來賓是特別的

來賓是特別的
譯者：傅憲成 Dick, ScienTech
A Guest is Special 作者：Michael Notaro

	I recently traveled from my home in California to Greenwich, Connecticut, to attend the wedding of a grade-school friend whom I had not seen in more than a decade. I didn’t know any of his current friends and at the wedding reception, when he was off getting his picture taken, I did not know a soul in the room. 最近我從加州的家，到康乃迪克州的格林威治市，參加一位研究所同學的婚禮，我們已經十幾年沒見了。我也不認識他現在的朋友，到達婚禮招待桌時，他在另外一個地方照相，我在房間裡孤單無依。 After 15 minutes of standing alone, I decided I had done my “friendship duty” and planned to return to my hotel room to watch TV. As I walked toward the exit, a woman approached me, smiled from ear to ear and said, “Michael Notaro! Is that you? Are you Michael Notaro?” She introduced herself and escorted me around the entire reception hall, introducing guests to the groom’s “special childhood friend, Michael Notaro.”
一個人在房間停留15分鐘左右，我想，我已經盡了「朋友」的禮貌，打算回到飯店看電視去。當我往出口時，一位臉上堆滿笑容的女士向我走來，她說：「麥可塔羅，是你嗎？你叫麥可塔羅嗎？」，她自我介紹後，領著我週旋整個會場，向所有賓客，介紹我這位新郎「兒時玩伴麥可塔羅」。
People began crowding around to talk with me. Suddenly, I felt like a celebrity! I had the time of my life and was the last one to leave the reception hall — well after midnight. 人們開始圍繞著我，並跟我講話。突然，我變成名人了。當晚，我度過有生以來最愉快的一天，而且，是最後一位離開婚禮現場的-過了十二點。 Do you remember what it felt like to be a guest at a Toastmasters meeting? You walk into a room filled with strangers, and there is the fear of meeting new people — combined with the fear of public speaking. Guests often feel alone and anxious. Some visitors make it as far as to the parking lot, but they are so frightened that they cannot get out of their car. 你記不記得，第一次參加演講會當來賓的心情如何？你走進一間都是陌生人的房間，面對新朋友的恐懼，接著來的，是上台演講的害怕。來賓通常都會覺得孤獨無依以及焦慮。一些來賓從停車場就開始害怕，甚至無法離開他的車子。 Hospitality is critical to creating a warm and inviting environment at your Toastmasters club. Greeting guests is not just the responsibility of the sergeant at arms and vice president membership — every club member should make visitors feel welcome. 讓來賓有賓至如歸的感覺，最重要的就是在演講會裡，創造一個溫馨及具吸引力的環境。對來賓的問候，不只是分會事務長及會員副會長的職責，每一位會員都有責任，讓來賓感到受歡迎。 Greet every guest as quickly as possible. Ask them to sign the club’s guestbook and engage them in a friendly conversation. Take the lead in introducing them to other members. Never let a guest sit alone. After the meeting, answer their questions and concerns, and follow up with a thankyou email. Of course, don’t forget to close the sale: Ask them to join. 問候來賓的時間點，越早越好。請他們在簽到簿簽名，接著以友善的態度對談，介紹其他的會員。千萬不要讓來賓孤坐。會後，詢問一些問題以及他們關心的事項，然後傳給他們感謝的電子郵件。當然，別忘了達成任務：要求他們加入。 Treat guests like royalty and watch your membership grow at Toastmasters 以上禮對待來賓，讓他們觀察會員在演講會裡成長 – 一個創造領導者的地方。 MICHAEL NOTARO, DTM　麥可·諾塔羅, 傑出會員 International President 世界總會長2011-2012 譯者：傅憲成 Dick Fu, ScienTech Toastmasters Club


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，註明出處，歡迎轉載。