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Using Improv to Improve Your Communication Skills 利用即兴表演改善沟通技巧

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Leaning valuable lessons from the entertainment industry  向演艺圈学习

Lane Rasberry may not be the next Steve Carell, but the same skills that improv comedians typically learn on their rise to stardom helped this research interviewer get better at what he does at work every day.

连恩．拉斯贝里也许不会是下一个史提夫．卡尔（译注：《约会喔麦尬》美国男星，以即兴演出着称，曾接受并教授即兴演出课程），但即兴喜剧演员在迈向成名的路途上通常会学到的技艺，却对这名研究访问员的日常工作帮助良多。

A class at Seattle’s Jet City Improv made Rasberry more aware of how he communicates and helped improve his interviewing skills.

西雅图的喷射机之城即兴剧团所举办的一堂课程，让拉斯贝里更清楚意识到自己的沟通方式，而有助于改善他的访谈技巧。

Perfecting your skills  精益求精

Mastering the ability to listen closely and communicate well with co-workers can be a rarity in the corporate world of countless e-mail messages and PowerPoint presentations. Improv companies are taking note and offering assistance through corporate training workshops.

精通仔细聆听以及与同事充分沟通的能力，在充斥着电子邮件讯息与PowerPoint投影简报的企业界里，堪称稀有资产。即兴表演公司也注意到了这一点，而开始透过企业训练课程提供协助。

Meanwhile, some individuals looking to perfect those skills invest in improv classes – whether it’s to do their job better or find a new one – giving new meaning to the phrase “all the world’s a stage.”

另一方面，想要更加精进在这类技巧的人士则把时间投注于即兴表演课程──不论是为了改善自己在现职上的表现，还是为了谋求新出路──都是「世界就是个舞台」这句话赋予了全新意义。

Crash Course  速成诀窍

No time for an improv or acting class? Whether [you’re involved with] finding a job or keeping the one that you have, below are five tips for a better performance:

没时间参加即兴演出或表演课程吗？不论你正忙着找工作还是急于保住现有的工作，以下这五项诀窍都可帮助你改善表现：

1, Listen up  注意聆听

Practice better listening skills by concentrating on the person speaking and not what you’re going to say next, said Seth Weiberg, curriculum director for Improv Olympic in Chicago.

芝加哥即兴奥运剧团课程主任赛斯．魏伯格说，练习增进聆听技巧的方式，就是把注意力集中在正在说话的对方，而不是你等一下打算说什么。

“Most people will self-identify as poor listeners,” Weitberg said. “They’re afraid they won’t have something good to say when it’s their turn to speak. Out of fear, they start thinking about what they want to say.”

「大多数人都自认不善于聆听，」魏伯格说：「他们担心轮到自己说话的时候会无话可说，所以就开始猛想着自己该说些什么。」

2, Be flexible  保持灵活弹性

The ability to go with the flow is important whether you’re supporting members of a team or making a good impression in an interview.

不论你是团队里成员，或是希望在访谈中制造好印象，都必须具备随机应变的能力。

Improvisers know this well: A scene might not take the direction they had hoped, but they can stick with it to make it. To succeed in that, they follow a “yes, and” rule; instead of saying no or denying something said or done onstage, actors support their cast mates, accept the suggestion and add to it.

即兴表演者对这点最是了解：一个场景也许没有朝他们希望的方向发展，但他们还是能够坚持下去而制造出应有的效果。为了达到这样的目标，他们必须遵循「没错，而且」的原则。即兴演员对于表演伙伴在舞台上说了什么话或是做了什么行为，都不能否定或否决，而应该加以支持，接受对方提出的意见，并且进一步推演。

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improv [ˈɪmprɑv] n. & adj. <口>即兴表演（的）an improvisation, a dramatic performance without fixed speech or music which is made up by the actors as they perform it

take note 重视，注意 observe with care or pay close attention to

all the world’s a stage 世界是一座个舞台 taken from a speech in the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare

crash course 速成课 a rapid and intense course of training or research (usually undertaken in an emergency)

self-identify 自我认同 assign a particular characteristic or categorization to oneself; describe oneself as belonging to a particular category or group

go with the flow 一切顺其自然; （非正式）顺应潮流 to cope with adversity

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3, Know yourself  了解自己

For job interviews, people will often memorize theirresume in preparation. Instead, rehearse by reflecting on experiences you’ve had that could express your personality and what you bring to a company.

