Choose the right time to start pitching ideas

選擇適當的時候發表意見

Morey Stettner

To sell your ideas, you need to listen to others first. Just don't listen too much.

想要別人接受你的想法，首先要傾聽別人的想法。但也別聽得太多。

"When you keep listening to speakers, you let them reinforce their sense that they're right," said Nance Rosen, managing director of NAX Partners, a marketing and communications firm in Los Angeles. "It's like they're building brick after brick of a fortress by talking more."

洛杉磯一家營銷通信公司NAX Partners的常務董事Nance Rosen說：“如果你讓別人說得太多，就會讓他們強烈地感覺自己是正確的。就好像建堡壘一樣，說得越多，堡壘越堅固。”

Instead, interrupt gracefully. Redirect the dialogue so that you can assert your point.

你要禮貌地打斷，引導話題的方向，這樣你才能堅持你的觀點。

Author of "Speak Up! and Succeed," Rosen finds that the best way to interrupt in casual conversation is to hold up an outstretched hand toward the speaker. That, she says, is "a universal cue like a stop sign." At the same time, she'll say "great."

《說出來！成功》一書的作者Rosen發現，在非正式談話中打斷對方最好的方法是朝說話人舉起手，手掌要伸展。她說這是一個“通用的”停止信號，同時還要說“好極了”。

If the person misses her cue and continues to babble, she makes another short comment, "Thank you," to signal that she expects the speaker to finish.

如果對方沒有領悟到、繼續嘮叨，她就會再做簡短的注釋：“謝謝”，以提示希望對方別再說了。

Most people get the message and zip their lips. If they don't, Rosen interrupts again by saying "got it" in a firm but polite tone.

此時，多數人都會明了并閉上嘴巴。如果他們還不閉嘴，Rosen會再一次打斷，以堅決而禮貌的語氣說“知道了”。

By making a series of short comments to indicate that you understand a speaker -- and using the same prompts consistently to silence a motormouth -- you can train the person over time to talk less.

通過一系列簡短的話來表明你理解了講話人的意思，并用同樣的方法讓說個沒完的人閉上嘴，時間久了你就能讓這個人說話少些。

When it's your turn to talk, maximize your persuasiveness by grabbing others' attention. Rather than plead your case and enumerate details that support your point, begin with what Rosen calls "a focus on misery."

當輪到你講話時，要吸引別人的注意力來最大化地增強自己的說服力。不要只是為自己的觀點辯護、列舉一堆細節來支持，應該用Rosen所謂的“痛苦關注”方法開始。

Specifically, engage others by identifying their pain, fear and unfulfilled desire. They will heed your remarks more closely if you begin by appealing to these palpable negatives.

具體地說，用對方的痛處、恐懼和沒有滿足的欲求來吸引他們。如果你以這些明顯的消極因素開始講話，聽眾會更密切地關注你的講話內容。

"Don't waste time on good news at the beginning," Rosen said. "It's a snooze. Happy talk isn't going to compel people to listen to you."

Rosen說：“開始時不要把時間浪費在好消息上。那是安眠藥。快樂的談話不會讓人們聆聽。”

For example, if you want to propose steps to your management team to streamline your operation, start by saying: "Sales are down, our rivals have launched a product that can steal market share from us, and we've squandered our potential to lock up our niche."

例如，你希望給管理層提出提高管理效率的提議，你可以這樣開始：“銷售量正在下降。我們對手推出了一個產品，會搶奪我們的市場份額。我們封閉在狹小的環境里，浪費了潛力。”

From that point, position yourself as problem solver. Show that you not only understand the obstacles but that you have also developed a plan of attack.

從這一點出發，將自己定位成一位問題解決者。表現出你不但理解了困難而且還制定了一套解決計劃。

"Anchor your proposal by showing how it will empower you and your team to move forward on many fronts," Rosen said.

Rosen說：“提出你的建議，展現這個提議會如何讓你和你的團隊在各個方面進步。”

Cite what she calls "heroic achievement stories" to showcase your experience as a leader who has overcome pain, fear and unfulfilled desire.

引用你的“英雄事跡”來展現你是一位打敗過痛苦、恐懼和未滿足欲求的領導者。

Start with phrases such as "From my experience navigating through a similar crisis, I've discovered that" and "When we were struggling to stay afloat 10 years ago, I decided to."

用這些話做開場白：“從渡過類似危機的經驗來看，我發現……”和“當10年前我們要維持經營時，我決定了……”

By establishing credibility as someone who has triumphed over adversity, you reassure others that you're equipped to manage the current challenge. Through your stories, you can also champion the core values that your listeners care about the most.

讓別人相信自己能夠戰勝逆境，向別人保證自己具備管理目前挑戰的能力。你的故事同時也可做為你倡導聽眾們最為在意的核心價值觀的例證。