become adept at impromptu speaking. When Nadia Moffett became aware of her filler-word problem, she took action. 多次在商務會議或座談會上，常有不預期，或無法事前準備、且意想不到的問題出現。這時贅詞是最容易出現。即席演講是這些類型的情況的最好訓練。你從基礎學習思考的技能，發自內心的蒐集實情，把它們條理清楚地組合在一起。就像學習一門新的娛樂，它需要實踐成為善於即興發言。當納迪亞莫菲特知道她有贅詞的問題，她採取了行動。 “I asked my Toastmasters club to be tough on me,” she recalls. “I said, ‘Always call on me for Table Topics and always give me feedback.’” It worked. 「我要求我的演講會分會對我嚴格一點。」她回憶說：「我說：『隨時在即席演講單元，指派上台回答，然後總是給我的回饋意見。」這方法起了有功效。 You can also do drills at home for extra practice on impromptu speaking. Ward recommends playing the “Tell-Me Game.” A week in advance, make a list of 20 topics for impromptu speeches and seal them in an envelope so you can’t look at them again. At the appointed time give the list to a partner, who will read topics and count the filler words during your responses. Start with two-minute responses and increase the times until you can deliver a five-minute impromptu speech with nary an “um” or “ah.” 您也可以在家裡，做些額外的即席發言演練。沃德建議玩「告訴我」的遊戲。事前一周，為即席演說準備20道題目，密封在一個信封哩，所以你不能再看這些題目。在約定的時間，把這張清單給你的伙伴，他將讀出信封裡的題目，並且計算你回應題目贅詞。開始時是兩分鐘的回應時間，之後增加時間，直到你可以在一個五分鐘演講裡，沒有一個「嗯」或「啊」。 The Wizard of Ahs 「啊」的高手 You cannot correct a problem unless you know you have one. Filler words are insidious because they are invisible to the speaker, but not to the listener. To help members become aware of this verbal clutter, Toastmasters clubs designate an Ah-Counter, who tracks filler words used by all speakers during a meeting and then discloses the results at the end. 你不能解決一個問題，除非知道有一個問題存在。贅詞是不知不覺中產生的，因為它對演說者是看不見的，聽眾郤不是如此。為了幫助會員意識到這個口頭上的混亂，國際演講會例會指定一位贅語員，追蹤在例會所有發言者，所使用到的贅詞，然後在例會最後公布結果。 “This is really important for a new member,” says Eric Jahn of The Talk of Lincolnshire club in Lincolnshire, Illinois. “They are often not aware that they are using filler words in their vocabulary, since nobody ever counted them.” “這對新成員真的是非常重要的，在林肯郡分會,林肯郡,伊利諾州,演講的埃里克雅恩說。 “他們往往不知道他們使用的是填充詞在他們的詞彙裡，因為從沒有人計算過他們的填充詞。” Speech evaluators may also comment on overuse of filler words, but all critiques should be presented in a constructive, non-threatening manner – a “building up,” not “tearing down,” process. 講評人也可能評論過度使用的贅詞，但所有的批評應以建設性的，非威脅的方式呈現 - 一個「建立」，不是「拆除」的過程。 When it comes to the Ah-Counter’s role, different clubs have different styles. The London Athenian Speakers in London, England, doesn’t have the Ah-Counter announce how many times each speaker used filler words. “We have found that a more positive approach is for mentors to discuss any filler words, ums and ahs with the speaker after the meeting,” says member Jessica Bass. 當談到贅語員的角色，不同的分會有不同的風格。在英國倫敦的雅典演講會會員，贅語員沒有在會後，宣佈每位演講者贅語數。會員潔西卡巴斯說：「我們已經發現一種更積極的作為，由指導會員與演講者，會後互相討論有關『嗯、啊』等贅詞問題。」 Other clubs not only report the filler-word infractions, but go a step beyond and fine their members a nickel or a dime per word, depositing the proceeds into a piggy bank for the coffee fund. To avoid bankrupting a member, an upper limit is placed on the total penalty for the session – say, fifty cents. The guilty party may exonerate himself: Each time he uses the Word of the Day, he is forgiven one filler word. 其他分會不僅報告，贅詞字的違法行為，而且更超越一步，處罰會員每個字五分錢、或一角錢，所得款項存入小豬做為咖啡基金。為了避免會員破產，設定了全部罰款的上限， 比如，五十美分。有罪的一方可以在以下情況下免除處罰：每使用一次「每日一詞」，可以抵銷一個贅詞。 Does “Ah” Ring a Bell? 「啊」敲響了鐘？ In addition to the Ah-Counter’s report at the end of the meeting, many clubs give their members instant feedback. Some have the Ah-Counter ring a bell when he hears a filler word. In other clubs, the Ah-Counter drops a nail into a bucket when he hears a “clinker.” 除了贅語員在例會的最後報告，許多分會給予會員們及時的回饋。