卡耐基演講·一、講自己經歷過的事情和精通的知識

那些男女們自己的活生生的故事，使那個電視節(jié)目變得有趣。他們談的是自己的親身經歷和自己知道的事。The men and women whose live flesh-and-blood stories made that television program interesting were talking from their own personal experience. They were talking about something they knew.

幾年前，戴爾·卡耐基的教師們在芝加哥的康拉德希爾頓飯店開會。一位學員這樣開頭：“自由、平等、博愛，這些是人類字典中最偉大的思想。沒有自由，生命便無存活的價值。設想一下，如果我們的行動處處受到限制，會是怎樣的一種生存狀況？”At an area meeting of Dale Carnegie instructors in the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago some years ago, a student speaker started like this: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. These are the mightiest ideas in the dictionary of mankind, Without liberty, life is not worth living. Imagine what existence would be like if your freedom of action would be restricted on all sides."

他講到這兒的時候，他的老師便明智地請他停止。老師問他，是否有什么證明或親身遭遇可以支持他剛才所告訴我們的觀點。于是他講了一個真實的故事。That is as far as he got, because he was wisely stopped by the instructor, who then asked him why he believed what he was saying. He was asked whether he had any proof or personal experience to back up what he had just told us. Then he gave us an amazing story.

他曾是一名法國的地下斗士，他和家人在納粹統(tǒng)治下遭受了種種屈辱。他以生動形象的語言，描述自己和家人是如何逃過秘密警察追捕來到美國的。最后他說：“今天，我走下密歇根街來到這家飯店，能隨意地自由來去。我經過一位警察的身邊，他也并不注意我。我走進飯店，也不需要出示身份證。等會議結束了，可按自己的意愿去芝加哥任何地方。因此請相信，自由是值得奮斗的?！彼@得了全場的起立致敬和熱烈的掌聲。He had been a French underground fighter. He told us of the· indignities he and his family suffered under Nazi rule. He described in vivid language how he escaped from the secret police and how he finally made his way to America. He ended by saying,When I walked down Michigan Avenue to this hotel today, I was free to come or go, as I wished. I passed a policeman and he took no notice of me. I walked into this hotel without having to present an identification card, and when this meeting is over I can go anywhere in Chicago I choose to go. Believe me, freedom is worth fighting for. He received a standing ovation from that audience.