How to Start Any Conversation the Right Way | Chris Fenning | TED · TED
Chris Fenning分享职场沟通中如何在第一分钟明确主题，提升效率。适合练习清晰表达和有效沟通技巧。
I want to be long-winded and unclear.
我想说得冗长而又含糊不清。
It's not a common opening line.
这并不是一种常见的开场白。
Most people won't tell us when they're going to be long-winded, but we know.
大多数人不会提前告诉我们他们打算讲多长时间的话，但我们心里还是明白的。
We can tell pretty quickly if someone’s going to get to the point or if we are in for a long and painful conversation.
我们很快就能判断出：对方是否会直接切入主题，还是我们将陷入一场漫长而令人疲惫的对话之中。
And this is especially true at work.
尤其是在工作中，这一点尤为明显。
Every year, poor communication costs businesses hundreds of billions of dollars in lost productivity.
每年，由于沟通不畅，企业都会因生产力下降而损失数千亿美元。
And I have to confess, the early part of my career, I was responsible for at least some of that.
我必须承认，在我职业生涯的早期阶段，至少有一部分问题是我自己造成的。
But I'm not alone.
但我并不孤单。
Hands up if you work with someone who is long winded or unclear.
如果你们共事的人说话啰嗦或表达不清，请举手。
That's a lot of hands.
有这么多人在参与啊……
Now I’m sure we are all thinking about people outside this room, right?
现在，我敢肯定我们都在想着这个房间之外的人，对吧？
Except for those of you pointing at each other.
除了那些互相指责的人之外……
But what would happen if we asked the people outside this room?
但是，如果我们去询问这个房间之外的人，会发生什么呢？
They might be thinking about us.
他们可能在想着我们。
And while our goal is to be clear and concise, do we really know how?
虽然我们的目标是做到表述清晰、简洁明了，但我们真的知道该如何做到这一点吗？
Every time we communicate, we have an opportunity to create clarity or confusion.
每次我们进行交流时，都面临着一个选择：要么让信息更加清晰明了，要么反而导致信息变得混乱不清。
And clarity begins from the very first minute.
清晰度从第一分钟就开始了。
If you get the first minute right, you set your conversation up for success.
如果你能把握好开场的第一分钟，就能为整个对话的成功奠定基础。
Get it wrong your conversations will be longer, less effective and more frustrating.
如果理解错了，你们的对话会变得更漫长、效果更差，同时也会让人更加沮丧。
Now on the off chance we could all use a little more clarity, I'm going to share a tip with you today.
现在，既然我们或许都需要更多的清晰度和明确性，那么今天我就想和大家分享一个小技巧。
A tip that will help each of you improve the success of your communication at work.
这里有一个小建议，可以帮助大家在工作中提高沟通效果、提升沟通的成功率。
A tip that has been tested by more than 75,000 people around the world.
这是一个经过全球超过 7.5 万人验证的有效建议。
And a tip that will help each of you get the first minute right.
还有一个小建议，能帮助你们每个人都从第一分钟开始就做得恰到好处。
And here it is.
就是这里了。
There are three things we must include at the start of our work messages.
在我们发送的工作信息开头，有三点内容是必须包含的。
And those three things begin with T, I and P.
这三件事的名称都以字母 T、I 和 P 开头。
It's a TIP.
这只是一个建议（或小贴士）。
Now the first part of the tip is the T, and T stands for topic.
这个建议的第一部分是字母“T”，而“T”代表“主题”（topic）。
Every conversation at work needs a clear topic.
工作中的每一次对话都需要有一个明确的主题。
When the topic is clear, everyone knows what we're talking about.
当讨论的主题明确时，每个人都知道我们在谈论什么。
Everyone's in sync.
每个人的动作都协调一致。
Everybody understands.
大家都明白。
Unfortunately, reality isn't always like this, is it?
不幸的是，现实并不总是如此，对吧？
How often are you in a conversation and you find yourself thinking, what are you talking about?
你在交谈中，有多少次会突然意识到自己在想：“你们到底在聊些什么？
That happens when the topic is not clear.
当讨论的主题不明确时，就会出现这种情况。
Now usually the consequences are pretty minor -- a little bit of wasted time, some minor frustration -- but sometimes,
通常情况下，这些后果其实并不严重：只是浪费了一些时间，或者让人感到些许沮丧而已。不过有时候……
the consequences are more significant.
其后果更为严重。
In 2006, I was part of an engineering team writing a bid -- a proposal -- that was worth a lot of money to our company.
2006年，我加入了一个工程团队，负责撰写一份投标文件（即提案）。这份提案对我们公司来说价值不菲。
And a couple of days before the big meeting, my boss came up to me and said, "Hey,
在重要会议召开前的几天，我的老板找到我说：“嘿，
Chris, I need you to change the meeting from Tuesday to Thursday."
克里斯，我需要你把会议的时间从周二改到周四。