1. 寻求真实的反馈。改变说话习惯就像改变任何行为方式一样，第一步就是要认清问题所在。杨克开始一个阶段的培训时，往往先要把客户的说话内容录下来，然后和客户一起回顾检查，找出问题。“当人们看到自己的举止，听到自己的说话方式时，往往会大吃一惊。实际上，我们中的大多数人并不了解自己在与别人接触时的真实状态。”

    值得信任的朋友和同事都可以为此提供建议。另外，公司的人事部也可以针对公司内部的“潜力股”——比如你的队友那样的员工，开展几期相关的专业培训。

    2. 参加国际演讲会（Toastmasters International）。 这个组织在全球16个国家拥有13,000个分会，也许在你们的身边，就有一个国际演讲会分会。“国际演讲会是一个非常不错的组织，会员都在竭尽全力提高自己的讲话技巧。演讲会内部总是呈现出一派友好的学院式氛围，” 杨克说。“而且这个组织是免费的。”

    3. 研习成功人士的讲话风格。“现在的女性成功人士比以往任何时候都要多，所以，很容易就可以找到这样的榜样——她们依靠自己不凡的讲话风格赢得了如今的地位，”杨克解释道。她向众人推荐TED.com网站，里面的演讲数以千计，时长都在20分钟左右，而且演讲人都非常风趣。

    杨克还建议说：“可以去关注一下Facebook的CEO雪莉•桑德伯格，或是梅琳达•盖茨，或百事可乐公司（Pepsico）CEO卢英德。注意一下她们讲话的语速，使用停顿的技巧。只要勤加练习，这些东西是每个人都可以学会的。”

    4.注意上司是如何表达观点的。不同的企业文化，自然会有不同的沟通方式，所以有必要关注上司的讲话方式。“如果你的上司中，有人能够非常有效地传达他的想法，那就注意他是怎样做到的，然后进行模仿。”

    “不是让你去鹦鹉学舌般的生搬硬套，而是借鉴其中可以轻松掌握的元素。归根到底，讲话最重要的是自我表达，是传递自己的独到观点时，但是要注意，我们需要展现的是自己最好的一面，而且展示的方式要能抓住听者的注意力。”

    反馈：讲话方式会成就一个人，也会毁掉一个人，你同意这样的观点吗？哪些讲话习惯会分散别人的注意力，或显得很不专业？请留言发表您的观点。

    译者：李淑玉/汪皓

    1. Seek out honest feedback. As with trying to change any behavior, the first step is to become aware of it. In her coaching sessions, Jahnke usually starts by videotaping a client talking and reviewing it with the client. "People are usually surprised when they watch and hear themselves," she says. "Most of us don't really know how we're coming across."

    A trusted friend or coworker may be able to offer suggestions, or your company's human resources department may even provide a few professional coaching sessions -- especially for high-potential types like your teammate.

    1. Join Toastmasters International. With 13,000 chapters in 16 countries, Toastmasters probably has a club near you. "It is a great organization, full of people who are seriously trying to improve their speaking skills in a friendly, collegial atmosphere," Jahnke says. "And it's free."

    3. Study the speaking styles of successful people. "Women have so many more role models now than ever before, so it's easy to find executives whose speaking styles have helped to get them where they are today," notes Jahnke. She recommends checking out TED.com, which offers thousands of 20-minute talks by interesting people.

    "Look up Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook, or Melinda Gates," Jahnke suggests. "Or find YouTube videos of [Pepsico CEO] Indra Nooyi. Notice how they pace their speech, and how they use pauses. With some effort and practice, these are things anyone can learn."

    4. Take note of how higher-ups at your company express their ideas. Naturally, communication styles vary somewhat from one corporate culture to another, so it makes sense to pay attention to how people above you talk. "If there is someone who is particularly effective at getting his or her ideas across, you might emulate the way they do it," says Jahnke.

    "The idea is not to parrot someone else's speech patterns, but to adopt the elements of their style that you can comfortably learn to use," she adds. "In the end, it's still about expressing yourself and your unique ideas -- but your best self, presented in a way that will make others listen."

    Talkback: Do you agree that the way someone speaks can make or break a career? What habits of speech do you find distracting or unprofessional? Leave a comment below.