Choose the right time to start pitching ideas

选择适当的时候发表意见

Morey Stettner

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

想要别人接受你的想法，首先要倾听别人的想法。但也别听得太多。

"When you keep listening to speakers, you let them reinforce their sense that they're right," said Nance¹ Rosen, managing director of NAX Partners, a marketing² and communications firm in Los Angeles. "It's like they're building brick after brick of a fortress³ by talking more."

洛杉矶一家营销通信公司NAX Partners的常务董事Nance Rosen说：“如果你让别人说得太多，就会让他们强烈地感觉自己是正确的。就好像建堡垒一样，说得越多，堡垒越坚固。”

Instead, interrupt gracefully⁴. Redirect the dialogue so that you can assert your point.

你要礼貌地打断，引导话题的方向，这样你才能坚持你的观点。

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."

《说出来！成功》一书的作者Rosen发现，在非正式谈话中打断对方最好的方法是朝说话人举起手，手掌要伸展。她说这是一个“通用的”停止信号，同时还要说“好极了”。

If the person misses her cue and continues to babble⁵, she makes another short comment, "Thank you," to signal that she expects the speaker to finish.

如果对方没有领悟到、继续唠叨，她就会再做简短的注释：“谢谢”，以提示希望对方别再说了。

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.

此时，多数人都会明了并闭上嘴巴。如果他们还不闭嘴，Rosen会再一次打断，以坚决而礼貌的语气说“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.

通过一系列简短的话来表明你理解了讲话人的意思，并用同样的方法让说个没完的人闭上嘴，时间久了你就能让这个人说话少些。

When it's your turn to talk, maximize your persuasiveness⁶ by grabbing others' attention. Rather than plead your case and enumerate⁷ details that support your point, begin with what Rosen calls "a focus on misery⁸."

当轮到你讲话时，要吸引别人的注意力来最大化地增强自己的说服力。不要只是为自己的观点辩护、列举一堆细节来支持，应该用Rosen所谓的“痛苦关注”方法开始。

Specifically, engage others by identifying their pain, fear and unfulfilled desire. They will heed⁹ your remarks more closely if you begin by appealing to these palpable negatives.

具体地说，用对方的痛处、恐惧和没有满足的欲求来吸引他们。如果你以这些明显的消极因素开始讲话，听众会更密切地关注你的讲话内容。

"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说：“开始时不要把时间浪费在好消息上。那是安眠药。快乐的谈话不会让人们聆听。”

For example, if you want to propose steps to your management team to streamline¹⁰ your operation, start by saying: "Sales are down, our rivals have launched a product that can steal market share from us, and we've squandered¹¹ our potential to lock up our niche¹²."

例如，你希望给管理层提出提高管理效率的提议，你可以这样开始：“销售量正在下降。我们对手推出了一个产品，会抢夺我们的市场份额。我们封闭在狭小的环境里，浪费了潜力。”

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.

从这一点出发，将自己定位成一位问题解决者。表现出你不但理解了困难而且还制定了一套解决计划。

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

Rosen说：“提出你的建议，展现这个提议会如何让你和你的团队在各个方面进步。”

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“英雄事迹”来展现你是一位打败过痛苦、恐惧和未满足欲求的领导者。

Start with phrases such as "From my experience navigating¹³ through a similar crisis, I've discovered that" and "When we were struggling to stay afloat 10 years ago, I decided¹⁴ to."

用这些话做开场白：“从渡过类似危机的经验来看，我发现……”和“当10年前我们要维持经营时，我决定了……”

By establishing credibility as someone who has triumphed over adversity, you reassure¹⁵ 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.

让别人相信自己能够战胜逆境，向别人保证自己具备管理目前挑战的能力。你的故事同时也可做为你倡导听众们最为在意的核心价值观的例证。