卡耐基演讲·五、因地制宜，因人而异
总会有这样的时候，一个人拍拍你的肩头说：“讲几句吧？”事前毫无征兆，他就突然来了。也许你正轻松愉快地欣赏典礼主持人的讲话，却发现他竟谈起你来了，人人都望着你，还没弄清是怎么回事，主持人就介绍说你是下一个讲演人了。The time will come when someone will tap you on the shoulder and say "How about a few words?" Or it might come without warning at all. You are relaxed and enjoying the remarks of the master of ceremonies when suddenly you realize he is talking about you. Everybody turns in your direction and before you know it you are introduced as the next speaker.
在这种情况下，你的心思很容易乱，像史蒂芬·李库克那个出名却迷惑的马术师跳上马“四下里乱窜”。要是有什么时刻最需要保持平静，那就是这个时刻。先向主席致意，说上两句，争取一个喘息的机会，然后，最好讲讲和听众关系密切的话题。听众只对自己和自己正在做的事情感兴趣，所以可以从下面三个来源出发，找到即席讲演的话题。In this kind of situation your mind is apt to shoot off, like Stephen Leacock's famous but befuddled horseman, who got on his horse" and made off in all directions". Now, if ever, is the time to remain calm. You can get a breather as you address the chairman. Then it is best to stay close to the meeting in the remarks you make. Audiences are interested in themselves and what they are doing. There are three sources therefore, from which you can draw ideas for an impromptu speech.
一是听众本身。要让讲演轻松易行，就千万记住这一点。谈你的听众，说说他们是谁，正在做什么，特别是他们对社会和人类作了什么贡献等。当然，还要记住用一个实例来证明。First is the audience itself. Remember this, I pray you, for easy speaking. Talk about your listeners, who they are and what they are doing, especially what specific good they perform to the community or for humanity. Use a specific example.
二是场合本身。当然也可以讲讲这次聚会的缘由，是周年纪念日，是表扬大会，是年度聚会，还是政治或爱国集会，等等。The second is the occasion. Surely you can dwell on the circumstances that brought the meeting about. Is it an anniversary, a testimonial, an annual meeting, a political or patriotic occasion?
最后，如果你对之前的另一位演讲人所谈到的事特别感兴趣，你不妨将它再详述一番。最成功的即席演讲，都是真正的当场演讲。它们表达的，是演讲者对听众和场合的感想，因地制宜，像手和手套那样密切的关系，它们是专为这个场合而量身定做的它们的。成功在于：它们在特殊的时刻绽放，像昙花一现，花开了又凋谢不见。可是，听众享受到的愉悦却不止于此，在你还没有意识到之前，他们已将你当成即席演讲的专家了。Lastly, if you have been an attentive listener, you might indicate your pleasure in something specific another speaker said before you and amplify that. The most successful impromptu talks are those that are really impromptu. They express things that the speaker feels in his heart about the audience and the occasion. They fit the situation like hand in glove. They are tailor-made for this occasion, and this occasion alone. Therein lies their success: they flower out of the moment and then, like rare-blossoming roses, they fade from the scene. But the pleasure enjoyed by your audience lives on, and sooner than you think you begin to be looked upon as an impromptu speaker.
