Six lessons in public speaking from Obama

        America has elected the greatest political speaker for a generation.

美国给这代人选出了一位最厉害的政治演说家。

       You may think that there’s nothing for you to learn from Barack Obama’s speechmaking skills – that speaking to 200,000 people at Grant Park, Chicago is too far removed from the presentation you might give to your staff, to your management team or to potential clIEnts. Here are six lessons you can learn from Obama’s acceptance speech at Grant Park.

可能觉得从巴拉克·奥巴马的演讲技巧中，你没什么可以学的。你要面对是职员、管理团队和潜在客户；而奥巴马在芝加哥的格兰特公园，向20万人发表演说。根本就是不搭调嘛！下面根据奥巴马在格兰特公园发表的提名演讲，说6个演讲技巧，你可以学学。

1. Know your audience

1、了解观众

        It would have been easy for Obama to fall into the trap of talking to the 200,000 people before him in Grant Park. He didn’t. He spoke to Americans in their living rooms, he spoke to those who voted for McCAIn, he spoke to people watching him across the world – leaders and the poorest of the  poor. He knew who his audience was.

在格兰特公园，对着20万观众演讲，奥巴马很容易踩到地雷。他没有。他对着在家里起居室里的美国人讲话；他对着投票给麦凯恩的人讲话；他对着全世界关注他的人讲话，从各国政要到穷国中最穷的人。他知道观众是谁。

        “And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radIOS in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadershIP is at hand.”

“告诉那些远隔千山万水的人们；告诉各国议会和各国王室；告诉那些被世界遗忘的角落里、挤在一起收听广播的人们，我们的故事千差万别，但我们的命运休戚与共，美国领导的新时代即将到来。” 

2. Envelop your point in a story

2、在故事中，涵盖观点

       The long history of the campaign for civil rights in America made Obama’s election possible. Obama enveloped this point with the story of Anne Dixon Cooper, a 106 year old woman who was born the daughter of slaves, and has lived through the milestons of the civil rights movement.

美国历史上，长期争取民权的运动，使奥巴马参选成为可能。奥巴马用安妮·迪克森·库珀的故事，表达了这个观点。库珀是一位106岁高龄的女性，她的父母是奴隶；她经历了民权运动的几个重要里程碑。

       “She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.”

“她出生时，上一代刚刚结束奴隶制；当时，路上没有车子，天空没有飞机；象她一样的那些人，因为两个原因不能投票：因为她是女人，因为她皮肤的颜色。”

       That’s far more emotionally engaging than giving us a history lesson.

这样感染力强多了，效果比干巴巴的历史课棒多了。

3. Paint pictures on the canvas of your audience’s mind

3、在观众的脑海中描绘图案

       Obama used specific and concrete words to conjure powerful images in our minds. Here are some examples:

奥巴马用特定、具体的词汇给我们留下了深刻的印象。举几个例子：

        “Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.”

“我们的事业不是华盛顿高墙下的蛋。它的起源在得梅因的后院，在康科德的起居室，在查尔斯顿的前廊。”（得梅因、康科德、查尔斯顿均为美国城镇。——译者注。）

        “Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.”

“即使今晚，我们站在这里；我们也知道，那些勇敢的美国人行进在伊拉克的戈壁滩上，行进在阿富汗的崇山峻岭中。用他们的生命，为我们冒险。”

        “And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — blOCk by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.”

“总而言之，我请你加入重建国家的行列，过去221年，在美国，这是唯一路——用一双双布满老茧的双手，一砖一瓦地努力，一个街区一个街区地努力。”

4. Get personal

4、有人情味

       Barack Obama told the whole world that he’s getting his two young daughters a puppy to take with them to the White House. And the world loved it. In his first press conference he remarked that this is the most popular issue on his website.

巴拉克·奥巴马告诉全世界，他将给两个女儿弄一只小狗，并且带到白宫里。全世界人都喜欢这个。在首次新闻发布会上，他说，这是他网站上最热门的话题。

5. Wait for weight

5、娓娓道来，举重若轻

       Obama is not in a hurry when he speaks. He waits for the audience to process and react to what he has just said. And that gives his words weight. You can do the same.

奥巴马说话并不快。他等着观众明白，以及互动。这让他的话有分量。你也可以这样。

6. Light and shade

6、明暗色彩

        Obama’s acceptance speech had different moods – joyful – humorous – serious – intimate – determined. The contrasts keep us engaged – build light and shade into your presentations.

奥巴马的竞选演说有不同的感情色彩：欢快——幽默——严肃——亲密——坚定。如此变化牢牢吸引着人——当你上台时，也表现自己的明暗色彩。