有些分會的贅語員，聽到贅詞時要響鈴。在其他分會，當贅語員聽到一個贅詞，就丟進一個釘子進水桶。 Some groups encourage listeners to tap their glasses with silverware at the sound of an ah. Brittany Hoff Gill says when she was a member of the Chehalis-Centralia club in Centralia, Washington, several years ago, the club had a novel approach to the problem. “Our grammarians were hilarious,” she recalls. “Whenever someone messed up on a filler word during a speech they would hold up the ‘Jaw of Teeth,’ one of those gag props that you can make chatter on a table by pushing a lever. The whole club would laugh.” 有些團體鼓勵聽眾，聽到有一聲「啊」，就用銀器輕敲玻璃。布列塔尼霍夫說，數年前，當她是奇哈利斯-森特勒利亞分會，森特勒利亞，華盛頓，的成員，該俱樂部有一個新奇的方法來解決問題。 “我們文法家是極可笑的，＂她回憶說。 ＂每當演說時有人在填充詞使用上搞砸了，他們將托起'頜骨牙齒，'藉著壓下操作桿，你可以使一個塞口物的道具在桌上格格作響。全俱樂部哄堂大笑＂。 Reminders such as these should be used with care, since some speakers feel uncomfortable with them. Rattled, they use more filler words, causing more bell ringing and glass tapping, causing still more filler words. Different speakers have different personalities, and a club needs to be aware of this and tailor the reminders to the speaker. 使用諸如此類的提醒物，要特別小心，因為有些演說者對它們感到不舒服。慌亂時，他們使用更多的贅詞，造成成更多的鈴聲，和玻璃敲擊聲，惡性循環。演說者因人而異，分會應該知道此點，為演說者訂製適當的提醒物品。 “I think instant reminders can be a good idea, but only in an advanced club,” says Nga Nguyen, DTM, of the Harris SpeakEZ club in Melbourne, Florida. “My club has lots of new members and I think this practice would cause them to shy away.” 「我認為即時提醒物可以是一個好主意，但只能在一個進階演講分會，」位於佛羅里達州墨爾本哈里斯SpeakEZ演講分會的傑出會員雅阮說：「我的分會有許多的新成員，我認為這種做法會把他們嚇跑。」 Melanie Ghazarian, DTM, a member of several clubs, including the Conejo Valley Toastmasters in Thousand Oaks, California, believes that modern technology supplies the most helpful reminder for a member seeking to cut the ahs. “One of my clubs video-records the speeches and gives the speakers a copy,” she says. “This is the best feedback for a speaker – to see yourself in action.” 加州Thousand Oaks市Conejo Valley演講會，同時也是其他多個分會會員的梅拉妮Ghazarian, 傑出會員，她相信現代科技，提供了解決「啊」的問題，很有用的提醒物。「我的分會把演講者的演講錄下來，並給演講者拷貝片。」她說：「這是對演說者最好的回饋 - 要看到自己的活動中的情況。」 A Success Story 成功的故事 As the 2009 winner of the Mrs. New Jersey beauty pageant, Ceylone Boothe-Grooms attends many charity functions, often hosting such programs herself. A member of the AT&T club in Middletown, New Jersey, she once co-hosted a cotillion for inner-city girls in Plainfield, New Jersey, an event attended by 300 guests, including local dignitaries and media figures. Just before the event was scheduled to start, Boothe-Grooms learned that the program’s script had not arrived. She would have to ad-lib everything – introductions and interviews – for the better part of two hours! 身為2009年新澤西州夫人選美比賽冠軍，Ceylone博特-格魯姆斯參加許多慈善活動，經常自己主持這樣的節目。一名在新澤西州Middletown市AT＆T分會會員，她曾經為了在普蘭菲爾德，新澤西州，的內城女孩，共同主持了方塊舞，一個有300名賓客出席的活動，其中包括當地政要和媒體人士。就在該活動計劃開始前，博特-格魯姆斯據悉，該節目的腳本還未拿到。她將不得不即興一切 - 介紹和採訪 –為了兩個小時的精彩時段！ After the initial shock faded, she felt her confidence returning. “I thought to myself, ‘Well, now my Toastmasters training will come in handy,’” Boothe-Grooms recalls. “And it did. I had maybe five ‘ums’ in two hours. No one in the audience noticed anything was wrong.” 最初的震驚後褪去後，她覺得她的信心回來了。「我對自己說：『好吧，現在我的演講培訓派上用場。』」博特-格魯姆斯回憶說：「而且我做到了。也許在兩個小時內，我有五個『嗯』。在觀眾席上沒有人注意到有任何的不對。」 William H. Stevenson, III, is a freelance writer in Huntsville, Alabama. He was formerly a member of three Toastmasters clubs in the Huntsville area. Contact him at whsteve3@aol.com. 威廉H ·史蒂文森三世，在阿拉巴馬州亨茨維爾市，是一位自由作家。他之前是亨茨維爾地區三個演講分會會員。在whsteve3@aol.com可與他聯繫。 譯者：鄭小玲 Sherry, 新竹國際演講會 |
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