I recently gave a talk at a large venue to nearly 1,000 people. It seemed to go well but who am I to judge? The experience of giving a speech is radically different from the experience of listening to one. An adrenaline-drenched emotional rollercoaster for a nervous speaker may nevertheless be unbearably tedious for the listeners. A superbly honed performance may produce a sense of suspense, surprise and delight for the audience; the result of many hours of rehearsal and repetition for the speaker. Yet it can be very hard indeed for the speaker to know what worked and what didn't.
最近，我在一個大型報告廳為將近1000名觀眾做了回演講。演講的效果看起來不錯，但我自己憑什么去評判？自己講與聽別人講的感覺完全是兩碼事。一個緊張的演講者像打了腎上腺素般充滿激情的演講，對聽眾們來說或許無聊透頂。憑借長時間的演練和一遍遍的重復，一場經過精心打磨的表演也許會讓觀眾覺得扣人心弦、驚喜連連，但演講者可能很難知道什么東西能打動觀眾，什么不能。