理查德德德德德德兹说，一般人求职面试都会事先牢记自己的履历，但比较好的做法应该是回想自己过去的经验，一方面藉此表现你的个性，另一方面也藉此说明你能够为公司带来什么帮助。

Go into an interview knowing stories from your past that illustrate certain qualities or lessons learned. Create a value statement about yourself – what you’re bringing to the table regardless of the company – and weave the ideas into an interview conversation.

接受面试之前，先确认你过去有哪些经历能够突显你的人格特质，或是你所学到的教训。为你自己拟定一份价值宣言──不论对方是什么公司，你都必须说明自己可以为对方贡献哪些利益，并且把这些想法都融入面试的谈话当中。

4. Pay attention to body language  注意身体语言

Have friends or family critique your body language for cues on how interviewers and business associates view you.

请朋友或家人评论你的身体语言，藉此了解面试官及同事眼中的你是什么模样。

“Staring out the window can be [a] sign of indifference ….. or fear. Staring someone down can be aggressive,” Weitberg said.

「眼望窗外可能是心不在焉……或害怕的表现。瞪视对方则可能显得太跋扈，」魏伯格说。

Also pay attention to filler words like “um,” or any other verbal cues that could work against you. For example, Lauren Domino, education director at Jet City Improv, worked with a student who seemed to apologize for everything – a trait that gives off a less-than-confident vibe in a business setting.

对于「呃」这种无意义的口头禅，或是可能让人对你印象不佳的口语习惯，也都要小心注意。举例来说，喷射机之城即兴剧团的教育主任萝伦．多米诺就曾经遇过一个学生，似乎对任何事情都会情不自禁地道歉，但在职场上，这种特性可能会让人散发出缺乏信心的氛围。

5, Find common ground  找出共同经验

It’s important to make connections, even if it’s something as simple as where you went to school or your favorite sports team. Identifying common ground goes a long way to establishing trust and building rapport, whether in creating a scene with another actor or talking with a potential boss during an interview.

拉近彼此的关系是很重要的做法，就算你只是和对方上过同样的学校，或是喜欢同一支球队（，也可以藉此消除彼此之间的距离）。不论是和另一名演员共同营造某个场景，或是在面试中与未来可能的上司谈话，找出共同经验都大大有助于建立信任与融洽的关系。

Added Weitberg: “Having a genuine interest in the lives of people around you and embracing opportunities to be vulnerable around others goes a long way in people feeling you’re someone they want to spend time with.”

魏伯格补充道：「真心对周遭人士的生活感兴趣，以及善用机会在别人面前流露出脆弱的一面，都有助于让别人感觉乐于和你相处。」

−by Amy Hoak

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rehearse [rɪˋhɝs] v. 练习; 演练

go into 进入, 从事 to undertake as a profession or course of study

illustrate [ˋɪləstret] v. 表明; 说明; 证明

critique [krɪˋtik] v.【美】评论〔文艺作品等〕

cue [kju] n. 暗示，信号；线索

stare down 逼视某人直至他不敢对视下去; 以目光镇慑某人

give off 发出, 发散 to send forth; emit

vibe [vaɪb] n. 气氛；氛围 a feeling or flavour of the kind specified

go a long way 大有帮助, 走了一大段路, 采取主动 if you say that someone will go a long way, you mean that they will be successful

genuine [ˋdʒɛnjʊɪn] adj. 真诚的；不造作的

vulnerable [ˋvʌlnərəb!] adj. 感情脆弱的; 易受伤的

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Vocabulary Focus

rarity [ˋrɛrətɪ] n.〔因稀罕而〕珍贵的东西; 有趣的东西 something that is very unusual, or the quality of being very unusual

self-identify 自我认同; 自我披露 to recognize oneself as something, and say or prove who one is

bring to the table 提供……；带来……好处 to contribute something that will benefit the group

filler [ˋfɪlɚ] n. 充数(或补空的事物); （杂志等的）补白；（报纸等的）补白 a short text or drawings used to fill extra space in a magazine or newspaper, or talk, music, etc. used to fill extra time in a radio or television broadcast

rapport [ræˋport] n. 融洽; 和睦的关系 a good understanding of someone and an ability to communicate well with them