What is an
alligator? An alligator is anything that you fear. Why should you love
it? Fear leads people in the direction they should go to achieve the
freedom and happiness they desire.
什麼是「鱷魚」？鱷魚就是任何讓你感到恐懼的事。為什麼要你愛牠？因為恐懼會引導我們正確的方向，去追求自由，尋找幸福。
Fear of public speaking is common. When asked to speak, many people
mentally freeze and lose sight of what they would have said. Often the
most brilliant ideas are never heard, because people with the greatest
ideas are too afraid to speak.
同樣地，一般人都會恐懼上台演講。當被要求做一場演講時，我們的腦袋會呈現一片空白，完全不知道要說些什麼。所以，一些無與倫比的想法往往不為人知，因為擁有這些想法的人，不敢大聲宣傳。
How can people overcome this fear? They must attack it in the same
manner as they would the fear of flying, skydiving or swimming – win the
battle by working through the fears. Fear of flying is overcome by
flying; fear of sky - diving is overcome by skydiving. Likewise, fear of
public speaking is overcome by public speaking.
我們如何克服恐懼？像是對於飛行、跳傘或游泳的恐懼一樣，要打敗恐懼，就要擁抱它。克服飛行恐懼，就去飛行；克服跳傘恐懼，就往下跳；同樣地，要克服演講的恐懼，上台演講吧。
In 1967, while selling for Burroughs Corporation, I was asked to present
one of the first electronic calculators in Alaska to the Alaska
Department of Highways. Someone had read about that amazing
four-function monster with its row of nixie tubes. While driving to
their building I assumed the meeting would include one engineer and one
person from purchasing.
1967年，我在Burroughs公司當業務，被委派到阿拉斯加公路局介紹第一款電子計算機。許多人已經得知這個具備數排真空管，有四功能令人驚奇的怪物。驅車前往時，我以為與會者只有一位工程師和一位採購人員。
I walked through their door only to be ushered into an auditorium with
30 engineers and several people from purchasing. As I fumbled with the
machine, my perspiration dripped on the keyboard, my knees felt weak and
no words came out. All I managed to say was, “You are intelligent
people. I will leave the manual and the machine. You have a week to play
with it.”
當我踏入大門，就直接被帶到禮堂，裡面坐了30位工程師，幾位採購部門的人員。當我笨手笨腳地操作那部機器，汗滴到鍵盤上，膝蓋發軟，緊張到說不出話來。唯一迸出的一句話：「你們都很聰明，我會留下這部機器和操作手冊，你們可以試用一星期。」
After the initial wave of shame passed, I visited a Toastmasters meeting
and I joined after my first meeting.
因為遭受過這種難堪的衝擊，我在參觀過一次演講會例會後，立刻成為會員。
The first time I spoke was in Table Topics. My knees wobbled and nothing
I said made sense. The alligators won. But that didn’t matter to my
fellow members; they gave me tons of credit for standing up. Those
people were so supportive they instantly became my new best friends.
第一次發言，是即席演講。膝蓋不停抖動，並且語無倫次。鱷魚贏得這回合。可是那些可愛的會員並不介意，反而嘉許我敢上台的勇氣。這些支持我的會員，很快地都成為我的好朋友。
Following my first attempt at speaking, I was assigned a mentor to guide
me through the steps and handed a well-structured ladder to climb: a
manual with short presentations designed to help me master my fears.
Toastmasters clubs provide a safe place where caring, experienced
individuals help others deal with their fears.
一位指派的指導會員，引導我隨著最初的演講企圖，一步步往前進；他也建構一座穩固的梯子，讓我往上爬。指導手冊內，簡明的表達技巧，幫助我掌控恐懼。演講會提供一個安全的場合，由有愛心又有經驗的會員協助其他會員對付恐懼。
How well did Toastmasters help me? Every time I spoke, my level of fear
dropped a little. Then, one day, all of my fears were gone! Now I love
to speak. These days, with less than five minutes’ notice, I can deliver
a one-hour keynote.
演講會如何幫助我？每一次我開口，恐懼程度就消除一些。有一天，我發現恐懼不見了。現在，我樂於開口講話。今天，只要5分鐘前給我通告，我就能做一場1小時的專題演說。
A Record-Setting Life
一個締造紀錄的人生
During my seven years with Burroughs I set national sales records. From
there, I went to Communications Engineering, where I set more records
selling equipment for General Electric – Mobile Radio Division. My
exceptional results in selling and sales management opened doors to an
extraordinary career helping firms build teams that set national sales
records of their own. Had I not lost to the alligators during my
presentation at the Alaska Department of Highways – and had I missed
Toastmasters – I would not have set any of my records.
七年之中，我在Burroughs締造全國銷售紀錄。後來轉任通訊工程領域，也為奇異公司的行車通訊部門創造多項銷售紀錄。透過這些輝煌的銷售紀錄和業務管理，我進而協助其他公司建立銷售團隊，也創下不少全國第一的紀錄。如果我不曾在阿拉斯加被鱷魚擊敗，而我也錯過了演講會，我就不會締造現在的紀錄。
Before my involvement with Toastmasters, I was good at selling, but not
great. What gave me the strength to become great were those assignments
where I was forced to listen. The more I did it, the better I became.
在全心投入演講會之前，我雖然是個好業務，卻不是偉大的業務員。這些讓我變偉大的力量，來自那些被迫聆聽的種種訓練。我做得越多，我變得越棒。
Toastmasters meetings, with their structured roles – such as evaluator,
grammarian and Ah-Counter – create perfect paths to master the art of
listening. I didn’t know how poorly I listened until I began documenting
what I thought other people had said.
例會中的角色設計，例如講評人、語言講評人和贅字記錄員，都為了訓練會員成為聆聽藝術的專家。我從未發覺自己拙於聆聽，直到開始在例會中紀錄別人說的內容是什麼之後。
A teacher, preacher, leader, salesperson, parent – anyone who must deal
with people – is in the business of selling ideas. And the proven key to
helping another person change her mind comes from understanding that
person’s needs, wants, desires and problems.
不管是老師、傳道者、領導人、業務員或家長，任何與他人有接觸的人，都是在推銷自己的想法。幫助他人改變想法，被證實最有效的方式，源自於清楚了解對方的需要、念頭、慾望和問題。
Nobody can simply think their way to effective listening and speaking.
If you want to get there you must work your way up, the same as I did,
and vanquish those alligators that hold you back. The most effective way
to do that, at the least possible cost, is Toastmasters.
沒有人能簡單地使用自己的方式，輕易做到有效的聽和說。如果想要到達那樣的境界，必須提昇自己的能力。像我一樣，擊敗那些緊咬不放的鱷魚。最有效，最實惠的作法，就是加入演講會。
Nothing else
compares.
真的，沒有其它能出其右。
翻譯：屏東分會
邱少為 Alex Chiu |
