Topic 56 有趣的演讲（低频）

1. Is it important to be a good listener?
Yeah, I think it’s definitely important to be a good listener. For one, it can let you be a good learner. If you’re good at listening, it can help you learn more ideas and knowledge from others. Another reason why it’s important is that it helps you build stronger friendships. People appreciate it when you make them feel heard514. It’s a way for you to gain their trust and understand them better.

2. How to be a good listener?
You can be a good listener by letting the person express themselves fully without interrupting. Even though sometimes you really hope to give your own opinion on what they’re saying, it’s much better to just sit back and listen to them. Another way to be a good listener is to give the person your full attention515. The speaker will be more focused when they see you are listening carefully.

3. What techniques do you use to remember content when you are listening a speech?
Honestly my memory isn’t the most reliable, but there are a couple techniques I use to remember things when I’m listening to a speech. The first one is linking things the speaker says back to my own personal life. If something they say reminds me of a person in my life, I use a mental association516 to remember the info. Another technique is making quick notes. As people always say, the palest ink is better than the best memory517.

4. What kind of jobs require the skill of speaking in public?
There are definitely lots of jobs that require you to be able to speak well in public. The first one that I can think of is a teacher or professor. You have to able to give a lesson to tons of people, whether they’re high school or university students. Another job that I can think of is being a politician. Sometimes you have to give speeches to the public so people will know your political views and support you.

5. What is required to be a good public speaker? Is confidence important?
I think that in order to be a good public speaker, you definitely have to be confident. If you aren’t sure of yourself518, you may get panicked when you give your speech. Another important quality is having a clear, loud voice. If you voice is not loud enough, the audience won’t even pay attention to what you say. Actually, I believe good public speaking skills come with practice. After all, practice makes perfect519.

514 make them feel heard：让他们觉得（自己）被倾听
515 give the person your full attention：充分关注（说话的人）
516 a mental association：心理联想
517 the palest ink is better than the best memory：好记性不如烂笔头
518 you aren’t sure of yourself：对自己没有把握
519 practice makes perfect：熟能生巧