每日英語 #170: Directness and Simplicity 直接性與簡單性

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Directness and Simplicity 直接性與簡單性

U.S. business presentations are usually very direct and “to the point” – that is, they don’t waste time with things that are not key to the topic. This means that you will not find a lot of theoretical or philosophical information in an American business presentation. They are simple and “straightforward” (not complicated or elaborate).

美國的商業簡報通常非常直接並且“切中要點”，也就是說，它們不會在非核心內容上浪費時間。因此，在美國的商業簡報中，你不會看到太多理論或哲學性的資訊。這些簡報都很簡單且“直截了當”（不複雜也不冗長）。

A common expression in U.S. business communication is “less is more” – that is, talking a long time in a presentation is not necessarily better than keeping the presentation brief. U.S. businesspeople expect presentations to be limited to the key points or ideas you are trying to communicate. They also expect presentations to be “slick” (very professional looking, like a good TV commercial) and well-practiced.

美國商務交流中常見的一個表達是“少即是多”——也就是說，簡報時間長並不一定比簡潔的簡報更好。美國商業人士希望簡報能聚焦於你試圖傳達的關鍵點或想法。他們也期望簡報“精緻”（外觀非常專業，像是一個好的電視廣告）且準備充分。

Typically, business presentations (and other types of presentations, such as in school) begin by giving a map or guide to people listening. The presentation begins with a list of the topics that you are going to talk about, usually listed on a piece of paper you give to your audience or on a PowerPoint presentation. This is part of the “direct” approach that U.S. business presentations follow.

通常，商業簡報（以及其他類型的簡報，如學校的簡報）都會先給聽眾提供一個提綱或指南。簡報會從一份列出你即將討論的主題的清單開始，這通常會寫在一張給觀眾的紙上或是呈現在PowerPoint簡報上。這是美國商業簡報“直接”方法的一部分。

There is an old expression about giving presentations in English, which includes three steps:
英文演講中有一個古老的表達方式，包括以下三個步驟：

• Tell them what you are going to tell them 告訴他們你要說什麼
• Tell them 說明內容
• Tell them what you told them 告訴他們你說了什麼

This means that you begin your talk with a quick overview or list of the topics you will talk about. Next, you talk about those topics and give more information about each one. Finally, you do a review or summary of what your main points were.

這表示你會用一個快速的概述或主題清單開始你的講話。接下來，你會談論這些主題並進一步說明每個主題。最後，你會對你的主要觀點進行回顧或總結。

重要單字

• 1. to the point /tu ðə pɔɪnt/ 切中要點
• 2. straightforward /streɪtˈfɔrwərd/ 直截了當的
• 3. less is more /lɛs ɪz mɔr/ 少即是多
• 4. slick /slɪk/ 精緻的，專業的
• 5. overview /ˈoʊvərˌvju/ 概述