亲爱的安妮：在我工作的团队，有一个聪明伶俐且充满才气的年轻女孩，她很有发展潜力。但问题是，我们主管和其他同事对她的讲话方式很有意见。她讲话的方式可以用“山谷女郎”来形容。我们真的希望她取得出色的业绩，更进一步。但是很显然，她的说话方式正在阻碍她的职业发展。您能提供一些技巧，来帮助她克服这个毛病吗？她愿意接受任何建设性的建议。我认为她会听从您的建议的。——TH

    亲爱的TH：高管演讲教练克里斯汀•杨克曾说过：“‘山谷语’腔调给人的感觉，就像一个人刚从床上爬起来，紧接着就开始工作了。”她还说，“这种腔调听上去很不正式，而且更糟糕的是，它会分散别人的注意力，从而无法关注你的创意和表现。同时，这样的说话方式也决定了你注定跟直接与客户打交道的工作岗位无缘。”

    杨克现任华盛顿特区积极沟通培训公司（Positive Communications）总裁。第一夫人米歇尔•奥巴马曾接受过她的建议。美国总共六位州长都曾是她的客户。此外，她的客户还包括不同类型公司的高管，从国家地理频道（National Geographic Channel）到全国运动汽车竞赛协会（National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing）等等。最近，她还出了本新书——《职场指南：如何展现最美的形象和声音》（Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best）。

    “山谷女郎”式的说话方式还有一个缺点，那就是每句话的结尾通常用上扬的语调，就像在提问题。“听起来就像在寻求别人的认同，而不是在陈述一件事情。这会使人显得对自己的话缺乏自信，”杨克说。

    另一种不好的说话习惯是在谈话中中掺杂过多的口头禅，比如“就像”、“你知道”等等。杨克认为，卡洛琳•肯尼迪在2008年的参议员竞选中失利，部分原因就在于她在公开场合的表现，其中就包括《纽约时报》（New York Times）对她的一次专访。谈到那次专访，杨克回忆说：“如果不说‘你知道’，她好像就无法清楚完整的表达自己的观点。”另外，权威评论者还对肯尼迪的“娃娃音”和“散漫的个性倾向”提出了批评。

    幸运的是，我们中的大部分人当然无需像公职候选人那样，必须面对大众的高度关注。然而，不加修饰脱壳而出的说话方式却可以毁掉任何一个人的职业前程。而且职位越高，这一点也会变得愈发重要，杨克说，“随着职位升高，我们的一言一行都会受到外界更加密切的关注。”

    那么，你的同事，或者其他有类似问题的人，到底应该怎样改变他们的讲话方式呢？要知道，这些不好的习惯对她们来说已是多年的顽疾。杨克称：“大部分人都没必要对说话方式全面大修，只需要改正一到两处就可以了。”

    她提出了下面四条建议，帮助人们培养更符合职业规范的说话方式。

    Dear Annie: I work on a team with a bright, talented young woman who has a lot of potential. The problem is that our director and other colleagues are frustrated with her communication style, which is what you might call "Valley Girl." We really want her to do well and get ahead, and we believe the way she speaks is holding her back. Can you offer any tips on how to overcome this? She is generally open to constructive suggestions and I think she would follow your advice. — Trying to Help

    Dear TH: "'Valleyspeak' is the verbal equivalent of coming to work looking like you just rolled out of bed," says executive speech coach Christine K. Jahnke. "It's sloppy and, worse, it distracts people's attention from your ideas and your performance. It can also wreck your chances of ever being selected for a job where you would be 'out front' dealing with clients."

    Jahnke is president of Washington, D.C.-based coaching firm Positive Communications and has advised Michelle Obama and six state governors as well as executives at companies as diverse as the National Geographic Channel and NASCAR. She also wrote a new book, The Well-Spoken Woman: Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best.

    One drawback to talking like a Valley Girl is that it often entails ending sentences with an upward inflection, as if they were questions, which "sounds as if you're seeking approval rather than making a statement," Jahnke says. "It makes you seem to lack confidence in what you're saying."

    Another unfortunate verbal habit: Peppering one's speech with "like" and "you know." Jahnke believes that Carolyn Kennedy's 2008 Senate bid failed in part because of public appearances -- including a New York Times interview that quickly went viral -- where, Jahnke recalls, Kennedy "seemed unable to articulate a complete thought without saying 'you know.'" Pundits also picked on Kennedy's "baby doll voice" and "tendency to ramble," Jahnke says.

    Of course, most of us (luckily) never have to stand in the intense public spotlight that candidates for public office face, but a less-than-polished speaking style can wreck anyone's career prospects, says Jahnke, and it becomes more of a sticking point the higher you go: "As you rise up the ladder, expect that every aspect of your speaking persona will face more intense scrutiny." Gulp.

    So what can your colleague -- or anyone else -- do to change speech patterns that may have become ingrained over many years? "Most people really don't need a total overhaul," Jahnke says. "They just need to correct one or two things."

    She suggests the following four steps toward a more professional speaking style: